HIV/AIDS training package - Stepping Stones

Source: Strategies for Hope

Stepping Stones

An award-winning training package on HIV/AIDS, gender issues, communication and relationship skills.

What is it?

• A 240-page manual for trainers, and an accompanying workshop video of 15 five-minute clips (though the manual can be used without the video).
• Full, closely-guided instructions on how to run around 60 hours of workshop sessions, divided into 18 sessions over 10 to 12 weeks.
• Designed to enable women and men of all ages to explore their social, sexual and psychological needs, to analyse the communication blocks they face, and to practise different ways of behaving in their relationships.
• The workshop aims to enable individuals, their peers and their communities to change their behaviour - individually and together - through the ‘stepping stones’ which the various sessions provide.

For whom?

• Designed for use in existing HIV/AIDS projects, and in general development projects which plan to introduce an on-going AIDS component.
• Designed for use by a team of skilled people - ideally two male, two female - who work with peer groups of community members.
• Experienced trainers should be able to use the material straight away.
  Less experienced trainers may need a training course to help them start to use it.

With whom?

• Originally for use in communities throughout sub-Saharan Africa. However, it is also being successfully adapted for use in Asia, North and Latin America and Europe.
• Most sessions are designed for people in small groups of 10-20, of their own gender and age. Occasional sessions bring everyone together.

Why?

• The ABC of AIDS (Abstain! Be faithful! use Condoms!) on its own does not work. Lectures on AIDS are too simplistic.
• Stepping Stones grew out of the need to address the vulnerability of women and young people in decision-making about sexual behaviour.
• The materials enable people to explore the huge range of issues which affect our sexual health - including gender roles, money, alcohol use, traditional practices, attitudes to sex, attitudes to death and our own personalities.

How?

• All sessions use a participatory approach of adult learning through shared discussions.
• The exercises are all based on people’s own experiences, and role play and drawing exercises enable everyone to take part. No literacy is needed.
• Participants discuss their experiences, act them out, analyse them, consider alternative outcomes, and then rehearse these together in a safe, supportive group.
• People feel safe because most sessions take place in groups of their own gender and age.
• Though designed with HIV/AIDS in mind, the package covers many related topics such as gender violence and alcohol use.

To order online from TALC, please click here. You can order from Strategies for Hope by clicking here.

Free resource: the best free online courses

Source: Development Gateway

Education Portal Lists Universities With the Best Free Online Courses

No tuition money? No problem! There are many top universities that offer free courses online. This list ranks several of the best free university courses available for people who want to enhance their personal knowledge or advance in their current field. The site also features multiple videos and articles about various career paths and the specifics of choosing any number of jobs to pursue. Browse hundreds of original, fact-filled articles to help you make an educated career path decision. The most complete glossary of degree programs on the web. Browse over 2,500 articles about nearly every type of degree, course, and career education program in the United States. Not all of the programs are free, but the resources to identify the field you might like are free resources.

View full text ››

Free resource:Free Education on the Internet

Source: Development Gateway

Free Education on the Internet

Free-Ed.Net is committed to providing an online “school” where users from around the world can study, take courses, and participate in online community activities at no cost. This enterprise requires us to build a new kind of learning model that takes into account the technological strengths of the Internet, information and computer technologies, and the needs of our users. Free-Ed.Net separates itself from other educational sites on the Internet by offering only the highest quality content that is available and by offering all content free of charge. Our users are global audience of students, teachers, homeschoolers, parents, laypersons, and anyone else who has an interest in continuing or supplementing their education. Students at formal educational institutions use our resources to supplement their studies and prepare for entrance exams. Teachers, homeschoolers, and parents use Free-Ed.Net as a source of study guides, learning materials, and teaching ideas. Others use our resource as a means of continuing their education and satisfying their own curiosity about the subjects that interest them.

Go to Free-Ed.net to access courses

Tanzania: Community Mobilisation Manual

Source: Drum Beat

Community Mobilisation Manual (Advocacy Expert Series)
by Pact Tanzania

This is a “how-to” book intended for community mobilisers who want to stimulate social change in a community, work towards poverty eradication, good governance, and increased transparency. It is expected that this guide will be used by a wide range of organisations and community animators.

More, and to download manual

Contact Pact(at)pacttz(dot)org

African training materials: Radio Journalism Toolkit

Source: Soul Beat Africa 98

Radio Journalism Toolkit

Summary

This toolkit is published by The Institute for the Advancement of Journalism, with the support of the Open Society Foundation for South Africa (OSFSA), and Science Technology Education (STE) Publishers. It aims to offers detailed, practical advice for radio journalists.The book covers topics such as how to hold a microphone, writing for the ear, compiling bulletins, handling difficult interviews and digital editing. It includes a particular focus on the needs of community radio journalists, who have to report on a shoestring.

Practical exercises are supported by a CD-ROM with raw sound to work on, examples of great radio reports and other material.

