The Bread and Peace the theater troupe, which is sponsored by the Bahá'í radio station in Puna, Peru, uses traditional costumes and characters to present information on health and hygiene. The troupe is shown performing El Returno del Robachicos (The Return of the Báby-snatchers), a play designed to educate mothers about simple infant health care measures.

At the Bahá'í Vocational Institute for Rural Women in Indore, India, young women from rennote vilbges learn not only sewing and other marketable skills, but also how to read and write.

A Bahá'í primary school in Kivu Province, Zaire.

New Approaches to Old Problems

BAHÁ'Í EFFORTS IN EDUCATION, ENVIRONMENT AND DEVELOPMENT

Historically, religion has been among the most powerful agents for changing human attitudes and behavior. Bahá'í efforts to address the wide-ranging social ills facing humanity, therefore, draw on God's message for today, offering new and hopeful models for social action and transformation.

Although its numbers and resources are still limited when compared with those at the disposal of some of the much older religious bodies--not to mention governments and international agencies--the worldwide Bahá'í community has in recent years launched what amounts to a comprehensive effort to address the problems of underdevelopment and environmental degradation around the world.

This effort is significant not for its size or scale, but rather for the fresh and hopeful model it offers to the world.

According to the most recent count, Bahá'í communities operate more than 1,300 local development projects around the world. These efforts range from simple literacy centers to reforestation efforts, from health clinics to environmental research centers. The largest share of these projects is in the developing world.

What sets the Bahá'í approach apart is its integration of the distinctive spiritual, social and administrative principles outlined a century ago by Bahá'u'lláh. In each separate sphere covered by these principles--whether in terms of spiritual understanding, social ideals, or administrative procedure--the teachings of Bahá'u'lláh offer fresh approaches and insights.

When taken as an integrated whole, the impact is multiplied: Bahá'ís believe that the teachings of Bahá'u'lláh provide a set of comprehensive tools for the type of collective social action necessary for humanity to survive and prosper in this new age.

The spiritual teachings of Bahá'u'lláh emphasize self-reliance and self-sufficiency, and they promote a holistic and world-embracing approach in understanding social problems and their underlying causes. Perhaps more important, Bahá'u'lláh's teachings connect with the deepest elements of human nature elements which are inherently spiritual--and in doing so tap into the motivational powers of the human spirit.

The social teachings of Bahá'u'lláh provide a standard for progressive action and moral conduct that is not only consistent with the highest ideals of modern society, but conforms to its innermost aspirations. They are the embodiment of justice, and have direct and practical applications in efforts to solve social problems.

For example, efforts to alleviate poverty cannot be divorced from activities that promote full equality for women. The vast majority of the world's poor are women and children. In many developing countries, especially in Africa, women farmers grow much of the food. Bahá'ís believe that efforts to ensure food security in these regions depend largely on improvements to the status of women. Issues of development and environment are equally dependent on finding solutions to problems of racism, under-education, and religious strife.

The administrative order created by Bahá'u'lláh, likewise, represents a new approach to social action. The structure of the worldwide network of local, national and international Bahá'í governing councils suggests a new model for decentralized administration. This is especially true for local Spiritual Assemblies, which can be seen as grassroots level decision-making agencies capable of understanding and acting on development choices.

Further, the procedures of consultation, as practised by Bahá'ís, can be applied in a wide variety of other settings to stimulate cooperation and social development. [See page 43 on Consultation.]

Religion and Social Change

Historically, religion has been among the most powerful agents for changing human attitudes and behavior. Religion has traditionally defined what it means to be human, and it has defined the nature of our goals and relationships. And it is on this point--the struggle to change human attitudes and behavior--that the Bahá'í approach to the problems of education, development and environmental conservation offers perhaps the most hope.

Because the material means of the Bahá'í community are limited, most of these efforts are small in scale, serving their immediate locality.

Nevertheless, the approach to creating and operating these projects is distinctively Bahá'í. Directly or indirectly, nearly all promote the oneness of humanity. Many incorporate an emphasis on uplifting the status of women. Many seek to serve minority populations that have been discriminated against. Most make extensive use of the principle of consultation in an effort to seek input from--and empower--those whom the projects attempt to serve. The aggregate result is the emergence of a new model for integrated and comprehensive social and economic development.