The 1995 Beijing Platform of Action underlined the indispensability of the contribution of men and boys to achieving gender equality. Recent years have witnessed considerable advances in women's attainment of political and civil rights, but the implementation of full gender equality requires a profound shift in individual values, outlook and conduct, which will ultimately transform the underlying ethos of social institutions, making them more welcoming to women.

The teachings of the Baha'i Faith offer a model of gender equality based on the concept of partnership between the sexes and the active support of men and boys for the achievement of equality. Three basic elements underpin the Baha'i­ approach:

• Baha'i­s are committed to an evolutionary social transformation of fundamental values, even in regions of the world where cultural traditions impose obstacles to women's development. Enduring change comes through cooperative activity of men and women rather than through confrontation. Hence, we call upon all members of society to encourage and support women to develop their full potential and to strive for their equality and human rights and we recognize that much more can be accomplished in the long run if men and women work together. Within the family, therefore, boys and girls alike are taught respect for all females and within the Baha'i­ community, programs are conducted to educate men and boys concerning the status of women, and a variety of practical measures are instituted to foster their involvement in promoting gender equality as a shared community goal.
• The full development of men and boys is inextricably linked to the advancement of women. A society characterized by gender equality serves the interests of both sexes. It enables men and women to develop in a more balanced and multifaceted way and to discard the rigid role stereotypes so crucial to shifting family dynamics, and to accord women full access to the world of work. It also enables both sexes to recognize each others' needs, building an awareness vital to the resolution of issues associated with women's health. It also enables the replacement of unequal relationships and tendencies toward domination and aggression with genuine partnerships between the sexes characterized by collaboration and the sharing of resources and decision-making.
• Baha'i­s view the advancement of women as an ongoing organic process aligned with forces of social transformation and the movement towards the recognition of the oneness of humanity. We recommend making a start, however modest, by educating boys from the earliest stage of their social development in initiatives along the lines of those outlined above, and by engaging the support of men in this process, in order to foster a more conscious awareness that the interests of men and boys are linked to those of women.
• In light of the experience and contribution of the Baha'i­ community in 182 countries towards the implementation of these principles, Baha'i­s remain optimistic about the achievement of gender equality and the progressive involvement of men and boys in achieving this goal.

The Baha'i­ International Community is pleased that the Commission on the Status of Women is focusing global attention on the impact of racism on women at its 45th session. Baha'i­s the world over -- regardless of gender or ethnicity -- have longed for and promoted both the advancement of women and the elimination of all forms of prejudice, including those based on race, ethnicity, and gender.

A world that promotes the equality of women and men will lift much of the burden from women. Likewise a world free of racism will further lighten women's load. But the benefits extend even further. While women are the ones primarily affected when race and gender inequalities coincide, the human race as a whole is disadvantaged and its progress retarded by these injustices. As the Baha'i­ writings state, "As long as women are prevented from attaining their highest possibilities, so long will men be unable to achieve the greatness which might be theirs."

Women throughout the world find themselves greatly disadvantaged in a socially stratified world by the compounding of discrimination based on race, gender, class, and age. Within what has been termed a "matrix of domination," or "a range of interlocking inequalities" that defines gender, women belonging to an oppressed group feel the effects of these disadvantages most keenly, as they belong simultaneously to two groups that are discriminated against. Racism creates basic social divisions and power structures, and the inequality promoted by racial divisions is reinforced by structures that also limit opportunities for women. Because of this double jeopardy, women belonging to minority races or ethnic groups often live in virtual invisibility. Neglecting their history and using the media to reinforce gender stereotypes exacerbates the problem.

The disadvantages and injustices suffered by women of oppressed groups living in societies where resources are limited have been highlighted over the past two decades in international fora such as the United Nations. These women endure discrimination in education, particularly where tradition decrees that girl children are not "worth" educating. Their health is jeopardized through poor nutrition, poor reproductive health care, and ineffective protection from unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases-all a result of their social status. The brutal practice of female genital mutilation causes pain and suffering and endangers women's health in the name of "cultural practice," and if the procedure renders them infertile, they are stigmatized as of little value in societies that measure women's worth largely by their ability to produce children. The perilous situation of women in the midst of armed conflict, who are subjected to violence, the trafficking in women and girls for the purposes of prostitution, the exploitation of women laborers-all of these have been documented and examined at length.

