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Show 110 Michoacan, Mexico. Nevertheless, he believes that at present there are many places in which these two essential elements are not to be found, since neither the population is prepared to participate by its own efforts and initiative in the improvement of its living standard, nor are the technical and other services available to them. The present article demonstrates, in accordance with the foregoing, that in these places it would be impossible to establish community development programs, as this term is understood and defined by the United Nations. Nevertheless, these communities are not beyond all help. Offering as an example the interesting performance of CREFAL on the island of Pacanda, in Lake Patzcuaro, where there was an Indian community of this type, and where said organization introduced a system of supervised credit, the conclusion is reached that this type of aid, for this type of community, is ideal. As was explained in the Editorial of our last Boletin, the Inter- American Indian Institute also believes that said system is the solution. It is, then, very interesting for us to present the experiences of CREFAL in this field, as expressed by its Director and who is to be given the credit for being the first to introduce this system into Mexico. 1962 Editorial. "El Instituto Y La Union Panamericana Iniciaran Un Proyecto De Desarrollo De Comunidades Indigenas," America Indigena, XXII No. 2 (April, 1962), pp. 99-102. The interest of the American governments starting and carrying forward national programs for socio-economic development increases daily. However, one of the conditions- perhaps the most important - for achieving the best results in these programs, is to have properly trained technicians and personnel. This becomes indispensable when these national programs are extended to the Indian communities, because they present cultural and economic characteristics often very different from the rest of a country's population. It was precisely to solve this problem that the Inter-American Indian Institute, collaborating with and serving the various countries of the Continent, presented, the middle of last year, a project aimed at establishing personnel training centers to familiarize the trainees with the techniques of Indian community development so that they can later participate in the national development plans and adequately encompass the Indian level. |