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January 14, 2007 | Editor Al Santoli
International NGO coordinating network, OneWorld.Net, has named Asia America Initiative and founder Al Santoli among eight worldwide leaders of human rights, civil society, environmental innovation and social entrepreneurship, as a finalist for its People of 2006 award. The AAI’s international model Development for Peace in Sulu, Muslim Mindanao, Philippines has become a model for deterring terrorism by empowering front line communities through grassroots social and economic determination. The AAI was initiated by Mr. Santoli in mid-2002, after he attended the Bonn peace conference for Afghanistan as part of a U.S. Congressional delegation. He believed that the over-reliance on force and an infusion of billions of dollars into dysfunctional central governments would inflame the root causes of communal violence and reempower terrorists and extremists who exploit people's suffering.
He emphasized the “war on terror” would be a failure unless grassroots development built on trust and friendship was fully integrated as a key component to resolving the distrust and hatred among people of different cultures, faiths and economic conditions. At the time, the perception of Western policy makers was that Afghanistan would be a permanent victory based on military technology and "threats and bribes" as a means to control local warlords and aspiring politicians. To the contrary, Santoli chose the Muslim Autonomous region of the Philippines -- among the poorest and most feared in Asia -- to become the international model because of the seemingly hopeless ongoing thirty-year religious conflict. Through the consent of the National and Autonomous Regional government and the courage and willingness of local religious and social leaders -- Muslims and Christian men and women -- they sought an end to violence through building sustainable social and economic empowerment. The community leaders made one clear demand: "Do not come here to bring us charity. If you come as our friend, we will accept you." Without any governmental or international agency funding and with a small donor base comprised of a handful of friends, the seemingly daunting task began.
AAI, although modest in size, expands its presence in impoverished war-torn communities by encouraging the creation of community development committees made up of local religious, education and medical services leaders to build Hope for a more constructive future. In this role the AAI actively serves as a mediator between disenfranchised local populations and political leaders. In Washington, the AAI advises political leaders on designing nuanced approaches to resolve conflict and terror by implementing successful grassroots programs on the front lines. Recently, AAI has been invited by the U.S. Marine Corps University and U.S. Special Operations Command Pacific to be an NGO member of planning groups to explore how to integrate humanitarian and economic development as an alternative to over-reliance on “kinetic” firepower. Mr. Santoli, a three-times wounded military veteran before he reached the age of 20, emphasizes that the friendship built by development programs saves the lives of local populations and soldiers, as well.
Public schools supported by AAI in Sulu, plagued by three decades of conflict, have a combined population of almost 25,000 students. In a region where the school drop out rate is a tragic 65 percent, retention in AAI Model of Excellence Schools is near 90 percent. The DPIS program is also engaged in creating livelihood opportunities through public schools and adult learning programs. The next stages in integrating education with traditional aquaculture and agricultural livelihood is implementing environmental protection curriculum at all levels of elementary and secondary education. Although fighting and ourbreaks of violence occurs periodically in surrounding areas, and although threats have been made against Mr. Santoli by a lingering quasi-religious extremist group, there has not been an act of terrorism in the direct project area during the four and a half years of the program. The keys to success are consistency in action and a generational approach to rebuilding from war and economic deprivation. A core principle is: True friends don't abandon faith in each other and make the effort to succeed together even during difficult times when you have no idea where the next month's resources will come from. The men, women and children of the community become the teachers for other communities worldwide who are burdened with similar challenges.
In addition to the model community development project, AAI has also assisted with humanitarian services such as medical relief to earthquake torn areas of Pakistan, food, clothing and educational assistance to Burmese orphans in refugee camps along the Thailand border, and advocacy for the release of prisoners of conscience in Vietnam, China and Tibet. Mr. Santoli is preparing to expand Development for Peace projects into Afghanistan, southern Thailand and Indonesia, and North Korea based on the expansion of funding and the willingness of communities to be pillars of change. The AAI is currently working without any form of government funds, which are welcome when no coercion or stifling bureacracy is attached. All private donations are publicly accounted for and donors are truly a part of the extended AAI team.
Description of AAI nomination on the OneWorld.net web site.
Vote here for AAI for People of 2006 Award
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