Community Development and Civil Society - The Work of Project Harvest Hope in Transylvania

Type of Abstract (select):

Abstract (max. 250 words):
In our interconnected and interdependent world, the framework of civil society -- trust, respect, honesty, transparency, self-determination, collaboration and a sense of human agency -- is necessary for healthy and sustainable community life. Our world has become a global village in which the close proximity of differences -- racial, ethnic, religious, cultural and economic -- is magnified by rapid changes in technology and communication.

Since 1993, Project Harvest Hope has partnered with Unitarian communities in Transylvania seeking to renew their economic, civil and religious base in a post-Communist, early-stage capitalist environment. We capitalized a mill, a bakery and a ninety cow dairy farm in the Homorod Valley. We have established a donor-advised fund with the Szekelyudvarhely Community Foundation (szka.org) to support local initiatives in Unitarian communities. This paper explores the history, successes and challenges of Project Harvest Hope.





Brief Professional Bio (max. 100 words):
Will Saunders is President of Project Harvest Hope. Raised a Unitarian Universalist in Ithaca, New York, he holds degrees from Oberlin College, Union Theological Seminary and a Ph.D. in Church History from Columbia University. From 1976 to 2005, he served congregations in Brunswick, Maine, Urbana, Illinois and Portsmouth, New Hampshire, which elected him Minister Emeritus. He lives in Portland, Maine. Will has long-standing friendships and connections in Romania beginning with his 1968 trip to the celebrations marking the 400th anniversary of the Diet of Torda.