Women positioned at the intersection of race and gender are most glaringly affected by the social structures that sustain discrimination and exploitation, but these injustices affect everyone. For example, disadvantages experienced by women oppressed because of race produce unacknowledged benefits for women and men belonging to favored groups. The reluctance to acknowledge these privileges perpetuates injustice and hinders society from developing in healthy ways. When women everywhere, in every culture and society, are welcomed as full partners with men in all fields of endeavor, conditions that promote real justice and peace will prevail.

Since the founding of the United Nations, the Baha'i­ International Community has spoken many times in international fora about the baneful effects of discrimination, especially racism, and about the need for women's equality. The Baha'i­ community is dedicated in principle and practice to the abolition of racism and the promotion of the equality of women and men at all levels.

Within the family, Baha'i­s seek to teach their children the values of oneness, equality and justice. Baha'i­s value interracial marriage for its positive effect on society and educate their daughters in the same curricula as their sons. If the family is not able to provide for the education of both, parents are encouraged to give preference to the girls, as they will be the first educators of the next generation.

In local communities, Baha'i­ institutions are charged with promoting both the equality of women and men and the abolition of racial prejudice. If Baha'i­ parents are remiss in providing for the education of their daughters, the local Baha'i­ community must arrange for it. Women are fully eligible to elect and to serve on local and national governing councils. In Baha'i­ elections, if the vote results in a tie between two people, one of who is a member of a minority group, that person is automatically considered as elected. In Baha'i­ communities both women and men learn the art of "consultation," or the frank and courteous exchange of views. Social and economic development projects have established schools specifically for girls and training institutes for women that not only teach literacy and practical skills by which they can earn a livelihood but also strengthen moral values and spiritual capacities to assist them to contribute to the advancement of society. Village health care programs promote the well being of women and children in remote areas of the world thereby benefiting the whole society.

In international fora, the Baha'i­ International Community has long encouraged a fundamental change in beliefs and attitudes about race through education and the promotion of the concept of world citizenship. It has also worked in these fora to advance the status of women.

Baha'i­s believe that civilization is ever advancing, and the achievement of unity at all levels and in all aspects of life is of paramount importance at this stage in human development. As Bahá'u'lláh has written, "The well-being of mankind, its peace and security, are unattainable unless and until its unity is firmly established."

Baha'i­s do not regard themselves as experts in this endeavor, but if their more than one hundred and fifty years of experience can be of service to others pursuing this goal, they are happy to offer it for study. It is clear that only when "[t] he injury of one shall be considered the injury of all; the comfort of each, the comfort of all; the honor of one, the honor of all," will the human race have addressed the challenges inherent in social structures based on domination, in which injustice is accepted as the natural order of things.

UN Document #E/CN.6/2001/NGO/7

The Baha'i­ International Community is pleased that women's health was identified as a critical area of concern in the Beijing Platform for Action and that the Commission on the Status of Women is focusing global attention on this vital issue. The Baha'i­ International Community, which actively collaborates with the World Health Organization, UNICEF, UNIFEM, and other UN agencies and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) on promoting women's health, participated most recently in the Expert Group Meeting on Women and Health: Mainstreaming the Gender Perspective into the Health Sector, held in Tunisia in September-October 1998.

As the Commission consults about actions that governments, UN agencies, and NGOs might take to improve the health of women, and to empower women to participate fully in the affairs of the world, we offer the following points for consideration.

