I seem to be bouncing between trainings recently. After MST, I had a quick break before I participated in a Training of Facilitators (ToF) in Siem Reap lead by an INGO that works in my community. In my area, the INGO is currently going through extensive personnel changes and now have to implement a year-long project that is being rolled out in 2 districts in 4 different countries around the world (top-down?). The pilot program focuses on maternal, neonatal, and infant health in an attempt to assess the INGO's effectiveness at creating positive change in the communities in which they work. The staff in Siem Reap and Phnom Penh have asked me to help out with the project that includes health technical training for the Village Health Support Group (VHSG) and Time and Targeted Counseling (TTC) for pregnant women and their families through the first year post delivery.
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| Barriers on the Road to Behavior Change |
The PC health framework aligns almost perfectly with this project and I have been trying to work with this INGO for a while, so it is nice to finally team up. And yet I have a lot of issues with this pilot - and so do the Ministry of Health people at the provincial and district levels. The theory is there, the execution and acceptability at the local level are questionable. And here in essence lies one of the hardest parts of international development and aid. As I mentioned in my last post, as a Peace Corps Volunteer I am able to occupy a space and play a role in community development that is quite unique. As such, I aim to be a connector, a resource, and help bridge that gap between theory and application. I am interested to see how this project pans out (for better or for worse) and to learn from this experience.
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