Project New Hope


(The Future is in our Hands)



Project New Hope originated from the ideals  and vision of a man of God, the Rev. Sun Myung Moon. It's goal is to construct a model center of progress, well being and happiness for Latin America and the world. With this being the premise of the project, it is not being developed for the personal profit of any one person, nor does it aim to benefit any particular national or foreign organization. It was initiated, instead, for the benefit of every one and this is the direction in which it is going.


The interior region of Mato Grosso do Sul is characterized by an economy based on extensive cattle ranching, a model which required little work and vast areas for pasture. Today this region finds itself impoverished, devastated of its natural forest, it's rivers ruined, and with a flora and fauna being compromised daily in the process of clearing the jungle for the purpose of ranching.


With an illiterate population of about 65% in a state with almost 2 million inhabitants, it is evident that it is an area in need of serious initiatives that can change this picture. In spite of the good will of the people, there exist certain bad habits originating from generations of the people with no education and who are unprepared for the progress. This creates a certain collective pessimism, a fact which is easily observed by listening to conversations in the plazas, by seeing the eyes of the people and even by the high level of unemployment. To do anything new seems difficult and complicated. The big cities are far away and uninterested in rural affairs. There's no money. The schools are poor. Businesses are small and loans have high interest, discouraging any and all new enterprises. Transportation is expensive and slow. Many ranches in this area are swampy or become flooded. And even the largest ranches employ less than two hundred men who don't need any formal education.


Mato Grosso do Sul shares borders with Paraguay and Bolivia, and the region of Jardim is geographically located in the central area of the South American continent. It is just a two hours flight from the big cities of São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Brasilia, Buenos Aires, La Paz, Montevideo, etc..


So, it is in this region, centered in Jardim, Mato Grosso do Sul, including an area of 33 cities with in a radius of approximately 200 kms that this project is working on its first stage.


It is evident that the difficulties are immense, but this is what makes this project challenging and worth while. Especially when it is able to overcome the obstacles which no other enterprise was able to overcome before. This is all the more true when it is carried forward by people who bring a new spirit, without the selfish desire for quick or easy profits which have killed so many projects in the past, leaving simple people more pessimistic and distrustful than before, still attached to their old ways and beliefs, and incapable of improving their own circumstances.


Project New Hope has the ambition of becoming, within 7 or 8 years an example of progress, beauty and happiness for the whole world and then to collaborate and encourage development in all Latin America and the world, being therefore a project of the highest consequence, worthy of attention and support from all people of good will. It is therefore appropriate for elected officials to take the responsibility to use the means which people have placed in theirs hands to support the implantation of this new hope for our own people. Project New Hope will act on ten fronts or focal areas that will be developed in different stages according to pre-established goals, that will depend on financial resources as well as the response of the people and the local authorities.


1. Ideology


The Bible tell us that Adam and Eve were kicked out of Paradise, losing contact with God their Father, and came to live a life of selfishness centered on Satan, symbolized by the serpent.


Religion arose as a means to bring man and God together.  It is like a school, a way to come closer to the God of creation.  It is also the Bible which tells us that the New Heavenly Jerusalem doesn't have a temple, which means that the ideal society of God's Kingdom on earth doesn't  need religion any more.  God will dwell in man directly as he should have dwelt in Adam and Eve, if they hadn't separated from God. 


In order for this to happen it is essential that man become a being of True Love.  Man's mind, his conscience, must be full of God's true love so that he can become a true human being  This true man can then create a true family, which will create a true society, a true nation and a true world.


As is it easy to see, the trouble began when one man and one woman decided to take an attitude which was against God's will and do as they pleased.  Now it is up to us to take up the original path of God's will so that everything can return to it's proper place and order.  Everything begins with that one decision and assuming the right position or attitude towards life and ourselves.  This will transform the individual, the family, the society, the nation and the world.  In this aspect, probably Reverend and Mrs. Moon are the best of examples.


As such, the first stage of this focal area of ideology could be summarized as calling for a change in the way man faces life and interacts with his fellow human beings; changing from satanic selfishness to unselfishness, centered on God.  If and when man doesn't live for an ideal higher than himself and his immediate needs, God cannot live in man's heart and the Kingdom of god cannot be established.


