Anís Zunúzí Bahá'í School

Last updated

The Anís Zunúzí Bahá'í School is a Bahá'í School near Port-au-Prince, Haiti, which began in 1980. [1] It reached the point of offering classes K through 10th grade. [2] The building survived the 2010 Haiti earthquake [3] and was the site of a clinic during the relief effort. [4] [5] Coordinates: 18°37′03″N72°14′56″W / 18.61750°N 72.24889°W / 18.61750; -72.24889

Port-au-Prince Commune in Ouest, Haiti

Port-au-Prince is the capital and most populous city of Haiti. The city's population was estimated at 987,310 in 2015 with the metropolitan area estimated at a population of 2,618,894. The metropolitan area is defined by the IHSI as including the communes of Port-au-Prince, Delmas, Cite Soleil, Tabarre, Carrefour, and Pétion-Ville.

Haiti country in the Caribbean

Haiti, officially the Republic of Haiti and formerly called Hayti, is a country located on the island of Hispaniola, east of Cuba in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea. It occupies the western three-eighths of the island, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Haiti is 27,750 square kilometres (10,714 sq mi) in size and has an estimated 10.8 million people, making it the most populous country in the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the second-most populous country in the Caribbean as a whole.

2010 Haiti earthquake magnitude 7.0 Mw earthquake on 2010-01-12

The 2010 Haiti earthquake was a catastrophic magnitude 7.0 Mw earthquake, with an epicenter near the town of Léogâne (Ouest), approximately 25 kilometres (16 mi) west of Port-au-Prince, Haiti's capital. The earthquake occurred at 16:53 local time on Tuesday, 12 January 2010.

Contents

General information

The Anís Zunúzí Bahá'í School (Ecole Bahá'íe Anís Zunúzí), named for the companion who suffered execution with the Báb, began classes in 1980 and grew into a K-9 primary and secondary school, serving 232 students by 1983, [1] 270 by 1988. [6] For a time the secondary school program was closed to focus on K-4th primary school offerings. [7] The secondary program re-opened in September 2004 and has added one class per year since then and by 2009 the school was a K-10 school (intending on becoming a full high school and offering national exams.) [2] Its initial funding and operating budget for years came from the business income of a Belgian Bahá'í family, Pari Hosseinpour and Hassan-Ali Kamran. [1] The student population comes mostly from no- to low-income families, and most students are only paying minimal or no fees to attend the school. [8] It follows the national curriculum but also provides moral education and English classes. It is situated on about three acres of land in what has become a suburb several miles north east of Port-au-Prince proper (and a few miles north west of Croix-des-Bouquets.) [9]

Execution of the Báb execution of the Iranian prophet Báb by the Qajar dynasty government, on the morning of 9th of July, 1850; regarded by Baháís as a miracle

On the morning of July 9, 1850 in Tabriz, a young Persian merchant known as the Báb, at the age of thirty, was charged with apostasy and shot by order of the Prime Minister of the Persian Empire. The events surrounding his execution have been the subject of controversy among researchers, and are regarded as miraculous by Bahá'ís, who consider him to be a Manifestation of God.

Croix-des-Bouquets Commune in Ouest, Haiti

Croix-des-Bouquets is a commune in the Ouest department of Haiti. It is located 12.9 kilometers (8.0 mi) to the northeast of Haiti's capital city, Port-au-Prince. Originally located on the shore, it was relocated inland after the 1770 Port-au-Prince earthquake. Due to this fact, it was not as badly affected in the 2010 Haiti earthquake. The city will be home to refugee tent villages of about 10,000 refugees each when the first wave of refugees begins to be resettled there.