• When women enter the arenas of law and politics and when their voices are heard in the council chambers of the world, they will be instrumental in ending war and freeing vast resources for peaceful pursuits. "The enormous energy dissipated and wasted on war," the Baha'i­ Writings assert, "will be consecrated to such ends as to the extermination of disease, to the raising of the standard of physical health, to the sharpening and refinement of the human brain, to the prolongation of human life, and to the furtherance of any other agency that can stimulate the intellectual, the moral, and spiritual life of humanity."
• Women's health is important not only to women but to their families, their communities, and the world as a whole. In the Baha'i­ view, the very progress of civilization depends on the unconstrained participation of women in all aspects of social life. Participation requires that women and girls be assisted and encouraged to develop all of their capacities and that they maintain the ongoing physical, emotional, and spiritual health essential to contribute as equal partners with men to the advancement of civilization.
• Avoidable causes of maternal morbidity and mortality, HIV-AIDS, tuberculosis, depressive disorders, and violence against women take a heavy toll on the whole community. Women play fundamental roles in the education of children and in promoting the health of the family both in the home and through organizations that promote and protect the health and wellbeing of the community. Healthy families and communities cannot be achieved without careful attention to creating conditions conducive to sustaining healthy girls and women.
• Consideration must be given to the health of women throughout their life span. They must be ensured adequate nutrition, especially in the early years, and protected from harmful traditional practices through the teenage years and into adulthood. The health of older women must also be paid special attention. With the marked increase in life expectancy for women, their right to physical, mental and spiritual health must be safeguarded.

The Baha'i­ International Community has been active in the process of improving the health of women and girls. Much of this work includes raising awareness of the rights of women and girls, raising the discussion of issues to the level of principle, and applying those standards at the local, national, and global levels. We stand ready to continue to protect and promote the health of women and girls and are eager to collaborate with the Commission on the Status of Women, other UN agencies and NGOs in doing whatever will enable women to contribute their share to the advancement of civilization.

The world of humanity has two wings - one is women and the other men. Not until both wings are equally developed can the bird fly. Should one wing remain weak, flight is impossible.

UN Document #E/CN.6/1999/NGO/4

Background

The Baha'i International Community has 44 national affiliates in Africa with over 5,000 grassroots communities. Baha'is are committed to improving the collective life of everyone on the planet. Within this framework, there are both collective (institutional) and individual responsibilities. As Baha'i institutions, the national and local Baha'i councils are responsible for the well-being of the entire community, not just the Baha'is. As individuals, Baha'is see work done in the spirit of service to the community as a form of worship. This framework of institutional and individual responsibility is buttressed by certain principles, e.g., equality of men and women,¹ necessity of independent investigation of truth, high station of education, and the importance of agriculture for society. The Baha'i approach to social and economic development has at least three major components, which you will see manifested in both projects presented in this paper: 1) the practice of the art of consultation; 2) rectitude of conduct individually and collectively; and 3) the solution of problems through the application of spiritual principles. The effort of putting these principles into practice, the Baha'i writings state, leads to self-sufficiency and self-reliance and the enhancement of individual and community honor and dignity.

The Baha'i International Community will demonstrate the effectiveness of its approach to development by describing two projects and sharing lessons learned. The first project, in Cameroon, promotes changes in community values by teaching participants to use analytic tools like focus groups, interview techniques, and community surveys to identify problems; consultation as a means to analyze them; and traditional media presentations as a non-threatening way to generate dialogue within the entire community which can lead to solutions. The second project is the Masetlha Foundation in Zambia which combines spiritual enrichment with training in primary health care, literacy and agriculture, and which has recently added a secondary school for rural girls which emphasizes science and agriculture. Both projects emphasize the development of individual human resources and the capacity of institutions to sustain the development work. Although both projects capitalize on the institutional infrastructure and commitment of the Baha'i community, they are open to all and serve the community at large.

Traditional Media as Change Agent, Cameroon

Some lessons learned:

William Mmutle Masetlha Foundation, Zambia

Impact on local development:

Some lessons learned:

