You have just entered the web site of the NGO Ahimsa. On this web site you´ll find information about our activities and the resources that we offer to anyone who is interested in creating a culture of peace as a way toward peace education.

 

In Ahimsa you will find women a men that give freely of their time in order to help us realize some day that the true meaning of solidarity is not simply to make charitable donations to start projects, rather we must start by carrying out iniciatives which, step by step, make possible a fairer and more equal society.

 

In this way we stop the vicious circle of neoliberalism, neoliberal globalisation and in particular all those iniciatives that impoverish the planet and a large part of its inhabitants.

 

This page is continually being updated.

 

If you want to get in touch with us you can do so (AHIMSA, Conjunto Rubeltor, Arroyo Hondo nº 34-A -  29700 Vélez Málaga, or on the telephone number:

 

 

656-361158 *952-545090).

 

 

 E.mail: ahimsa@ahimsav.com

 

 

¨ Representativies in Madrid: madrid@ahimsav.com

¨ Representativies in Castilla y León: castillaleon@ahimsav.com

¨ Representativies in El Salvador (Central América): elsalvador@ahimsav.com

 

Para comunicaciones en Inglés utilizar la siguiente dirección:

kety@ahimsav.com

WHAT IS AHIMSA?

 

 

 

Ahimsa is a centre designed to facilitate the work of those people who are aware of their role as parents, educators and citizens, in the dificult but urgent task of peace education wether they are connected or not with education.

 

It´s a totally voluntary, non-profit-making asociation, financed by its

members’ contributions and the income generated by the services it provides.

One of our objetives is to lend support –information and work material- to all of those people and groups who request it.

 

Our aim is to:

 

-Gather information

-Offer information and advice to educators, work groups and anyone who asks for it.

-Create informative material such as : videos, slides, dossiers, buletins, etc.

-Publicize acitivities, publications and materials from other groups and organisations.

-Organize and support awareness-raising campaigns

 

FOR THOSE WHO WORK FOR A CULTURE OF PEACE

Ahimsa wants to collaborate in the spread of those values that are fundamental to a culture of peace, as a way towards peace education, and is commited to the struggle against violence, injustice, marginalization and exploitation.

 

Our centres of interest and areas of work

 

Human Rights. Supporting and educating towards respect for human right in the world. Children´s rights, women´s right, protection and support of ethnic minorities, inmigrants and marginalised groups. Supporting campaigns of Amnesty International, Human Rights SOS Racism, “Grupos Acoge”, etc. We publish educational bulletins about these subjects once or twice a year.

 

Ecology. Participating in ecological education we support awareness raising campaigns and environmental education of other groups and organisations.

We coordinate with and support ecological groups of the Axarquía and other places.

We publish an annual bulletin about ecological education.

 

Disarmament We are in touch with antimilitary gruops, and conscientious objectors. We support the civil desobedience in all its non violent forms and we give information each year about Fiscal Objection to Military spending. We are in touch with the MOC of Málaga (Conscientious Objection Movement) supporting all its activities. One or two bulletins related to this topic are published annually.

 

Coeducation. We support the struggle against sexual discrimination for women. we try to educate for equality of treatment, rights and opportunities, for both sexes, developing values which make discriminatory differences in language and culture, and the relations between women and men, disappear. One bulletin related to these theme is publised in March

 

Development and Cooperation with the Impoverished World.  This forms a large part of our educational programme. We need to share our well-being. We need to educate so that our wealth, which is based on the poverty of three quarters of humanity, is put to better use and is better distributed.  Our society needs to change its way of living, by changing the values that we adhere to, such as profitability, consumption and competition, in favour of other values more in accord with our present human condition.  We work to finance development projects in the impoverished world.  We have a Solidarity Store where we promote the development of the impoverished world and more ecologically sound consumption.  We also publish several bulletins throughout the year dealing with these topics.

 

Non-violence  shapes the philosophy and practice of our association as a  way of life and political action following a Gandhian line.  Also throughout the year we try to examine in detail some aspect of non-violence in our bulletin.

 

Peace Education As a way of communicating our preoccupations and the values that rule our everyday lives, we maintain our resource centre, participating and sharing, with talks, discussions, seminars, courses, workshops, etc. We assist the development of other like-minded groups and organizations, as well as passing on work done by other institutions and collectives.

 

AHIMSA’S RESOURCES ARE AT YOUR DISPOSAL

 

Free material loan service.  At present we have 2,000 documentaries on video, 120 feature films, 115 slideshows as well as numerous radio programmes on audiotape.  Also we have a library of 3,000 items and a press archive of more than 6,000 articles classified and arranged in 34 topic areas.

 

Our bibliographical and audio library covers the following topic areas:

 

· Peace Education

· Ecology       

· Non-violence

· Coeducation

· Disarmament and antimilitarism

· Cooperation and development of the impoverished world.

 

AHIMSA also publishes annually a list of our library, press archive and audiovisual resources.