This first stage will be carried out by an education which motivates man and shows him the advantages of changing his individualistic attitude of sacrificing others for his own sake, to a way of  life in which, like God, he is serving and loving others, sacrificing the smaller purpose for the larger.


All the aspects and various projects developed at Fazenda New Hope have this spiritual and moral education as their ultimate goal.


2. Center of Advanced Research


In order to successfully form a progressive and happy society we need to find the technological and scientific means which are adequate to benefit everyone.  We will therefore bring to the Project New Hope researchers and scientists of the highest level and we will build laboratories and first rate centers so that researchers can develop appropriate techniques in the fields of fish farming, agriculture, forestry, agro-industry and others.  Our goal is to develop technology for use here and in other places with similar conditions which can compete with or surpass other advanced centers of production.


3. Basic Education


Brazil has close to 65 million illiterate of semi-literate people. Our schools require little from the students- only 20 hours a week of scholastic activities, whereas advanced nations have up to 70 or 72 hours a week.  In order to change this picture which is unfavorable for progress, we will introduce a new educational system subdivided in various areas.


Formal Education  for elementary, junior high and high school levels with a daily schedule and curriculum which are comparable with the most advanced education offered in the first world countries.


  • Supplementary Education  for those who never received minimum sufficient education, so that in two or three years at most they can become self- sufficient


  • Technological Education  so that our fellow citizens can work with machines, modern tools that can achieve  the productivity and quality of the first world.


  • Education for Life  with the goal of improving general culture and lifestyle, so that our people can deal confidently with the modern world without any gap of knowledge or understanding which might impede culture, social or technological development.


4. Exhibition Hall for High Technology


Project New Hope will build a convention center of approximately 66,000 square meters with the purpose of displaying the most advanced technology of the world with the goal of fostering interest in practical models for study and analysis.


Just talking about or describing progress is not enough, it is necessary to test, "ïn loco" the concrete details of design that will help us develop our own technology.


5. Agricultural or Primary Industry


Extensive cattle ranching as it has been practiced, is quickly draining the natural resources of this region.  By looking at satellite photos of the state of Mato Grosso do Sul, one can easily perceive the consequences of mindless clearing in the erosion of the soil and pollution of the rivers.  Plants are the source of life for the ecosystem in swampy areas.  Destroying the plants and trees in order to make pastures also destroys the flora and fauna, the sources of food for fish, birds and insects.


In the area in which Project New hope is working, it takes three years to produce one head of cattle on each hectare (two and a half acres).  At this rate one can estimate a profit of less than $30.00 per hectare per year.  In the orient a whole family can live from the produce cultivated on one hectare at a level far superior to ours.  ($20,000 to $30,000 per year)


It is evident that we can learn something from the oriental way of life, especially in how they use the soil.  Brazil has about 300 times more area of cultivatable land than Korea, but where Korea feeds close to 45 million inhabitants with surplus, Brazil has close to 70 million people suffering from lack of food.


Project New Hope will encourage the replanting of all kinds of trees in this region, along with the raising of smaller animals, fish and birds, all kinds of foodstuffs and flowers, in harmony with the existing forests, in hopes of bringing financial benefits to everyone and incalculable gains in the aspects of the climate, air quality, fertilization of the soil and usefulness of the rivers.


A secondary industry, using raw materials from the primary industry, in the patterns of today's economy, needs a high level of production at low cost in order to be viable and competitive on the international level.  Transportation of fresh native goods raises the price of the final product, takes time and means the fresh produce loses its quality.  These items are essential to the market economy of the Twenty first century.  Therefore, we need agricultural production to be close to industrialization in order to avoid as much as possible losses due to transportation.


Secondary industry based on fresh native goods needs an area of at least 20,000 cultivable hectares in order to be viable.  However at this time we don't have any areas cultivating specific agricultural products to that proportion in our region.


