Well I have just completed my four days 'Skills for Working in Development' (SKWID) course. It is my final mandatory VSO training course before I leave for Ghana in February. I met a wonderful group of fellow volunteers all heading off to work in various parts of Africa and Indonesia; there were teachers, Doctors, accountants, small business advisers, organisational development adivers and educational managers. It was fantastic to be immeresed in a shared learning environment with all these different perspectives and skills, along with some of the best learning facilitators I have had the privelege to work with.
We covered many different topics ranging from health and security, stakeholder mapping and analysis, effective communication, participatory approaches to development, facilitation skills and strategies for dealing with dilemmas and conflict. It was one of the most intense learning experiences of my life, and also one of the most enjoyable. We were given several opportunities to practise our facilitation skills using tools designed for use in a development context. The rest, as they say, is all down to us! What challenges, adventures and friendships lie ahead for me in Ghana? Am I equipped to deal with any or all of these? I can still hear the VSO trainers saying 'it's not so much the task but the relationship that you build that is really important to achieving sustainable success,' 'it's not about you, it's about them - Hand Over The Stick!'
And so I now have about 8 weeks to do my final preparations, including work through a long list of immunisations. The medical unit impressed upon us the importance of having Rabies vaccines and the need to take responsibility for our sexual health especially with the very high risk of contracting HIV. We have been warned ..
So what next? Immunisations start on Friday 17th December. My departure date has been confirmed as 12th February 2011 and my in country training will start on Monday 14th February (how LOVEly ;-))
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