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August 2008 News July 2008 News |
Villages in Burundi now celebrate weddings during the daytime
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School competence along the Burmese border
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Key players in South Africa are ready to go Constellation coaches met with 8 significant players in the AIDS landscape in South Africa. “All of them gave a ‘yes’, and are ready to go”, confirmed Ricardo Walters, Constellation coach from South Africa. Non Governmental Organisations, Faith Based Organisations, Universities, representatives of the private sector and the South African Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS attended the meeting. Participants decided to organise a core team, and are making commitments to developing a business plan, work-plan, and dates for SALT visits. Four participants offered their communities as learning sites. “The best solution to the challenge of reducing HIV rates is most likely to emerge through meaningful dialogue with communities and assisting them to translate that into actions,” said Chris Burman, Senior Lecturer at the University of Limpopo who attended the meeting. |
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“I like the AIDS Competence Process because it believes in potential of communities”
Read the interview of Mr. L. Prabakar (captured by Rituu B. Nanda) |
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More team members in Chiang Mai
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Remembering Simon
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Join us on a week of SALT visit in Northern Thailand
This is an opportunity to understand how communities in Northern Thailand have brought down the prevalence rate from 18% (1992) to less then 1% (2008) (for 21 year old men). More about the progress of communities in Northern Thailand. Read the invitation to the SALT visits |
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News to come SALT visits in Northern Thailand From 19-26 September, the Constellation organizes a week of community visits in Northern Thailand, to learn how Thai communities in the North have put an end to the HIV epidemic. Board meeting On 29-30 September the Board members of the Constellation meet in Chiang Mai to discuss future strategic directions. Training for Knowledge Room Moderators in Kenya and DR-Congo Eighteen knowledge rooms will be set up along the main road axes in Burundi, DR-Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda. Moderators will be trained in DR-Congo and Kenya in September. The Knowledge Rooms will be a place (a community room, a house, a container) where people share experience, connect, and enhance their knowledge about HIV. Ten Provincial AIDS Councils introduced to the AIDS Competence Process in the Philippines. Team members of the Philippines Facilitation Team introduced the AIDS Competence Process to 3 Provincial AIDS Councils in Luzon province. They will introduce it to 7 other councils in the next few weeks in the Visayas and Mindanao province. |
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From 11 - 22 August, Constellation coaches organised a learning event with facilitators of Health Net TPO and the Health Comitee of Kibuye, in central Burundi. Participants conducted six community visits in the district of Kibuye. 
Four schools for Burmese refugees in Southern Thailand developped their competences with the support of Sirinate Piyajitpirat, Constellation coach. Teachers built their dream of a competent school, assessed their current situation and developed their action plan. “We do not want to teach just math and Thai language anymore. We want our students to develop on different levels like academic, physical and moral level. We also want to involve the community more often.”
“I strongly believed in building on strengths but the AIDS Competence Process has made me focus on them. Now I consciously look at myself whether I am appreciative of people. I have discovered that it is a core quality of my son. He never goes without appreciating even a small thing I do,” explains Mr. L Prabakar in his interview to the Constellation. Mr. L. Prabakar works as Joint Director of South India AIDS Action Programme and is one of the participants of the ADB-NGO Competence Process.
On 1 August, Marlou de Rouw, the Constellation Manager, joined the team in Chiang Mai. Marlou has been working for the Constellation from Geneva for the past three years. She will now work with Lawan, Laurence and Gaston from Thailand in order to strengthen existing processes.
On 8 August 2008, Dr. Simon Mphuka passed away. Simon worked for Church’s Health Association of Zambia (CHAZ), was a Constellation coach since its foundation and great supporter of the Human Capacity for Response (HCR). We extend our sincere condolences to Simon’s family and to all those who used to work with him. May his strength continue to inspire all of us!
From 19 to 26 of September 2008, the Constellation organizes another week of SALT visits in Northern Thailand. The strengths of people in Northern Thailand have inspired the Constellation from its foundation: come and experience by yourself!