When the school was established, the area was rural and underdeveloped. A 220V power line was brought in from Bon Repos to provide the school with electricity, and the first telephone line reached the school only in 1989. [10] An artesian well was drilled and provided drinking water to the school as well as to the public through a pipe ending at a fountain at the Bon Repos-Beudet road. In October 1982 Rúhíyyih Khanum, a Hand of the Cause, a position of prominence in the Bahá'í Faith, presided at the official inauguration ceremony for the school. [11] The initial board of directors were Counsellor Farzam Arbab, Dr. Nabil Hanna, Benjamin Levy, Dr. Iraj Majzub and Georges Marcellus. [12] The first school principal came from Germany in 1980 (Hans J Thimm, later of Union School, Haiti. [3] [13] ). Current directors are Sue and Yves Puzo.

Baháí Faith Monotheistic religion founded in 1863 by Baháulláh in the Middle East; promotes the unity of mankind; sees major religions as unified in purpose; faces persecution in Iran

The Bahá'í Faith is a religion teaching the essential worth of all religions, and the unity and equality of all people. Established by Bahá'u'lláh in 1863, it initially grew in Iran and parts of the Middle East, where it has faced ongoing persecution since its inception. It is estimated to have between 5 and 8 million adherents, known as Bahá'ís, spread out into most of the world's countries and territories.

Farzam Arbab was a member of the Universal House of Justice, the supreme governing institution of the Bahá'í Faith, from 1993 and until he relinquished his membership in 2013, at the age of 71. He introduced the Ruhi institute and other core activities to the world community.

The area has been built up with private homes and businesses [10] and the school has been broken into twice forcing security infrastructure additions. [7] The arable land in the vicinity of the school is no longer being worked due to lack of water and lack of initiative on the part of the youth who prefer to find other means of employment that are easier or more lucrative.The Mona Foundation has supported the school with funding for support of satellite schools, scholarships, regular summer camps, and general funding as well as acting as a mediator of larger scale funding for infrastructure improvements. [2]

Mona Foundation is a non-profit organization that supports grassroots initiatives focused on education and raising the status of women and girls in the US and abroad. They believe that universal education and gender equity are the cornerstones of the eradication of poverty, disease, and conflict.

Program

The program at the school involves: [7]

Development projects

The school has acted as a base of a number of development projects: [16]

Recent situation

The school has a Facebook presence. [3] In September 2009 there was filming for a documentary about Mona Foundation projects including the Anís Zunúzí school. [25] [26] [27] [28] [29]

The principal of the Anís Zunúzí School reported on January 17, 2010 that the school buildings were generally still standing after the 2010 Haiti earthquake [3] and its staff were cooperating in relief efforts and sharing space and support with neighbors. [30] A clinic was run at the school by a medical team from the United States and Canada. [4] The group has since organized under the name Love for Haiti; it had organized spontaneously, largely through Facebook. [5] The group gave a presentation on their Haiti experience at St. Matthews Parish Hall in Hoboken, NJ on Feb. 18, and returned to Haiti in March. The group included one photo journalist. [31]

See also

Related Research Articles

The Bahá'í Faith in Kenya began with three individuals. First, Richard St. Barbe Baker took a constructive engagement with the indigenous religion of Kenyans to a United Kingdom conference on religions, where, in sympathy with his efforts, he was presented with the Bahá'í Faith and became a convert. The second individual was Enoch Olinga who traveled to Kenya when he served in the British Royal Army Educational Corps. The third came twenty-one years after the first and marked the arrival of the Bahá'í Faith in Kenya. In 1945 Mrs. Marguerite Preston arrived in Kenya. She had been a member of the National Spiritual Assembly of the United Kingdom from 1939 through 1945 when she married a Kenyan tea grower and moved to Kenya where the couple had three children within two years and she was the only Bahá'í in the nation. The Association of Religion Data Archives estimated about 429,000 Bahá'ís in Kenya in 2005.

The Bahá'í Faith in Nepal begins after a Nepalese leader encountered the religion in his travels before World War II. Following World War II, the first known Bahá'í to entire Nepal was about 1952 in the person N. P. Sinha who moved to Birganj and the first Nepalese Bahá'í Local Spiritual Assembly elected in 1959, and its National Assembly in 1972. For a period of time, between 1976 and 1981, all assemblies were dissolved due to legal restrictions. The 2001 census reported 1211 Bahá'ís, and since the 1990s the Bahá'í community of Nepal has been involved in a number of interfaith organizations including the Inter-religious Council of Nepal promoting peace in the country. The Association of Religion Data Archives estimated some 4300 Bahá'ís in 2005.

