Services bahais canadiens de developpement international SBCDI Bahai International Development Servi

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Baháí Perspectives on Development
Canadian Baháí International Development Agency
(CBIDA)
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• The Bahai communitys commitment to social and
  economic development is rooted in its sacred
  scriptures, which state that all human beings
  have been created to carry forward an
  ever-advancing civilization.
• Be anxiously concerned with the needs of the age
  ye live in, and centre your deliberations on its
  exigencies and requirements.
• -- Baháulláh.

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• The emerging approach to Bahai social and
  economic development recognizes that
  materialistic approaches alone will never succeed
  in building the capacity of individuals and
  communities to take action in releasing their
  power. (OSED)

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• The worldwide Bahai community, as an organic
  whole, transcends divisions prevalent in society
  such as North and South, developed and
  underdeveloped. Social and economic development
  efforts are undertaken by Bahais, irrespective
  of the degree of material prosperity achieved by
  their nations, as they strive to apply the
  teachings of Bahaullah to the gradual process
  of building a new civilization.
• - From a memorandum dated 11 March 1997 of the
  Universal House of Justice to OSED.
• The earth is one country and mankind its
  citizens Bahaullah

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Key to a Baháí approach to sustainable social
and economic development is a commitment to six
dynamic processes

• facilitating growth and change that is organic
  and emerges from the grassroots

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2. achieving sustainable development through
authentic participation and a gradual approach to
build individual and organizational capacity
Students of the Bayan Association, Honduras
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• ensuring an open mind and heart to apply
  scientific method and spiritual principles to
  community challenges in an attitude of learning
  through application, reflection and consultation

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4. ensuring the development of human resources
committed to lifelong learning
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• promoting development that benefits all of
  humanity and that contributes positively to the
  advancement of society as a whole, and

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6. gradually developing more complex sets of
activities that lead towards integrated
development practices and that ensures the
integration of all members of the community in
the development process.
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Grassroots Initiatives
Sustained Projects
Development Organizations
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(No Transcript)
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Learning
Action Reflection - Consultation
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Learning
Action
Reflection
Training
Consultation
Systematization
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Every Bahai development project whatever its
size or scope serves as a center for learning
that promotes material, moral, and spiritual
progress. Success is measured chiefly in terms
of the impact the action has on building the
capacity of individuals and their communities to
address development issues at progressively
higher levels of complexity and
effectiveness. OSED, For the Betterment of the
World, p. 13
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Building the capacity of the worlds peoples and
their institutions to participate effectively in
weaving the fabric of a prosperous civilization
requires a vast increase in their access to
knowledge. Given that such a civilization will
have to be cognizant of both the material and
spiritual dimensions of existence, development
theory and practice must draw on the two basic
knowledge systems that have propelled humanitys
progress over the centuries science and
religion. OSED, For the Betterment of the
World, p. 5
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• learning about development through action,
  reflection on action, consultation, the
  systematization of experience, and trainingall
  carried out in the light of the Teachings
  (learning)
• increasing the involvement of individuals and
  institutions in social and economic development
  according to the needs and resources of their
  communities (sustainability)
• understanding and maintaining the complementary
  relationship between activities for teaching and
  for social and economic development (SED is
  service for the sake of service)

Preface to Readings on Bahai Social and Economic
Development, Palabra Publications, 2000.
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• integrating Baháí social and economic
  development with the spiritual, social and
  intellectual life of Baháí communities (service
  is a natural extension of who the Bahais are and
  what they aspire to do.)
• learning how to influence society through
  collaboration with like-minded organizations and
  programs (participation / integration /
  learning)
• raising up an increasing number of human
  resources capable of becoming effective
  protagonists in the spiritual and material
  advancement of their people (training for
  lifelong learning / universal participation)

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• creating institutional capacity whether in
  training institutes or in Baháí-inspired
  agencies to undertake increasingly complex
  development endeavours (Developing
  organizational capacity / avoid dependency)
• utilizing methods and approaches that have proven
  to be effective in order to carry out campaigns
  to reach large numbers of people in areas such as
  literacy, health and the advancement of women
  (Learning from experiences and best practices and
  going to scale.)
• systematizing Baháí-inspired approaches to
  education and learning to influence the
  educational systems of a growing number of
  countries. (Systematic and Systemic approaches).

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Contact information
Canadian Bahai International Development
Agency
Agence bahaie canadienne de développement intern
ational
Duncan Hanks dhanks_at_sympatico.ca