A VOLUNTARY EXCHANGE OF SOCIAL CAPITAL Becoming aware within ourselves that all human beings on this planet are somehow connected, although we may not be immediately conscious of it. Knowing that if even one of us is in crisis because lacking food, water, shelter, clothes, self-dignity, freedom or hope, this is or will be somehow affecting us all. This is the first step towards the inner will of working for the betterment of others.However we see social development and however we may want to interpret its meaning or definition, the fundamental aspect is that we must translate that will into a planned, efficacious, respectful and accepted form of action; action that must voice the interest and engender the participation of those we are intending to help. The major mistake we make today is to believe that, with our western culture, education and with our moral duty to help, the interests of the most vulnerable and disadvantaged people of the world would be served by our vision of what is good for them. Unfortunately, this has proven to be unsuccessful, regressive and more damaging than beneficial. We always seek to impose rather than to consult; seek to act rather than to participate; seek to apply our standards rather than to understand the value of cultural and traditional diversities in different communities. If we are to pave the way to real social development, we must help marginalized communities to understand their rights and responsibilities without infringing on their cultural boundaries, generating a basis of confidence and self-respect, sharing with them some of the fundamentals of education as a pre-requisite to overcoming their poverty, nutritional deficiencies, poor environment and lack of sanitation. Lack of education and somehow even culture and traditions have hampered their development. DIPIN’s vision has always been to create a model of integrated social development, where the various components of health, education, and environment interact with one another. While traditional public health interventions have focused predominantly on humanity as an independent entity and not in the context of the living environment, new measures are now required to define health as a balanced system of individuals, communities and environment. This underscores the need that sustainability of the environment should become the foundation of any sound development program. A program where learning, improving, rebuilding, reorganizing, enriching without destroying should be the paradigm of thought behind any action. That is the way to ensure continuity for current and future generations. Maintaining the integrity of ecological life-support systems, monitoring social and economic impacts on environmental resources, and acting to prevent potentially serious harm to the environment is an integral component for health. Community-based action is fundamental to alleviate the hardship of poverty. Since poverty is a multifaceted problem it requires multifaceted solutions – every element for development must interact with all other elements to achieve solutions. No real progress can be made without serious commitment from the community. By building trust, building teams, and building community competence, we can share visions and develop co-operative strategies for action. It is like to throw a stone in a pond. Stillness ceases and the rippling of the water creates ever-enlarging circles of gentle movement. Movement is life, energy, encounter, exchange, and conveys the meaningfulness of the present as well as hope for the future. Such gentle movement affects every particle that comes in contact with it. This is what human connectedness is all about: to initiate that movement, to break that stillness – the stillness of indifference, of distance, of an egotistic way of looking at our existence on this planet; the stillness of despair, of hopelessness, of helplessness, of having forgotten the immense intrinsic value of existing as a human being. Once that movement begins, everyone touched by it will feel it. Human connectedness is never a one-way flow, rather, a fair exchange. You may open the way to a tiny mountain stream to allow a few creatures to quench their thirst and soon you will find yourself swimming in an ocean of happiness and meaningfulness. Ismail Eboo Pirbhai Founder president - DIPIN Foundation, UK Ilaria Maria Merlo Eboo Co-Founder President - DIPIN Foundation, UK |
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