In 1916-1917 a series of letters by `Abdu'l-Bahá, then head of the religion, asked the followers of the religion to take the religion to regions of Africa; these letters were compiled together in the book titled Tablets of the Divine Plan. In 1929 Shoghi Effendi, then Guardian of the religion, was the first Bahá'í to visit the area. In 1953 several Bahá'ís settled in what was then South Rhodesia as pioneers. Along with indigenous conversions in 1955 the Bahá'ís formed the first Bahá'í Local Spiritual Assembly was formed in Harare. By the end of 1963 there were 9 assemblies and more smaller groups and isolated members of the religion. While still a colony of the United Kingdom, the Bahá'ís nevertheless organized a separate National Spiritual Assembly in 1964. Though Rhodesia declared independence in 1965, succeeding political developments and wars changed the status of the country and the National Assembly was reformed and has continued since 1970 while Zimbabwe regained independence in 1980. By 2003, the 50th anniversary of the Bahá'ís in Zimbabwe, a year of events across the country culminated with a conference of Bahá'ís from all provinces of Zimbabwe and nine countries. There were 43 local spiritual assemblies in 2003.

The Bahá'í Faith in Dominica begins with a mention by `Abdu'l-Bahá, then head of the religion, in 1916 as Latin America being among the places Bahá'ís should take the religion to. The island of Dominica was specifically listed as an objective for plans on spreading the religion in 1939 by Shoghi Effendi, who succeeded `Abdu'l-Baha as head of the religion. In 1983, William Nedden is credited with being the first pioneer to Dominica at the festivities associated with the inaugural election of the Dominican Bahá'ís National Spiritual Assembly with Hand of the Cause, Dhikru'llah Khadem representing the Universal House of Justice. Later research records Ivor Ellard arrived two days before, April 17, 1966. The first Bahá'í Local Spiritual Assembly of Dominica was elected in 1976. Since then, Bahá'ís have participated in several projects for the benefit of the wider community, and in 2001 various sources report between less than 1.4% and up to 1.7% of the island's approximately 70,000 citizens are Bahá'ís.

The Bahá'í Faith in Pakistan begins previous to its independence when it was part of India. The roots of the Bahá'í Faith in the region go back to the first days of the Bábí religion in 1844, with Shaykh Sa'id Hindi who was from Multan. During Bahá'u'lláh's lifetime, as founder of the religion, he encouraged some of his followers to move to the area that is current-day Pakistan.

The Bahá'í Faith in Iceland began with Bahá'ís first visiting the Iceland in the early 20th century, and the first Icelandic Bahá'í was Hólmfríður Árnadóttir. The Bahá'í Faith was recognized as a religious community in 1966 and the first Bahá'í National Spiritual Assembly was elected in 1972. Currently there are around 400 Bahá'ís in the country and 13 Bahá'í Local Spiritual Assemblies. The number of assemblies is the highest percentage, by population, in all of Europe.

The Bahá'í Faith in Guyana was first mentioned in Bahá'í sources as early as 1916, the first Bahá'ís visited as early as 1927 but the community was founded in Guyana in 1953 with the beginning of the arrival of coordinated pioneers and from Guyanese converts. The community elected the first Bahá'í Local Spiritual Assembly in 1955 and an independent National Spiritual Assembly in 1977. The country has experienced large migrations and the size of the Bahá'í community has also dramatically changed. In the most recent cycle the 2002 national census showed about 0.1%, or 500, Bahá'ís mostly in three of its Regions though Bahá'ís were noted in every Region. However, by 2005 the Association of Religion Data Archives estimated there were some 13,000 Bahá'ís. Bahá'ís are now widely distributed across Guyana and are represented in all major racial groups and regions. The Bahá'í community, while relatively small, is well known for its emphasis on unity, non-involvement in politics and its work in issues such as literacy and youth issues.

