AIDSImpact.com:: - Santa Fe, USA 2011

Abstract #369 - Skills at work: experiences from a trained community based care giver in Swaziland
Authors: Presenting Author: Ms Faith Simelane - REPSSI
Additional Authors: Mr Eric Matau, Ms Sarah Macmaster,
Aim: As social services systems in the region have become depleted, a range of community-based care-giving initiatives has emerged to attempt to fill this void. However, community-based caregivers working with vulnerable children and youth in East and Southern Africa have extremely limited access to formal learning opportunities focused on the provision of psychosocial support and care. In response, an accredited Situated and Supported Distance Learning certificate (the Certificate Programme) was developed and piloted in 2009 by REPSSI. Students studied from hard copies of six modules and attended four 5-hour group sessions per module facilitated by a skilled mentor to discuss their learning. With logistic support from the African Centre for Childhood, students completed hand-written assignments for each module assessed by the University of KwaZulu Natal. This presentation reports on the experiences of one graduate of the Certificate Programme. A teacher, who is also a mentor and development facilitator in her community, she will discuss how the Certificate Programme improved her ability to support students through a wide range of activities and new programmes, including setting up guidance and counselling committee, holding gender specific discussions with students on psychosocial aspects of growing up, and training other teachers. . Her presentation clearly highlights the interface between her work at the school and in the community. Specifically, through word of mouth, parents of children from other schools are now visiting the school to seek advice from her.
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