Whatsapp message Number 5

Eric from Burundi

A facilitator helps members of community to identify main challenges that impact more their quality of life. And then stimulates their conscious to find out inner strengths to win on the challenges by implementing actions by their own. While an educator helps the members of a community to gain new knowledge and can adopt approches that involves more people (participation, critic education) in the process to have new knowledge. 

If the community decides to build bridges as a solution to the challenge or if they need new knowledge on how to undertake sustainable agriculture, then the facilitator make links between the community and other providers of those needs.For me even if i have the knowledge, I prefer to link the community to others in order to stay in my role of facilitator.

Jean-Louis Lamboray

What Makes Us Human? Chapter 3

Toussaint, RDCCompetence facilitator, shares: "Before the Constellation, when I was a peer educator, this is what I used to do: on a given day, I went to a community where I am welcomed as an expert. Sitting at the high table, I unpack my things and begin my speech. Bang, bang, bang, bang, that's how you get HIV; bang, bang, bang, that's how you don't get it. Bang, bang, bang, bang, that's what you have to do to avoid it. Then it's time for questions that I answer. Then I pack up my stuff and leave, until the next session. What happens in the meantime? Nothing happens in the meantime. Now it's different: I come as a friend, I settle down and I ask the questions. I talk less, people tell what they've done since the last time and I listen". So what do these communities do? They get informed, they get up en masse to find out their HIV status, they welcome families affected by AIDS... You will find out more in the following chapters. Alain, another facilitator from Kinshasa, sums up: "Before, I was like a radio. Now, I am like a recorder.”

Qu'est-ce qui nous rend humain? Chapitre 3

Toussaint, facilitateur de RDCCompétence, le raconte très bien. « Avant la Constellation, quand j’étais pair éducateur, voici ce que je faisais : au jour dit, je me rends dans une communauté où je suis accueilli comme expert. Installé à la haute table, je déballe mes trucs et je commence mon discours. Pan, pan, pan, voilà comment on attrape le VIH ; pan, pan, pan, voilà comment on ne l’attrape pas. Pan, pan, pan, voilà ce que vous devez faire pour l’éviter. Vient ensuite le temps des questions auxquelles je réponds. Puis j’emballe mes affaires et je m’en vais, jusqu’à la prochaine séance. Qu’est-ce qui se passe entre-temps ? Rien du tout. Maintenant, c’est différent : je viens en ami, je m’installe et c’est moi qui pose les questions. Je parle moins, les gens racontent ce qu’ils ont fait depuis la dernière fois et j’écoute ». Que font donc ces communautés ? Elles s’informent, se lèvent en masse pour connaître leur statut sérologique, accueillent les familles affectées par le sida… Vous en saurez plus au cours des chapitres suivants. Alain, un autre facilitateur de Kinshasa, résume : « Avant, j’étais comme une radio. Maintenant, je suis comme un enregistreur ».

Please find here https://aidscompetence.ning.com/forum/topics/can-a-facilitator-give a related query posted by Laurence Gilliot: Can a facilitator give information on HIV?