The CD includes:

• Practical exercises with interviews
• Examples of common audio problems
• Radio packages
• Internet links to international radio resourcesTo order a copy of this publication see contacts below:

Languages

English

Publication Date

2006

Contact

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Angela McClelland

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Angela McClelland

Science Technology Education (STE) Publishers

South Africa

Tel:27 484-7824 ext 205

STE website

angela@ste.co.za

Free resource: Dialogue with the Public - Practical Guidelines

Although this guide is not Africa specific, it may be of interest to those interested in communicating scientific ideas.

Source: The Drum Beat 424

Dialogue with the Public: Practical Guidelines
This guide, aimed at enhancing dialogue and discussion, is intended primarily for those relatively new to communicating science and science-related issues. Each chapter follows a similar format, with a brief discussion followed by some guidelines on issues to think about, some examples, and an organiser’s checklist. It is intended that the “Guidelines” and “Organiser’s Checklist” in each chapter will increase opportunities for dialogue and exchanges of ideas and views for all practising communicators. The goal is to help maximise the audience reached and the interaction with that audience.

More and download the guide
http://www.comminit.com/en/node/265108/

TANZANIA: DELIVERING AND PRACTICING NON-FORMAL EDUCATION IN TANZANIA

The following article is from Pambazuka News 301

http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/education/41014

 

TANZANIA: DELIVERING AND PRACTICING NON-FORMAL EDUCATION IN TANZANIA

Download the handbook here: http://www.crin.org/docs/mkombozi_practice_handbook_nfe.pdf

A new document produced by Mkombozi serves as a manual for educatoyers
delivering Non-Formal Education (NFE) in Tanzania. Mkombozi is a
child-focussed agency based in the north of the country. The authors
argue that the Mkombozi NFE principles and practice would be
applicable in a schools based context and would be of value to the
Tanzanian education system.

Book: Setting Up Community Health Programmes – Lankester

The following article was seen On HCMN Update

Whilst not specifically Africa based it will be a good resource for those living/working in Africa.

Setting Up Community Health Programmes – New edition.  Many who have been working at community level will know of Ted Lankester’s book “Community Health Programmes” a new much enlarged, well illustrated, written in appropriate English is now out. Over 400 pages low cost edition for, further information contact info@talcuk.org or order though
http://www.talcuk.org/books/setting-up-community-health-programmes-3rd-edition.htm 

Health Communication Materials Network

An Activity of the M/MC - Media/Materials Clearinghouse
of the Health Communication Partnership  http://www.m-mc.org/hcmn            

Gender issues: African Transformation video profiles kit

The following article was seen on HMCM Update

In the Spotlight: African Transformation Video Profiles Kit: African Transformation is a participatory tool that enables men and women to examine gender and social norms, including masculinity, and how they affect their well-being; to overcome gender barriers in their own life: and to work on eliminating harmful gender norms and supporting positive ones. This kit features nine video profiles of women, men, and couples from Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia who by their actions have become role models in their communities. Their stories feature the challenges they faced and overcame when dealing with issues ranging from traditional and cultural values and reproductive health to violence between partners, networking, and life skills. The video profiles are designed to be used along with the African Transformation Facilitator’s Guide, but can also be used as a tool to promote dialogue between men and women. Other components of the kit are photos of the profiled subjects, audio profiles and written profiles. Excerpts of the nine profiles may be viewed here: http://www.m-mc.org/spotlight/african_transformation/index.php

Health Communication Materials Network

An Activity of the M/MC - Media/Materials Clearinghouse
of the Health Communication Partnership http://www.m-mc.org/hcmn

Africa: New African language edition of Leadership Training Manual available - Women’s Learning Partnership

2005-12-07

A new Shona edition of Leading to Choices: A Leadership Training Handbook for Women is now available. The manual is translated into 13 languages including three African languages, Hausa, Swahili and Shona, as well as in English and French. Developed in collaboration with WLP’s partner organisations in the Global South, this resource is based on a conceptualisation of leadership as horizontal, inclusive, and participatory.

http://www.store.yahoo.com/learningpartnership/trainman.html

African Youth HIV/AIDS Best Practices Handbook

African Youth HIV/AIDS Best Practices Handbook
This Handbook profiles 95 youth-led and youth-focused HIV/AIDS projects from 25 countries in Africa. It is intended to highlight the work of African youth to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS and includes examples of projects that use the arts, media and information and communication technology (ICT) …
http://www.comminit.com/africa/materials/ma2007/materials-3251.html

South Africa: Language is no longer a barrier to using a computer

Source: SouthAfrica.info
The all-in-one official guide
and web portal to South Africa.

Teaching computers South African 23 January 2007

Language is no longer a barrier to using a computer in South Africa, thanks to a non-profit organisation that has translated a range of computer software into the country’s 11 official languages - and created the first all-South African language keyboard.

