Baha’is believe in the power of prayer and you’ll find Baha’is and their friends, throughout the world, getting together to pray. This is often referred to as a ‘devotional gathering’ or ‘devotional meeting’, and they happen in diverse settings, whether in cities or villages.
Hello and welcome to the Baha’i Blogcast with me your host, Rainn Wilson.
In this series of podcasts I interview members of the Baha’i Faith and friends from all over the world about their hearts, and minds, and souls, their spiritual journeys, what they’re interested in, and what makes them tick.
In this episode I sit down with my wife Holiday Reinhorn and dear friend Kathryn Adams to talk about LIDÈ, a not-for-profit educational initiative the three of us started. LIDÈ, which means both “Leader” and “Idea” in Haitian Kreyol, uses the arts and literacy to build resilience and empower at-risk adolescent girls in rural Haiti, helping them to transition into academic or vocational education.
The three of us share our experiences and talk about how the devastating effects of the 2010 earthquake in Haiti not only decimated the nation, but also uncovered the need for educating and empowering adolescent girls. We discuss the need and importance of hope; the importance of not only education, but why specifically the education of women is paramount. We also talk about the idea of adopting a “grassroots-up” approach to development work rather than a “top-down” approach, and we touch on ‘accompaniment’ and how each one of us has a gem within us which needs to be mined. We discuss the importance of trust and having faith; what a “tap-tap” is, and how LIDÈ’s program for kids with disabilities came to life.
I hope you enjoy this conversation, and if you’d like to find out more about LIDÈ and how you can support its programs, go to www.lidehaiti.org
Naysan is passionate about using the arts and media to explore the teachings of the Baha’i Faith. Back in 2011, Naysan started up the Baha’i Blog project, channeling his experiences in both media and technology companies to help create a hub for Baha’i-inspired content online.
It was wonderful to learn from all three of you about this vital life-changing service that is being provided in Hati by LIDE. This can serve as a model to others seeking to use their professional skills to bring hope to traumatized populations and to build up their confidence and capacity to serve their communities themselves. This is the Baha’i Faith in action; this is what we are all about.
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It was wonderful to learn from all three of you about this vital life-changing service that is being provided in Hati by LIDE. This can serve as a model to others seeking to use their professional skills to bring hope to traumatized populations and to build up their confidence and capacity to serve their communities themselves. This is the Baha’i Faith in action; this is what we are all about.
Keith J. Taylor (February 2, 2019 at 7:32 PM)