"Empowerment is a state of mind not a verb. It is a way of
thinking and behaving rather than something which is done to a person or an
organization...it is a slow process by which both parties develop their way of
thinking and behaving so that the balance and relationship between the powerful
and the powerless shifts, to their mutual benefit. Where it works well, the distinction between the two
disappears completely and everyone contributes his or her full talents
enthusiastically and unreservedly."
-John Nicholls
Providing basic needs, i.e., food, clothing, and shelter is
one of the most challenging problems in today's society.
Many of the programs and projects sponsored by PHISOLAMA in
other areas will do much to improve quality of life for the people affected by
these projects--those who participate as well as those who benefit, either
directly or indirectly. However, there is much that can be done to either
improve the function of existing private charities or in creating innovative
programs that foster personal independence and self-reliance. PHISOLAMA will
explore ways to ensure basic human needs are met, while encouraging education to
teach recipients to provide for themselves as much as possible.
The PHISOLAMA will further a global
and systematic strategy in the field of humanitarian activities: members of a
special new civilization network, will work together to plan and carry out a
series of collective interventions aimed at reducing the number of suffering
events occurring in the lives of individuals throughout the world.The notion of excessive suffering
refers to any particular psychoneural phenomenon that is experienced as too
aversive to be acceptable as a part of a humane existence. Excessive suffering
events may be associated with any kind of condition or problem: illnesses and
disabilities (physical or psychological), social or economic problems (war,
poverty, hunger, human and animal exploitation, torture, crime and
punishment...), accidents, disasters, etc.
