The following also reflects my experience previously described:
From:
Socio-economic development - Bahaikipedia, an encyclopedia about the Bahá’í Faith
"Socio-economic development
Since its inception the
Bahá'í Faith has had involvement in socio-economic development beginning by giving greater freedom to women,
[1] promulgating the promotion of female education as a priority concern,
[2] and that involvement was given practical expression by creating schools, agricultural coops, and clinics.
[1]
The accelerated growth of the worldwide community in the 1960s-1980s expanded it with a large number of poor, illiterate villagers and tribal peoples in India, Africa and South America, which meant an enormous challenge for the social and economic development of communities. According to the Bahá'í
teachings, development should increase people’s self-reliance, communal solidarity, giving access to knowledge, and, where possible, removing sources of injustice. Spiritual, moral and material development should be linked together.
[3]
The religion entered a new phase of activity when a message of the
Universal House of Justice dated 20 October 1983 was released.
[4] The Office of Social and Economic Development was established
[5] and Bahá'ís were urged to seek out ways, compatible with the Bahá'í teachings]], in which they could become involved in the social and economic development of the communities in which they lived. Worldwide in 1979 there were 129 officially recognized Bahá'í socio-economic development projects. By 1987, the number of officially recognized development projects had increased to 1482.
[4]
Examples of short-term projects are health camps, training seminars, tree-planting and environmental clean-up projects. Long-term projects include literacy, health care, agricultural and environmental projects. Most of the projects are schools, which range from village tutorial schools to large secondary schools, and some universities.
[3]
The
Bahá'í International Community, an international non-governmental organization, maintains a presence devoted to supporting and coordinating socio-development activities at the
United Nations as well as presenting papers and reports of activities of the religion to UN agencies.
[6] Bahá'ís and interested parties have participated in an annual conference since 1999 sponsored by the Rabbani Charitable Trust in Orlando Florida.
[7] The
Bahá'í Chair for World Peace is located at the Center for International Development and Conflict Management under the auspices of the College of Behavorial and Social Sciences at the University of Maryland.
[8]
A recent development has been the
Dawn Breakers International Film Festival which showcases films from around the globe about the social aspects of human life.
[9]"