The Bahá'í Faith in Spain begins with coverage of events in the history of the Bábí religion in the 1850s. The first mention of Spain in Bahá'í literature was `Abdu'l-Bahá mentioning it as a place to take the religion to in 1916. The first Bahá'í to visit Spain was in 1930 and the first pioneer to stay was Virginia Orbison in January 1947. Following some conversions to the religion the first Bahá'í Local Spiritual Assembly of Madrid was elected in 1948. As of 1959 there were 28 Bahá'ís registered in Spain. Following the spread of the religion the first National Spiritual Assembly was elected in 1962. Following the election the breadth of initiatives of the community increased privately until 1968 when the national assembly was able to register as a Non-Catholic Religious Association in the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Information and Tourism allowing public religious events and publication and importation of religious materials. Following this the diversity of initiatives of the community significantly expanded. Bahá'ís began operating a permanent Bahá'í school and in 1970 the first Spanish Roma joined the religion. In 1981 the Bahá'ís held a separate school in the north central region of Spain to which over 100 people form 26 communities attended and the Spiritual Assembly of Mallorca held several month long classes in computer usage in 1985. Fifty years after the first local assembly there were 100 assemblies. The Association of Religion Data Archives estimated some 13300 Bahá'ís in 2005. In 2008 the Universal House of Justice picked the Spanish community to host a regional conference for the Iberian peninsula and beyond.

The Bahá'í Faith in Haiti began in 1916 when `Abdu'l-Bahá, the head of the religion, cited Haiti as one of the island countries of the Caribbean where Bahá'ís should establish a religious community. The first Bahá'í to visit the island was Mrs. Harriet Gibbs Marshall, from 1922-1928. Another early Bahá'í to visit Haiti was Leonora Armstrong in 1927. After that, others visited Haiti, and by January 1937 Louis George Gregory visited the island and cited the presence of a small community of Bahá'ís. The first long term pioneers, Ruth and Ellsworth Blackwell, arrived in 1940. Following their arrival the first Bahá'í Local Spiritual Assembly of Haiti was formed in 1942 in Port-au-Prince. From 1951 the Haitian Bahá'ís participated in regional organizations of the religion until 1961 when Haitian Bahá'ís elected their own National Spiritual Assembly and soon took on goals reaching out into neighboring islands. The Association of Religion Data Archives estimated some 23,000 Bahá'ís in Haiti in 2005, and about the same in 2010.

The Bahá'í Faith in Italy dates from 1899 - the earliest known date for Bahá'ís in Italy. Bahá'í sources currently claim about 3,000 adherents in Italy in over 300 locations. The Association of Religion Data Archives estimated some 5000 Bahá'ís in Italy in 2005.

The International Year of Peace was recognized in 1986 by the United Nations. It was first proposed during the UN conference of November, 1981 by the United Nations Economic and Social Council, with a date associated with the fortieth anniversary of the establishment of the UN.

Socioeconomic development and the Baháí Faith objectives

Since its inception the Bahá'í Faith has had involvement in socioeconomic development beginning by giving greater freedom to women, promulgating the promotion of female education as a priority concern, and that involvement was given practical expression by creating schools, agricultural coops, and clinics. Current development activities worldwide are related to areas such as education, health, agriculture, arts and media, the local economy and the advancement of women. By 2017 there were an estimated 40,000 small scale projects, 1,400 sustained projects, and 135 Bahá'í inspired organizations.

The Bahá'í Faith in Tanzania begins when the first pioneer, Claire Gung, arrived in 1950 in what was then called Tanganyika. With the first Tanganyikan to join the religion in 1952 the first Bahá'í Local Spiritual Assembly was elected in 1952 of Tanganyika in Dar es Salaam. In 1956 a regional Bahá'í Assembly which included Tanganyika was elected. Later each of the constituent countries successively formed their own independent Bahá'í National Spiritual Assembly and Tanganyika, with Zanzibar, formed its own in 1964 and it and the country was renamed Tanzania. Since 1986 the Bahá'ís have operated the Ruaha Secondary School as a Bahá'í school. In 2005 Bahá'ís were estimated at about 163,800 adherents.