• Goal: The goal of the "Traditional Media as Change Agent" project was to raise the status of women in selected communities through strategies designed to involve men. Instead of ignoring men altogether or assuming that men could not or would not change, this project boldly advanced the premise set forth in the Baha'i writings that improving the status of women benefits everyone. Project designers, therefore, set out to effect a shift in community values (1) by involving men in partnership with women in identifying community problems associated with women's low status and (2) by stimulating community discussion of those problems by using traditional media. The project was designed by the Baha'i International Community and implemented in countries on three continents with funds from UNIFEM.
• Activities: Working through elected local Baha'i governing councils in self-selected communities in Cameroon, trainers facilitated the following process:
  • Gathering the facts: Project participants were taught how to use tools like focus groups, interview techniques, and community surveys to gather data on the status of women and identify problems in their own communities related to women's status.
  • Analyzing the data: Using consultation as a basis, participants analyzed the data in light of certain principles such as the equality of men and women, the power of example, unity of purpose, commitment, and service to the community.
  • Stimulating community-wide discussion: The analysis and recommendations were shared with the community as a whole through such traditional media as theater, songs, and dance. Messages communicated in this way are taken very seriously in non-literate communities, and they provide a non-threatening opening for dialogue with the whole community.
  • Impact on local development: Because the project initially sought only to increase awareness and develop capacity of local institutions, the results exceeded expectations.
  • Information produced: Participants identified the following as the primary problems faced by women: lack of education; domination by men; uneven distribution of workload between women and men; and poor management of household finances by men (who did not consult their wives). These findings were the same in every project village in Cameroon (in Malaysia and Bolivia, as well, where this project was also implemented).
  • Interaction with beneficiaries: Qualitative evaluation data showed increases in husband-wife consultation such that men made more money available to the family and spent less on themselves; alcohol abuse and domestic violence decreased drastically; in most project areas the enrollment of girls in schools increased from 6-7% at the start of the project to near 100%; and evidence of significant shifts in labor patterns emerged as men began to take on some of the work women had been handling, both in the home and in the field.
  • Capacity-building: Local communities were able to use skills of planning, consultation, implementation and evaluation for activities other than the women's program, showing that these skills are general and can be extended to other issues and sectors.
  • Follow-up: Attempts to quantify the results are in process. Data has been gathered on behavior patterns in three project villages and three non-project villages. Project participants themselves interviewed 50 couples in each village -- men interviewing men, women interviewing women. The data gathered is now being analyzed.
  • The concept of a project with no immediate material benefits may be difficult to grasp at first. However, the initial bewilderment can be overcome if the project leaders stress the benefits of core skills training and provide consistent support, including regular visits.
  • Communities can be -- indeed must be -- proactive partners in change, not just recipients of "aid." The process at the heart of this project was inherently participatory and collective -- the rethinking of community values, not just modifying activities or behaviors. Re-examining traditional values together as a community allowed the community to accept and slowly integrate new values as the norm into their social life.
  • New values require a new vision. When communities -- especially men -- begin to see that their happiness and welfare depends on their women's happiness and welfare, real community development can take place. Stated another way, when social norms shift, change becomes sustainable.
  • Participation by women in decision-making increases much more rapidly when men are involved. The 1995 United Nations Development Report identifies 30% participation by women as the critical minimum level for women's participation in decision-making. At this level there seems to be a fundamental change in any organization, but the report also mentions that this level is rarely attained. This project demonstrated that this threshold is reached more quickly when men are included as partners in unity to achieve gender equity, than when they are excluded or ignored.
  • Change is difficult for everyone, so anticipate resistance from both women and men. Talk of partnership is fashionable, but many women have no real interest in working with men, and many men do not really believe in equality.
  • Social norms are more powerful than individual values. Both projects (Cameroon and Zambia) identified social norms and the power of group culture as the critical variable in attitudinal and behavioral change. Both projects noted that changing gender roles and perceptions at the household level can be extremely difficult; however, when institutional values favor gender equity, both women and men are able to practice new behaviors that eventually lead to attitude and behavior change observable in other settings. Community institutions/organizations (educational, religious, and legal) which actively promote gender equity may thus be the key to sustainable behavioral and attitudinal change.
