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FHI/India Publishes Online Outreach Worker Training Manual
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FEBRUARY 2009 — A new manual now online is being used to train the outreach workers who are key to the success of the FHI-managed Aastha Project of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in the Mumbai and Thane districts of Maharashtra. With this training, the outreach workers can more ably manage and provide supportive supervision for peer educators engaged in reducing the incidence of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among sex workers and their partners. Toward this goal, the peer educators conduct one-on-one and group sessions with members of targeted groups to encourage them to avail themselves of project services: free condoms and STI clinical services at drop-in centers, behavior-change counseling sessions, and assistance to form self-help groups. Because the responsibilities of peer educators have increased in tandem with the project's coverage, the responsibilities of outreach workers have been similarly expanded. These workers—referred to in the manual as ORWs—are now charged with providing peer educators with mentoring and supportive supervision, together with all the information they need to have about the Aastha project. What the Curriculum Covers The curriculum encourages participants to learn by doing. It includes brainstorming, interactive activities, and video clips, and is designed to encourage participation, discussion, and feedback. It includes many question-and-answer sessions, providing possible answers as well as provocative questions that need to be asked. Participants also work in small groups that explore and share concepts or experiences. Part 1, "Thinking about supervision," includes a session on getting comfortable with and managing change. Part 2, "Communication skills for effective supervision," offers sessions on tone of voice, body language, asking helpful questions, and active listening. Sessions in part 3, "Performance assessment, feedback, and capacity building," cover such areas as constructive feedback, assessing and building team performance, managing conflict and team meetings, and assisting peer education with forming and facilitating self-help groups. Visual clues on each page of the manual clearly signal how much time a session requires, materials needed, video clips, and key learning points. The little icons also sequentially highlight for the facilitator leading a session each of its elements, including points at which to summarize, use a flip chart, or stop what is going on. Summing Up He acknowledges contributions made during its development by staff and program directors at FHI/India and in its Asia-Pacific Regional Office, as well as those of implementing agencies such as the Family Planning Association of India and the Society for Service to Voluntary Agencies. PHOTO: Scene from training video on the right way to conduct a strategic behavior change peer-education assessment. (FHI/India) |
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The manual's easy-to-read curriculum is geared toward these objectives. Its 17 sessions detail and demonstrate what it takes to be a supportive supervisor and mentor and an effective communicator. This is not a simple task, but following the manual's curriculum makes it painless and enjoyable, including for outreach workers with scant managerial experience or low literacy.
Abhishek Jain, a senior technical officer for strategic behavior communication with the project, believes the manual is unique. He has never seen one on supportive supervision for outreach workers or a manual on that subject that is not focused on managerial staff. 