 

We have four travelling exhibitions: THE NEARER SOUTH, NORTH-SOUTH INTERDEPENDENCE AND SOLIDARITY, AFRICA THE FORGOTTEN CONTINENT AND OTHER NATIONS, OTHER CULTURES,

 

Our infrastructure is available for the distribution and dissemination of material produced by other organizations.

 

 We keep in touch with people who are prepared to take part in talks, discussions, etc., as well as with other groups, publications, and national and international campaigns.

 

Our opening times are weekdays from 5:30 to 8:00 PM

 

OUR MEETINGS ARE HELD ON THURSDAYS FROM 7:30 TO 9:30 PM

 

GETTING TO KNOW US BETTER

 

During our first years AHIMSA has developed and maintained working criteria, theory and practices that today are characteristic of our Association, which we intend to outline here so that you can get to know us better. According to which philosophy and criteria does AHIMSA work? ¿What motivates us? Why and how do we operate? etc., are among the many questions asked by people when they first come across us, and which we aim to answer with the summary that we offer in the triptych entitled: getting to know us better.

 

Our philosophy

 

The theory behind our thinking as an association, is based largely on what we could call Gandhian non-violence.  For AHIMSA therefore, education for peace in its widest sense, is of fundamental importance. We believe that the unjust and unequal society in which we live can only be changed if we, who have everything, are prepared to make that change; developing active non-violence in two ways: as a way of life and as a proactive strategy.  For this to be possible, we believe that first it is necessary to educate for a Peace Culture and at a later date develop wider programmes of Peace Education.

 

Considering the above, the development projects are not of primary importance for AHIMSA, we believe that the projects are only temporary solutions.  Similarly we think that the projects do not eliminate the causes of injustices, rather that they eliminate the effects of injustices and that the causes continue to exist indefinitely, while our consciences are satisfied by the thought that we have done something to help.  The truth is that we  (developed society) hold in our hands the means to eradicate the causes of injustices.

 

What projects does AHIMSA work on and under what criteria?

 

The above brief resume may suggest something of a contradiction between theory and practice within AHIMSA’s operation since the projects occupy a considerable part of our time.  However, although the projects should not be our principal activity, at times they may appear to be thus, or even our sole activity, for we believe them to be necessary; above all because they allow us to maintain the necessary contact and feeling that one needs when dealing with impoverished people. Nevertheless, we must remember that they are not the solution to inequality.  Consequently, we are only involved in projects where we have direct control or where we have direct contact with the recipients.  We have no interest in financing projects where we do no more than send money, no matter how well it may be invested.

 

Considering the above we do net deem it necessary, in the interest of greater efficiency and fundraising, to have people dedicated to the preparation and presentation of projects.

 

We would never include in the costing of a project such matters as: PREPARATION, MANAGEMENT, COORDINATON, etc.  We believe that if an organization or individual makes a financial contribution toward a particular development, then the entire contribution should be effective and that the costs of management, preparation, supervision, etc. of the project should be borne by the organization and not by the impoverished recipients.  This type of practice is creating a situation in Spain where 50,000 NGO jobs are being created using development funds.

 

Why is ahimsa expanding?

 

At AHIMSA we have no expansionist ambitions.  We believe that good coordination with autonomous associations can be more effective than the creation of a single nationwide association.  The fact that we have grown within and beyond Málaga province is due to the wishes of members and friends to continue in other places with the work begun here in Vélez-Malaga. The creation of delegations has its difficulties for us, as it implies that wherever a delegation is set up, that delegation will assume the same criteria as those under which we operate here.  This is not always possible, as there are many varied and equally valid operational criteria from which to choose.

 

What is the decision making process at ahimsa?

 

At AHIMSA we are not ruled by the majority but by consensus. When a consensus is not reached, the following can occur:

 

that the minority view, although it may not be wrong, is prepared to accept the majority decision.

 

that the minority view has the right to veto.  In this case the minority view is respected and so the matter in question is held over until a more appropriate time.

 

it could occur, in an extreme situation, that the postures are so divergent that no consensus at all is possible. In this case the association would be dissolved.

 

What is given and what is taken?

 

AHIMSA was created to contribute (ideas, financial or practical help, etc) and not to receive. Therefore, all of AHIMSA’s work is altruistic, which means the following:

 

AHIMSA does not pay any expenses or commission for work done.

 

If any member of AHIMSA takes on any work, s/he will be responsible for any costs incurred. For example if somebody is to give a talk to us, that person will pay his or her own expenses (transport, food, etc.). If that person were to receive any payment for the talk, the money would be paid to the association and would not even be used to cover any expenses such as travel expenses or meals, etc.

 

All members of AHIMSA must make a material contribution to the association, whether it be in the form of money or work or both.

 

Members of AHIMSA will receive the AHIMSA magazine, and will be able to participate in the meetings, workshops and in all administrative activities.  Perhaps the greatest benefit that members of AHIMSA receive is the guarantee that they can count on the human support of a group that is working toward the eradication of poverty, injustice, and inequality, in a world which will be the heritage of future generations.