The Bahá'í Faith in Hungary started in various mentions of the religion in the 19th century followed by `Abdu'l-Bahá's trip to Hungary in 1913 when Hungary's first Bahá'í joined the religion. The community suffered from World War II and communist rule until the 1980s. The National Assembly was elected in 1992 and growth since then places 2002 estimates by Bahá'ís at between 1100 and 1200 Bahá’is in Hungary, many are Roma. However, according to the 2005 Association of Religion Data Archives data there are close to some 290.

The Bahá'í Faith in Bolivia begins with references to the country in Bahá'í literature as early as 1916. The first Bahá'í to arrive in Bolivia was in 1940 through the beginning of the arrival of coordinated pioneers, people who chose to move for the growth of the religion, from the United States. That same year the first Bolivian joined the religion. The first Bahá'í Local Spiritual Assembly was elected in La Paz in 1945 and the first Indian formally joined the religion in 1956 which soon spread widely among that subculture. The community elected an independent National Spiritual Assembly in 1961. By 1963 there were hundreds of local assemblies. The Bahá'í Faith is currently the largest international religious minority in Bolivia. The largest population of Bahá'ís in South America is in Bolivia, a country whose general population is estimated to be 55%-70% indigenous and 30%-42% Mestizo, with a Bahá'í population estimated at 217,000 in 2005 according to the Association of Religion Data Archives.

The Bahaism in Papua New Guinea begins after 1916 with a mention by `Abdu'l-Bahá, then head of the religion, that Bahá'ís should take the religion there. The first Bahá'ís move there in Papua New Guinea arrived there in 1954. With local converts the first Bahá'í Local Spiritual Assembly was elected in 1958. The first National Spiritual Assembly was then elected in 1969. According to the census of 2000 showed that the number of Bahá'ís does not exceed 21000. But the Association of Religion Data Archives estimated three times more Bahá'ís at 200.000 or 6% of the nation were Bahá'ís in 2015 Either way it is the largest minority religion in Papua New Guinea, if a small one.