  • Development of Institutional capacity is critical to sustaining development efforts. It is our expectation that the institutional capacity within the Cameroon community will progress through the establishment of a training institute (recently finalized) and the evolution of the development committee, so that, like the Masetlha Foundation, it will engage over time in action and reflection on a wide variety of initiatives that will support the integration of diverse initiatives for the progress of individuals and villages in the country. Thus both projects illustrate the elements for sustained activity in the future: human resource development and institutional capacity development, both designed to give local people the capacity to participate in and guide their own development.
  • Goal: The William Mmutle Masetlha Foundation is a non-profit charitable organization located in central Zambia. Its purpose is to support a spiritual approach to social and economic development which stirs people to develop themselves and achieve self-sufficiency. The Masetlha Foundation was created in 1995 by the Baha'i governing council of Zambia to oversee the William Mmutle Masetlha Institute (founded October 1983) and the Banani Secondary School for rural girls (opened in January 1993). The foundation is the latest stage in a sustained development process which was initiated at the grassroots, nurtured at the national level, and funded both by government agencies and organizations of civil society.²
  • The William Mmutle Masetlha Institute: The Institute combines spiritual education with practical training for volunteers in a wide variety of skills, including agriculture, health education, children's education, literacy, and numeracy. Spiritual education, which helps to develop qualities such as enthusiasm, dedication, creativity and service, along with the practical skills, leads to self-sufficiency. The active involvement of women is an important focus in all training and field work. The Institute offers a wide variety of courses. For example, one course offered since 1985 is a four-month-long spiritual development and agricultural training program that includes four hours of daily lectures and practical work in the villages. Two of the institute's special projects are the Baha'i Literacy Project and the Zambia Baha'i Primary Health Care Project.
  • The Baha'i Literacy Project aims to assist the Baha'is of Zambia to achieve universal literacy and to strengthen Baha'i communities by (1) developing a Baha'i approach to literacy education which achieves both functional literacy and spiritual empowerment; and by (2) training volunteer literacy tutors from both the Baha'i community and the community at large to offer classes in their villages, where illiteracy may be as high as 60%. The methodology used is conspicuously participatory, as it de-emphasizes the role of facilitators and empowers people with little education to study in groups and develop independent thinking.
  • Zambia Baha'i Primary Health Care Project, launched in August 1993, is intended to help the Zambian Government achieve Health for All by the Year 2000 through primary health care education by (1) identifying and training a cadre of volunteer Community Health Educators (CHEs); (2) assisting CHEs to promote community-based primary health activities and educate their communities about basic hygiene, nutrition, and disease prevention (emphasizing AIDS and malaria); (3) increasing the level of immunization coverage; and (4) integrating primary health care into a broad range of development-related training programs. The project also provides training for CHE trainers, holds Village Health Committee workshops, and provides refresher courses for Community Health Educators. The Institute has also been training Community Health Care Workers (CHWs) since 1987.
  • The Banani International Secondary School: The Banani International Secondary School in the Chisamba district, is a residential school for young women in grades 8 to 12 with an emphasis on science and agriculture. Established by the Masetlha Institute to serve rural girls, the school has adopted the University of Cambridge Exams Syndicate curriculum, which provides students with an International Certificate of Secondary Education at the end of grade 12. The University of Cambridge courses currently offered by the school are English as a second language, French, mathematics, geography, history, English Literature, agriculture, biology, chemistry, and physics. Two courses supplement the Cambridge curriculum: world religions and character development. A key element in the moral training offered by the school is a community service program. The school has an eleven-member academic staff drawn from six countries. Scholarships for deserving students were offered for the first time in 1993.
  • Information produced. The literacy project has adapted a participatory methodology developed in Colombia. Materials are being developed and translated into local languages, and one booklet has been published. Another kind of information is produced by volunteers in the field. For the health project, despite very little opportunity for follow-up visits (problems of distance and accessibility), some 75% of trainees are reporting on their activities. This is evidence of the development of individual capacity - being able to carry out activities out of one's own volition, without someone else needing to push.
  • Volunteers trained. Armies of volunteers have been raised up and trained, many of whom are women. The literacy project has trained 41 tutors from Care International and DAPP, who are conducting classes for approximately 20 students each, reaching around 800 learners; and some 40 Baha'i tutors who have conducted classes, sponsored by local Baha'i communities, for another 800 people. Baha'is encourage youth to offer a year of service; from two "youth year of service" training sessions, 50 youth from Southern Africa have arisen to serve throughout Zambia and the region. More than 150 volunteer primary Health Care Workers and 93 volunteer Community Health Educators (CHEs) have been trained; 78 percent of the CHEs have reported conducting health education activities in their communities.
