A New Framework for Social and Economic Development

Bahá’í development projects are a global enterprise where Bahá'ís act locally to learn to translate Bahá'u'lláh’s teachings into action to resolve problems.

They emphasize grassroots initiative and evolutionary growth, a counterpoint to traditional thinking about development, in which concerns with the financial and material aspects of assistance can overshadow the complexity of people’s needs and their own capacity to produce positive change.

Activities undertaken by Bahá’í communities range in scale from national literacy programs to village vegetable gardens. Each strives to put in place an integrated model for social and economic development, working to create community-wide learning and capacity building in addition to addressing immediate needs.

A growing number of Bahá'í-inspired development organizations combine principles of action-learning, concern for appropriate technology, and environmental conservation; work to develop coordinated networks of both Bahá’í and non-Bahá’í institutions; and urge an integrated and globally minded approach in understanding a problem and its origins.

Beyond the training of individuals and the cultivation of community life, development must pay attention to strengthening organizational structures and processes to create institutions that can channel the talents and energies of individuals in service to humanity.

Ultimately, the goal is a global society that provides true prosperity—spiritual and material—for all people.

If you would like more information on development projects which Bahá’ís sponsor around the world, please contact us.

A New Framework for Social and Economic Development

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