The Bahá'í Faith in Botswana begins after `Abdu'l-Bahá wrote letters encouraging taking the religion to Africa in 1916. The first Bahá'ís pioneered to Botswana about October 1954 where they befriended many Africans. By 1963 there were two assemblies; seven groups, and one isolated member. The first election of Botswana's Bahá'í National Spiritual Assembly was in 1970. The Association of Religion Data Archives estimated some 16000 Bahá'ís in 2005.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Development of the Anis Zunuzi School". Bahá'í News. No. 625. April 1983. pp. 5–7. ISSN   0195-9212.
  2. 1 2 3 "Anis Zunuzi School Outskirts of Port-au-Prince, Haiti". Projects & Initiatives; Projects we support. Mona Foundation. 2009. Archived from the original on 11 February 2010. Retrieved 2010-02-06.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Thimm, Hans J. (2010). "Anís Zunúzí Bahá'í School". Facebook Page. Retrieved 2010-02-06.
  4. 1 2 "Amid wreckage in Haiti, new birth brings hope". Bahá'í World News Service. Bahá'i International Community. 5 February 2010. Retrieved 2010-02-06.
  5. 1 2 Carroll, Timothy J. (February 14, 2010). "Hands-on in Haiti - Local women need supplies for relief effort". Hudson Reporter. Hoboken New Jersey. Retrieved 2010-02-14.
  6. ↑ "Special report - Basic Baha'i education activities; Formal Schools". Bahá'í News. No. 694. January 1989. p. 5. ISSN   0195-9212.
  7. 1 2 3 4 "Anis Zunuzi School Current Programs". Projects & Initiatives; Projects we support; Anis Zunuzi School. Mona Foundation. 2009. Archived from the original on 12 January 2010. Retrieved 2010-02-06.
  8. ↑ "Zunusi School (Haiti)". Projects. Partners for Prosperity. Retrieved 2010-02-06.[ permanent dead link ]
  9. ↑ "Haiti - Rural development at the Zunuzi School". Bahá'í News. No. 680. November 1987. p. 12. ISSN   0195-9212.
  10. 1 2 "About The School". Anis Zunuzi Baha'i School. Anís Zunúzí Bahá'í School. Retrieved 2010-02-06.
  11. ↑ "Haiti Anis Zunuzi Baha'i School is dedicated". Bahá'í News. No. 625. April 1983. p. 2. ISSN   0195-9212.
  12. ↑ "Zunuzi School Board of Directors named". Bahá'í News. No. 625. April 1983. p. 4. ISSN   0195-9212.
  13. ↑ Thimm, Hans J. (2009). "Hans J. Thimm". LinkedIn Profile. Retrieved 2010-02-06.
  14. 1 2 3 "Anis Zunuzi School Background". Projects & Initiatives; Projects we support. Mona Foundation. 2009. Archived from the original on 12 January 2010. Retrieved 2010-02-06.
  15. ↑ "What are some of the activities of Mona Foundation?". Mona Frequently Asked Questions. Mona Foundation. 2009. Archived from the original on 22 January 2010. Retrieved 2010-02-06.
  16. ↑ The main source of information about individual projects ended publication in 1990 so further information isn't available as yet.
  17. ↑ "The World; Haiti". Bahá'í News. No. 645. December 1984. p. 13. ISSN   0195-9212.
  18. ↑ "Haiti - Anis Zunuzi School: Annual report". Bahá'í News. No. 645. March 1985. p. 3. ISSN   0195-9212.
  19. ↑ "Haiti-Zunuzi School aids development project". Bahá'í News. No. 650. May 1985. pp. 10–11. ISSN   0195-9212.
  20. 1 2 "Haiti -Zunuzi School aids development project". Bahá'í News. No. 668. November 1986. pp. 8–12. ISSN   0195-9212.
  21. ↑ "The World; Haiti". Bahá'í News. No. 664. July 1986. p. 13. ISSN   0195-9212.
  22. 1 2 "Development - A look at programs around the world; Americas; Agriculture and forestry;". Bahá'í News. No. 682. January 1987. p. 4. ISSN   0195-9212.
  23. ↑ "Film documents Anis Zunuzi School's Development Project". Bahá'í News. No. 668. November 1986. p. 9. ISSN   0195-9212.
  24. ↑ Nolley, Charles (2010). "Charles Nolley; Honors/Awards". Division of Digital Learning and Media Design. Governors State University . Retrieved 2010-02-06.
  25. ↑ Zamani, Payam (November 24, 2009). "A Visit To Haiti: Could Education Be The Answer?". Huffington Post. HuffingtonPost.com, Inc. Retrieved 2010-02-06.
  26. ↑ narom (September 13, 2009). "From Idaho to Haiti" . Retrieved 2010-02-06.
  27. ↑ Zandra, Ruhi (2009). "Video Project Notes – After the Interview". Projects & Initiatives; Projects we support; Anis Zunuzi School; Growth. Mona Foundation. Archived from the original on December 2, 2009. Retrieved 2010-02-06.
  28. ↑ narom (September 20, 2009). "Haiti Highlights: Day 3 – CAFT & Anis Zunuzi" . Retrieved 2010-02-06.[ permanent dead link ]
  29. ↑ narom (September 21, 2009). "Haiti Highlights: Day 4 – Anis Zunuzi" . Retrieved 2010-02-06.[ permanent dead link ]
  30. ↑ "New Events and Updates". Projects & Initiatives; Projects we support; Anis Zunuzi School. Mona Foundation. 2009. Archived from the original on 22 January 2010. Retrieved 2010-02-06.
  31. ↑ "About us and our projects". Official Website. love-for-haiti.com. February 2010. Retrieved 2010-02-14.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.