  • Interaction with beneficiaries. Approximately one half of all trainees are women -- no small achievement -- many from the community at large. Women have proven effective in the role of Community Health Educators and Workers, earning the respect of their community.
  • Capacity-building. Health facilities lack personnel; therefore, NGO-trained community volunteers have proven to be an important resource in both preventive and curative medical care. A number of CHE's have attached themselves to their local clinics, some as volunteers, others as paid employees, and they are reported to work very well. The girls' school opened in January 1993 with 58 students; in 1994, more than 90 students were enrolled.
  • Relations with development partners. There has been good collaboration with the Zambian Ministries of Health and of Community Development, who have seconded staff to the Institute. The training provided at the Institute has been commended by a number of Ministry of Health, and of Community Development officials, and recognized by several other NGO's. Ministry people have said that the "Baha'i" CHE's and Health Instructors are excellent workers who are extremely conscientious.
  • Financial flows. Baha'i development programs tend to have extremely low overheads as compared to other organizations, even government. Everyone in the field works voluntarily, and Institute-based staff work with modest salaries. Because of the emphasis and value placed on personal integrity, everyone handling money takes care of it, regardless of its source. Institute programs reach almost every province of Zambia through the network of Baha'i communities; without this network, the projects would have to be limited in geographical scope. The network makes it possible to select and invite trainees, without high investments of time and money on the part of the Institute. Letters are mailed to local Baha'i governing councils who select those who go for training.
  • Promoting full participation of women requires patience and persistence. Regular, focused discussions with health educators and literacy instructors about improving gender equity are needed because both men and women find that when they return to the village, very strong and persistent habits hold them back and push them to adopt traditional roles.
  • Training women as health educators raises their status in the community. Having been selected by the community for training, and then becoming known as a "Community Health Educator," gives many women the confidence and respect to be able to participate in general community events and to begin making changes in other areas. But it is slow, and not enough women are empowered in this way.
  • Social norms are extremely powerful. We observe that more progress toward equality is made in the Institute setting than at home in the village. More needs to be done in the village. Many women are able to become more confident to speak in public and participate as equals during the training sessions, and the men seem willing to practice a more equitable culture in the Institute setting. One important reason to have people leave the village for training is that it is possible to create a temporary new culture at the Institute.
  • A service ethic produces superior workers. The willingness of Baha'is to volunteer and the high quality of Baha'i CHEs is not surprising, as the training and the whole of Baha'i community life encourages work and selfless service.
  • The interface with donors has been difficult at times. The flow of money is often irregular, and going through Baha'i institutions not used to handling grant money is difficult. The Canadian Public Health Association, which is an NGO funded by CIDA to give grants and assist management of some 30 health/immunization projects, is doing a reasonable job of this NGO partnership arrangement. They are holding their annual partners' workshop on the very topic of partnership. It does pool together a certain amount of expertise and learning, while retaining the small and flexible NGO arrangements.
  • Consultation with a wide range of people and organizations at all phases of project development and implementation is essential. There has been a great deal of consultation guiding all the projects. The notion of human resource development as spiritual empowerment came out of consultations involving international, national and local organizations and people from all over Zambia. The Core Group for that permanent institute consults regularly with the Foundation's Board of Directors, and the Baha'i national governing council. Baha'i national conventions, involving elected delegates from villages all over Zambia, have always included consultations about the Institute's programs and how to improve them.

Notes

1. The following quotes from the Baha'i writings have profoundly shaped both projects: "The world of humanity has two wings -- one is woman and the other men. Not until both wings are fully developed can the bird fly..." (Selections from the Writings of `Abdu'l-Bahá, p. 302) and "As long as women are prevented from attaining their highest possibilities, so long will men be unable to achieve the greatness which might be theirs." (`Abdu'l-Bahá, Paris Talks, p. 133)

2. The agencies that have supported William Mmutle Masetlha Foundation to date: the Department of Agriculture in Zambia, Zambian Baha'i National Teaching Committee, Sweden's International Development Agency (SIDA), Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), Canadian Public Health Association (CPHA), National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Canada, CARE, CUSA, Swedish Baha'i Community, Baha'i International Health Agency (BIHA), Canadian Baha'i International Development Service (CBIDS), Ettehadieh Foundation, Beit Trust, and the World Community Foundation. The Ministries of Health and of Community Development in Zambia have provided staff.