What is development? Many have tried and are still trying to answer this question. In a globalising world, certain people may claim that "global and uniform development" is the way to describe the present globalisation movement. Others believe that every culture has its own way of developing and that you cannot apply the same standardised criteria to every group of people and every culture. Since 1982, ACTEC has come up with an answer which goes beyond this debate. The only development that really counts is that of people, of every individual. The degree of development is more a question of dignity than the accumulation of material goods. Confronted with populations deprived of even the basic minimum, ACTEC intends to promote a personalist view of development. One cannot speak of progress if the means are not given to each individual, not only to benefit from this progress but especially to participate in it. Our motto A profession for all reflects our determination to promote individuals as agents of develop-ment. The greatest wealth of every country is its own individual capacities. ACTEC invests in a training programme which makes every beneficiary capable of becoming the protagonist of his own development and not just the recipient of paternalistic aid.

In this site we have decided to show you many faces of men and women who participate in our development programmes. These pictures show the true face of development as advocated by ACTEC. They take up the challenge of obtaining a life worthy for themselves and for their families, thanks to a profession which offers them the opportunity to blossom and find dignity as human beings.

Daniel Turiel
Director