Development Progress

Matt Cherry

IHEU has completed the first year of its international development programme (see IHN, vol. 2 no 3). A new era of global humanism is dawning and already some of the likely successes and challenges of that era are becoming clear.

The transnational focus of the 'Humanist Networking Programme' is reflected in the support given to regional networks. A South Asian humanist network is being developed to link the many humanist organisations in the Indian Sub-Continent. The network will facilitate cooperation and joint projects among existing groups and plans to enable small or potential groups in the region to benefit from the Indian humanists' expertise and success. The initial phase of the network is being coordinated by the Indian Radical Humanists and will include a series of planning meetings culminating with a regional gathering in Bombay in conjunction with the IHEU Board Meeting in December 1995.

The newly formed Asociacion Ibero-Americana Etico Humanista (ASIBEHU), an Ibero-American network headquartered in Costa Rica, is also receiving substantial support from this year's budget. In addition to the energetic groups in Mexico and Costa Rica, ASIBEHU already has members in Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuala. Spanish-speaking humanists from Brazil and North America are also participating. And additional impetus will come from a group, Asociacion Espanola de Librepensarniento, currently being formed in Spain. The Ibero-American network's initial plans include a newsletter and an inaugural conference in Costa Rica in mid-1995.

Another major Spanish-language project is a magazine, Razonamientos (Reasonings), to be produced by the Mexican humanist group. As well as serving a vital role in Mexico, Razonamientos will serve as a 'flagship journal' for the humanist movement throughout the Spanish-speaking world.

It is hoped that all the Hispanic projects will benefit from cooperation with the Ateneos (The Atheneums) -- a prestigious network of humanistic cultural centres throughout the Spanish-speaking world. The Ateneos headquarters in Madrid will host the inaugural conference of the Asociacion Espa~ola de Librepensarniento in April 1995. And Ateneos throughout Latin America, and even in the Philippines, will be asked to facilitate humanist projects.

The crowning event for this surge of Hispanic activity will be the IHEU Congress in Mexico City in November 1996 (see notice page 12). This will focus on the challenges for humanism in the Developing World, and the potential for interaction between 'First World' and 'Third World' perspectives in the humanist movement. 'Networking' is also a principal theme of the new Indonesian group Yayasaan Kemanusiaan (The Humanist Foundation). Based on the island of Java, this youthful group is developing alliances with other Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and human rights groups in the archipelago. The Foundation is confident that cooperation will benefit all the groups concerned. They also believe that many NGOs will have an interest in incorporating a humanist perspective into their platforms. The creation of Yaysasaan Kemanusiaan is an exciting development, since Indonesia is the largest Muslim country in the world and the new foundation is the only humanist group currently active in South East Asia.

By the time you read this report, the first Arab humanist conference will have taken place. The historic conference in Egypt is a unique opportunity for Arabs to meet and plan the development of humanist activity in the region. It is hoped that the conference will result in the formation of an Arab humanist network. IHEU has provided some financial support for this event, and several western humanists will be participating.

In addition to all these groundbreaking events, the IHEU is supporting important projects by long-established groups. In Andha Pradesh, India, the Atheist Centre is receiving IHEU support for the construction of a Science Exhibition Hall and an inaugural Science Fair. For many years the Atheist Centre has been successful. running science fairs, courses in scientific thinking and environmental awareness, programmes to dispel superstitions and fear of witchcraft, health education programmes and related projects, sometimes with financial support from IHEU and western humanist groups. But in the past IHEU could only support the running costs of one-off projects, whereas the capital investment IHEU is now providing will create a permanent resource that will be used for years to come.

The Indian Radical Humanists are receiving support for a youth training programme. In the past IHEU has supported the Radical Humanists' acclaimed health and community development programmes in the slums of Bombay. The new project will expand these programmes by training the volunteer workers.

IHEU is paying the travel costs for the Secretary of the Rational Centre in Ghana to visit the USA for a training course in publishing and humanist organisation. The humanist group CODESH will cover his costs during a month-long internship at their new Center for Inquiry in Buffalo, New York. The project is the first step in the Rational Centre's plans for its own publishing centre. A printing press would not only enable the Centre to publish material for its own use, but could provide a source of revenue for its other projects.

The pattern underlying the 1994 development programme is very encouraging. Support has been divided between new networking projects and more local developments that build on groundwork done in past years. The regional networks are intended to encourage the development of local activities, and it is therefore anticipated that the number of practical grassroots projects, of the sort now supported in India, will expand rapidly in the next few years. Already IHEU has been discussing project proposals with humanist groups in Bangladesh, Brazil, China, Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal, Togo, Uganda and Zaire. There are practical obstacles - restrictive banking systems, high inflation, poor communications and hostile governments - in the way of many of these projects, but they are not insuperable. Most of these proposals will be strong candidates for funding in 1995 and '96, as will some of the potential groups in Latin America.

This report emphasises the financial side of the development programme. But it is the dedication and expertise of individuals and groups around the world that make all these projects work. It has been inspiring for me personally to hear from so many people committed to putting humanism into practice -- often in hostile circumstances and at personal risk.

IHEU is supporting their efforts in two ways. First, it is working to increase the international humanist contacts, partnerships and networks that provide information and support to individual activists and their groups. Second, it is providing funding for strategic projects. The 'Humanist Networking Programme' is already proving its worth, but its very success reveals new demands and creates new opportunities far in excess of the funds available.

If you would like to help humanists in the developing world please consider making a donation to IHEU's development programme. You may support a particular country or project, or leave it to IHEU to choose a priority area. Please send your donations or enquiries to the International Humanist and Ethical Union Development Programme, Nieuwegracht 69a, 3512LG Utrecht, The Netherlands.