Each city of these thirty three cities should choose one type of tree, one kind of fish, one kind of bird or animal, one kind of fruit, food stuff, or flower to produce in a massive concentrated way with cooperation from surrounding farmers, in order to make possible prosperity and development in their area.


We insist that this kind of production should be carried out in a cooperative scientific way, supported by high level technology, if not, we can't be viable or competitive in the international market


The development of fish farming can bring profits within two or three years.  Flowers or small animals in three or four years, wood products take a little longer, so we could harvest fruits from other species, while we wait for the maturation of slower trees.  We can easily understand that each type of product, in its time, will produce plenty, facilitating the development of industrialization and exportation, as well as boosting the local businesses.  As each town specializes in six or seven kinds of vegetables and animals, exchange becomes inevitable, quickly establishing commerce and integration.  When we have a concentrated product close to industrialization, we have a highly favorable situation.  And if the market is also close by, then the profits are obvious.


We already have plenty of good soil here.  We have good workers and an excellent climate, so what more do we need to achieve progress and happiness?


Imagine thirty three towns, each with a production of one fish and one animal- 5,000 ponds producing Pacu, together with wild ducks.  wouldn't this attract fishermen and hunters from the whole world?  Especially those who appreciate food that hasn't been contaminated with toxic chemicals.


6. Secondary Industry


The process of production was already described in item no. 5  Oil from Capivara, leather from Pacu, flour from Piruputanga, oil from Peroba, etc., etc.  we can't forget that everything should be produced with high level technology (described in Item no. 2) for an international market with the aim to bring benefit and prosperity to all.


7. Civil Construction


All the infrastructure, i.e., airports, river ports and sea ports, transportation and warehouses, hotels and hospitality, as well as the development of energy and communications which are needed for this project to function well.


8. Hobby Industry


In order to live happily it is necessary to have healthful leisure time in which to pursue all the various interests and talents given to us by our creator.


Each city should develop a leisure activity to attract tourists, both local and foreign, using appropriate means in line with the chosen species for production in item no. 5.  for example, a fishing tournament of Jau in Porto Mortinho, a party for roasted Pintado in Aquiduana, a festival of wild orchids in Dois Irmaos do Buriti, alligators roasted on a spit in Dourados, etc.


As these species will be raised in captivity, they could also be used for hunting as a possible hobby.


9. Integration with the World


This project aims at creating an environment of happiness, progress, wealth and beauty, not only for us, bur for the whole human family.


For God there is no difference in what race, color creed or nationality we have, we are all His children that He created with the same purpose and value.  In item no. 1, we talked about a new way of living for others.  As such, this project has to give of itself for the sake of the world and help other people and cultures- not only sharing knowledge and technology, but also God's love.  Therefore we will need to bring people who can receive the benefit of the education here and take this knowledge and the example of Project New Hope back to their native countries and begin similar projects there.


10. Micro-World


There are 185 countries represented in the United Nations.  Our plan is to create within the Project New Hope area micro-regions with the culture, art and sports of each of these countries.  Micro-Germany, micro-Hungary, micro-Italy, etc.


We will have festivals and interchange with all countries of the world, encouraging tourism and international understanding and good will.

Commentary


When we talk about Project Jardim, we are thinking about a great worldwide garden, like the garden of Eden God dreamed of when he blessed his beloved children with all the good and beautiful things he created for them.  That is why we want to help our suffering Heavenly Father to finally see His children living in harmony, like one great family- all with the same Father, without any barriers or motivation to separate, without resentments, without misery.


We are living in the Last Days!  It is the time for the Kingdom of Heaven to appear on earth.  but we can only catch a glimpse of it beginning within ourselves (no.1.), using science and technology (no.2), becoming better educated (no.3.), using everything to its best advantage (no.4), loving and dominating nature (no. 5), using our creativity to reach for excellence (no.6), working hard to benefit everyone (no. 7), rejoicing in God's creation (no.8), serving others around the world (no.9) and living in brotherhood with our fellow citizens (no.10).


We pray that our good Heavenly Father may bless this work started by his children and that He can soon see the day when the whole human family is happy.




      ________________________

      Pres. Yoon Sang Kim


                                                                            October, 1997