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1. Learning by Doing; The workshop design provided opportunities for
repeated practice of new skills--both in mock exercises in the classroom
and in the field with actual tryouts of new techniques with leaders in
villages near the workshop sites, Practice was always followed by
structured opportunities to refiect on that experience, identify issues
and problems, and seek resolution or new ideas for application in the
home setting.
2. Build on What They Know: All working sessions were designed to provide
maximum opportunity for participants to share their knowledge and
experience. The Health Surveillance Assistants (HSAs), while
provided
never
opportunities for any formal training previously, came tot'e
workshops with a great deal of applicable practical knowledge, notably in
sanitation technology and cholera control. Some workshop sessions
systematized
merely
or validated already acquired knowledge. This process
encouraged debate, thought, and a sense of confidence in their own
abilities.
Three major content themes were woven into the workshop design throughout the
three-week period: 1) a cooperative approach to interaction with villagers, 2)
the Project Strategy, and 3) the documentation system.
1. A cooperative approach to motivating community participation in sanitation
and health promotion was repeatedly emphasized throughout the
workshop. Historically, government officials had taken an authoritarian
"policeman like" approach to changing health and sanitation practices. To
develop a cooperative consultative approach required a number of new
skills and the development of a different attitude. Workshop leaders
demonstratc.d an attitude of respect and encouraged and validated the
expressirn of opinions and the shairing of experiences. Workshop sessions
repeatedly addressed the issues of villager and field worker sharing
responsibility for improving health and sanitation practices.
2. The project strategy outlines in a step-by-step fashion the activities of
the Health Assistant or Health Surveillance Assistant in a target village
from first meeting to follow-up visits. These steps provideu the
framework for the sequencing and flow of the workshop design.
3. The documentation system devised by Ainsworth is comprised of a series of
11 forms correlating to field worker activities in the villages. These
forms provide data for monthly progress reports and continuing records
for review of effort and outcomes. These forms alko provided a structure
and a t~ngible set of expectations that %ere new in the experience of
these Field workers. The purposes and utilization of this somewhat
complex set of forms became another repeated theme.
The assistant trainers were the primary resource assessing
for the participants'
prior level of skiil or knowledge and adapting new principles and
practices introduced by the consultant coordinator to the specific Malawi
cultural or organizational situation.
Each training session was designed in detail in consultation with the
Assistant Trainers on the training team. It was imperative to involve these
trainers in the detailed planning as they had major responsibility for leading
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