Global & local community conversation (GLoCon Update-India and Bangladesh)

[Rituu B. Nanda]

GLoCon is travelling this year to many communities throughout the world, to say thank you for the courage, faith and resilience each has demonstrated, in the face of serious challenges to life and health. In 25 countries, over 30 communities will be visited, for up to a week.  The team that forms is drawn from AFFIRM facilitation associates and other people who want to explore the vision and direction of GLoCon. In short, every community counts and no neighbourhood should be left behind.  Local people in their living and work space can all respond to critical issues of health and life.

 

GLoCon wants to learn more about the character and the process of local community response, and the adaptation that people in policy and programme development need to make, if health, faith and life are to be truly fulfilling. To see all the places the team is planning to visit, click on the interactive map on the web site: www.affirmfacilitators.org.

 

India and Bangladesh

In the first leg of the GLoCon journey, the team visited four sites in India and Bangladesh. They also visited Thailand and China:  those visits will be covered in the next GLoCon Update.

 

Mizoram

In the early 1990's the Joint Action Committee with all the families and neighbourhoods reacted to the influx of illicit drugs with which HIV transmission and family disintegration were associated.

4th - 11th February 2012. Srayikadu, Azheekal, and Perumpally communities in Kerala, South India. Taking time to listen over a three year period through repeated facilitation team visits was the key to recovery from 'mental disturbance' following the tsunami of 26 December 2004.  Read the story "Tin Shed Talking" on page 4 of the Community Synthesis.

11th - 14th February 2012.  Diamond Harbour, Ishwaripur, Durgarnagar, Pakhiralaya, and Sardar Pada communities near Calcutta, East India.

"We have fellow feeling with other communities around here. Fellow feeling is the pathway for sharing between our local communities". Read the experience of local families who escaped Hurricane Isla in 2009 Nearby neighborhood communities came together then, and they can do the same now with HIV and other health concerns. 

[photo of women of Diamond Harbour, near Calcutta]

15th - 18th February 2012. Old Dhaka and Mirpur communities in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Community Health Global Network (CHGN) welcomed the GLoCon into the second Bangladesh Cluster Meeting.  The core experience was SALT (Stimulate, Appreciate, Learn and Transfer) in Old Dhaka and Mirpur communities.  Read how nine SALT groups have formed in Old Dhaka.  These SALT groups help transfer self-belief and action and faith throughout neighbouring communities.

Themes that matter to us

Transfer
(Aizawl, Mizoram.  Srayikadu, Kerala.  Dhaka, Bangladesh.)

• Community to community
• Global SALT (Stimulate,      Appreciate, Learn, Transfer)
• Leadership      acknowledgement.  

At Srayikadu, the tsunami generation leaders have passed concerns and responsibility on to the current generation leaders, whilst committing to ‘staying together’ .
 

Care to Change
(Aizawl, Mizoram.  Diamond Harbour, West Bengal. Dhaka, Bangladesh.)

• Ownership
• Home, suffering, hope,      neighbourhood
• Caring presence which motivates      expanding change. 

In Aizawl, an example is Gan Sabra in Zonuam Community. The co-factors include personalized accompaniment, linking to biological family in their context and home, engaging local neighbourhood community by inclusive conversation, integration of local leaders for problem solving, long term vision of confident, independent, yet connected children, intentional facilitation of return of the children to family or loving and sustainable local community guardianship.

Diamond Harbour Community conversation process (how do we behave). 
These principles were evident in the experience of SALT visits.  The Glocon + SUK team discussed how to develop discussion between home visits and the community group, how to hear the deeper concerns of communities, and how to facilitate leadership by communities in response to those concerns.

• Go out to learn following implicit      invitation
• As a team
• With common mind
• Quality now leads to Quantity in      future, when a confident community will transfer its experience to others
• Build team as you go, by inclusion      and shared vision. Visit home (more personal/family experience) +      community group (more general discussion of concerns + responses)
• Discuss by asking questions based      on strengths – not by telling
• Discuss with groups in homes where      possible
• Help the speaking of shared      concerns (may take time to find words and ways)
• Trust the conversations for pace      and quality of dialogue

Faith Foundations
(Aizawl, Mizoram.  Srayikadu, Kerala.  Diamond Harbour, West Bengal.)

• Caring by being with
• God present in situation in      grace 

Srayikadu:  Authentic reflection on “blessing” – seen as a bonus by the Signal Club team, expressed by the visiting team just coming and listening and provoking thought again.  The Christian understanding of grace before and within and behind all we do, nurturing personal relationship with each other and with God, was resonant with an understanding of ‘coincidence’ and ‘bonus’ received because of a trusted and sustained relationship.