Translate.org.za, which focuses on the localisation of open source software, has released the popular word-processing, spreadsheet and presentation software OpenOffice.org, web browser Mozilla Firefox and e-mail programme Mozilla Thunderbird in all 11 official languages.

“This is the first Africans-helping-Africans, no strings attached free software,” Translate.org.za founder Dwayne Bailey said in November after the organisation won the African ICT Achiever 2006 Award for bridging the digital divide in Africa.

Overcoming the language barrier, Bailey said, meant that the more than 20% of South Africans who did not speak fluent English could now use a computer in their own language.

“When you use a word processing application, it is not about the product but about the document you wish to create,” Bailey told the Daily Mail. “When you send e-mail you simply want to communicate.

“It is much simpler to teach a computer to speak isiZulu than to teach someone to speak English.”

The South African keyboard
According to Bailey, Translate.org.za intervenes “whenever technology becomes a barrier to language”.

For example - as the organisation’s own translators found - Venda, one of South Africa’s official languages of South Africa, cannot be accurately typed on a computer.

Tshivenda has five additional characters which are not used by any other language. These characters use diacritic marks which, on a standard keyboard, can only be inserted in a tedious, roundabout way - but which change the meanings of words if they are left out.

The same applies, to a lesser extent, to three other South African languages, namely Afrikaans, Sepedi and Setswana.

Translate.org.za’s “South African keyboard” overcomes this problem. Released as open source software, it can be downloaded from the Translate.org.za website and installed on any number of keyboards without affecting their normal functioning.

Impact on language pride
The shortcoming in standard keyboards was more than just a practical barrier, says Bailey; it also lowered Venda’s standing as one of the country’s official languages.

“Our work has a parallel impact on language pride in that people now see their languages as modern and relevant.”

Translate.org.za has also developed spell checkers for all official South African languages.

“Although English is a universal language and is used largely to conduct business in South Africa, people still underestimate the power of indigenous languages,” Bailey told the Daily Mail.

“By removing the language barrier the computer, and the information it provides access to, becomes accessible.”

Translate.org.za is also a founding partner of the WordForge Foundation, an international organisation dedicated to helping “digitally endangered languages”, and has been working - along with other WordForge partners - on a translation management system that will enable others to start localisation projects in their own countries.

African research: Guide to Diagnostic Role Play

Source: Soul Beat Africa 80

Guide to Diagnostic Role Play
This manual was prepared to guide a pilot test, that took place in Malawi, of a research method called Diagnostic Role Play (DRP). Diagnostic Role Play aims to be a new qualitative research method to help programmes learn more about important current behaviour and develop effective strategies that promote and support alternative behaviour that should result in improved health. The manual is now offered for use to programme planners and researchers in general.
http://www.comminit.com/africa/materials/ma2005/materials-2105.html

Edutainment: Act, Learn and Teach: Theatre, HIV and AIDS Toolkit for Youth in Africa

Source: Soul Beat Africa 80

Act, Learn and Teach: Theatre, HIV and AIDS Toolkit for Youth in Africa  
This toolkit and associated material, including the CD-ROM provided, introduce the reader to Forum Theatre as a tool for HIV and AIDS education. The toolkit is aimed at youth groups and amateur theatre groups in English-speaking Africa who wish to address HIV and AIDS-related issues in ways that are creative and engaging.
http://www.comminit.com/africa/materials/ma2006/materials-3123.html

Free resource: Practical tips for teaching large classes

Athough the following book is from Asia, the principles should be useful for educators in Africa.

From ELDIS

Practical tips for teaching large classes: a teacher’s guide
Authors: UNESCO Bangkok
Produced by: UNESCO Bangkok: Asia and Pacific Regional Bureau for Education (2006)

Large class size is a reality in schools throughout the developing world, often resulting from inadequate funding and a host of related obstacles. This remains a constant challenge for teachers who are expected to carry out their jobs under very trying circumstances. Providing tools to address this problem is thus an important step towards realising quality education for all in school settings. This guide presents a variety of methods and practices to help teachers in this situation.

The guide addresses issues such as how to prepare and plan lessons specifically adapted for large classes. It provides useful tips and pointers for effective classroom management, and to see the large class as a resource, rather than a challenge.

Issues covered include:

• creating a positive learning environment, looking at both the physical and social contexts
• varieties of teaching methods and active learning strategies
• teacher self-evaluation and student assessment
• top 20 tips for teaching large classes

The guide also points to other sources of information, both in print and online.

Available online at: http://www.eldis.org/cf/rdr/rdr.cfm?doc=DOC23372

Human rights tools

Human Rights Tools
Designed for global human rights activists, this website includes a collection of human rights tools and resources on topics such as: Country Conditions; Monitoring - Documentation - Advocacy; Using the Law; Specific Issues and Population Groups; Technology for Human Rights; Humanitarian Protection; Programme Planning and Management; and Career Assistance…
http://www.comminit.com/links/linksngos/links-2046.html