Economic Life
Among the basic tenets of the Bahá’í Faith is the elimination of extremes of wealth and poverty through the promotion of just economic systems and the voluntary striving of everyone, irrespective of means.
Bahá’ís everywhere are called to learn about how to advance collective prosperity through the implementation of methods and approaches that promote unity and justice, as well as the application of spiritual principles and concepts such as generosity, trustworthiness, and integrity to economic affairs. A handful of examples of activities that have contributed in one way or another to learning about the higher purpose of economic activity and enhancing the economic life of families and communities, albeit modestly, is provided below.
At the level of the individual, Bahá’ís are striving to learn about the implications of the Teachings on various economic choices, such as those related to their business ventures. Many have also taken steps to foster a culture of mutual support and assistance among their colleagues and to ensure that profits from their businesses are distributed fairly among all of the employees. In Costa Rica, through the application of these principles and values, a private company in the area of technology reimagined itself as a social enterprise. Such a vision enabled it to use its income to venture into new areas, such as collaborating with various government agencies on technology for science education, apiculture, energy efficiency, and urban agriculture. In Europe, the Bahá’í-inspired agency Ethical Business Building the Future (EBBF) has created spaces for individuals and groups involved in various business enterprises to discuss insights they are gaining around the application of relevant principles, including justice and sustainability, in their workspaces.
Initiatives of mutual support
In the context of community building, groups of individuals in many places have been coming together to learn to address specific needs. Having cultivated the habit of studying relevant materials together, including pertinent selections from the Bahá’í writings, they have started simple social or economic initiatives aimed at improving an aspect of their collective life. Following a pattern of study, consultation, action, and reflection, some of these initiatives have, over time, grown in scope and had significant impact on the wider community. Particularly in localities where qualities and attitudes such as mutual support, trustworthiness, and a mode of learning form a part of the culture of a community, diverse initiatives, including cooperatives of various kinds, from savings groups and community banks to women’s or farmers’ associations, have naturally emerged.
In many communities in Africa, agricultural cooperatives that emphasize the sharing of knowledge and resources have helped bring about a significant improvement in both primary and secondary production. Better yields, combined with a growing capacity to engage in collective action, have prompted the emergence of several income-generating projects that have contributed to the material well-being of families. A group of farmers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, for example, began to cultivate beetroots as a cash crop in order to produce and sell juice, in addition to farming other food crops to address dietary needs in the community. They also pooled their resources to purchase a basic milling machine to grind their own flour, producing donuts that have since become popular in neighboring towns and villages. Ever conscious of the needs of the community, the group has been able to use funds generated from the sales of these products to purchase school supplies and address other community needs.
In a village in Myanmar, a microfinance project was started under the auspices of a local Bahá’í institution in order to provide material support to local farmers and vendors in the aftermath of a cyclone. A three-member taskforce was formed to oversee the project and to seek the assistance of local institutions with the matters they were unable to resolve, such as instances when individuals took too long to repay their loans. The microfinance project was later extended to individuals in surrounding villages.
In a neighborhood in the United States, a space for financial literacy has emerged through the efforts of a number of young people. The space, which is also supported by a few individuals in the community with the relevant expertise, has helped provide practical assistance to youth in navigating financial questions. Parents of the youth, coming from a diversity of backgrounds, also attend with their children, contributing to stronger relationships in the neighborhood and leading to meaningful conversations across generations on a variety of themes.
Bahá’í-inspired programs
Many Bahá’í educational programs, while not directly focused on strengthening local economies, have also helped build the capacity of individuals to earn a livelihood as they strive to contribute to the advancement of their communities. In Colombia, the Supporting Community Leaders program of FUNDAEC has assisted young people living in rural regions of the country to select and pursue a path related to one or another trade or profession with the aim of contributing to society. The youth take part in apprenticeships and technical or undergraduate degree programs, and some are assisted to pursue a path of entrepreneurship by starting a production project or a small business.
In Papua New Guinea, groups of individuals engaged in educational activities that build their capacity for social action have undertaken a number of initiatives to better economic conditions in their communities. One such group carried out a survey among community members regarding their saving and spending habits, which ultimately led to the creation of an informal rural bank. The bank began by facilitating savings, and after 50 people had deposited their funds, it proceeded to consider ways to lend and translate such loans into fruitful action. Stimulated by the conversations carried out by this group, families in a number of communities began augmenting the amount they could contribute to the bank by increasing production of local varieties of vanilla and coffee, which are packaged and sold around the country with the assistance of a local business. These additional crops are being grown alongside subsistence crops that can contribute to better nutrition within the community.
“Wealth must serve humanity. Its use must accord with spiritual principles; systems must be created in their light.”
—The Universal House of Justice
Specific programs that have become more systematized over time have also contributed to one or another aspect of economic activity in a number of localities. For example, the Bahá’í-inspired organization Education, Curriculum, and Training Associates (ECTA) in Nepal developed a community banking program over two decades ago. The program offers training to groups of 10 to 30 individuals, who can then form their own community bank by learning to save small sums and make modest loans available to bank members at a reasonable rate of interest. The banks are managed entirely by the members themselves, and interest earned is divided proportionally according to the amount each holds in savings. Further, a portion of the profits is put into a social and economic development fund for the benefit of the community at large. The banks provide their members with the opportunity to learn skills around sound financial management and support them to establish or expand their own businesses.
A number of organizations in other parts of the world, primarily in Africa and Latin America, have implemented this program in different settings. Among these is Asociación Bayan in Honduras which supports over 70 banks. By saving consistently over a period of time, young people have been able to continue their education or pursue a means of livelihood within their own communities, alleviating, to a certain degree, pressures that lead youth in the rural regions of Honduras to move away. Some of these banking groups have also been able to carry out a variety of community development initiatives of fixed duration through the support of their development funds. Examples include digging a well, constructing a bridge, building and painting classrooms, installing a culvert beneath a road, and engaging in agricultural experiments.
