Share your experience on Inclusion

[Laurence Gilliot]

Dear friends,

In the next few weeks, we invite all of you to discuss the practice of ‘Inclusion’ on this forum. We will capture our experiences in a Global Knowledge asset.

A group of representatives of Asian and African countries built a knowledge asset on ‘inclusion’ during the Knowledge Fair in Chiang Mai, Thailand (Feb 2009) and the Knowledge Fair in Kigali (Rwanda). We propose to take their work as an inspiration to start with. Click here to see the existing knowledge asset on Inclusion.

In the forum, we will take three steps towards a global knowledge asset:
1. We define a common vision of success in terms of Inclusion (level 5).
2. We share our experience in addressing Inclusion of those infected and those affected.
3. We discuss and define the common principles emerging from our individual experiences

To start you off here is an example of the common vision of success for Inclusion as discussed by participants at the 2009 knowledge fair in Chiang Mai: HIV is a common issue, everyone comes together with shared concern and meaningful involvement, PLWHIV live like everyone else in the community, at the end everyone owns the concern and response.

We now invite you to share with friends on the forum: what is success in terms of Inclusion? What is your personal dream? What is the ‘dream’ situation for our community in our context? What will an AIDS Competent community have in place in terms of Inclusion?

You can also start sharing your experience: what is happening in your community in terms of Inclusion?

The first practice we focused on was ‘Acknowledgement and recognition’. You can check out the updated knowledge asset here. If you have an experience to share on either ‘Acknowledgement and Recognition’ or ‘Inclusion’, please make your contribution on your Ning blog. Finish by summarizing what you learned from the experience.

We look forward to your contributions.

Laurence and Geoff
_________________________________________________________________________________

Chers amis,

Pendant les prochaines semaines, nous vous invitons à discuter de la pratique de l'Inclusion sur ce forum. Nous collecterons les expériences dans une Perle du Savoir mondiale.

Un groupe de représentants de pays d'Asie et d'Afrique ont construit une perle du savoir sur l'Inclusion pendant les Foires d'Echange à Chiang Mai (fév 2009) et la Foire d'Echange à Kigali (juillet 2009). Nous proposons de prendre leur travail comme point de départ. Cliquez ici pour voir la Perle du Savoir actuelle sur l'Inclusion.

Dans ce forum, nous proposons trois étapes pour construire une Perle du Savoir mondiale:
1. Nous définissons une vision commune du succès en termes d'Inclusion (niveau 5)
2. Nous partageons notre expérience en termes d'Inclusion de ceux infectés et affectés
3. Nous discutons et rafinons les principes communs qui émergent des expériences individuelles

Pour commencer, voici un exemple d'une vision commune de succès pour l'Inclusion telle que discutée par les participants à la Foire Internationale en 2009 à Chiang Mai: Les VIH est une problématique commune, tout le monde se retrouve autour de soucis partagés et une implication pleine de sense, les PVV vivent comme toute autre personnes dans la communauté, finallement tout le monde s'approprie le souci et la réponse.

Nous vous invitons à partager avec vos amis sur le forum: Qu'est-ce que le succès en termes d'Inclusion? Quel est votre rêve? Quelle est la situation rêvée pour notre communauté dans notre context? Qu'est-ce qu'une communauté compétente face au SIDA fait en termes d'Inclusion?

Vous pouvez partager votre expérience: que se passe-t-il dans votre communauté en termes d'Inclusion?

La première pratique sur laquelle nous avons travaillé est le Reconnaissance et l'acceptation. Vous pouvez voir la Perle du Savoir mise à jour ici. Si vous avez une expérience à partager sur la Reconnaissance et l'Acceptation ou l'Inclusion, veuillez la partager sur votre blog. Résumez ensuite ce que vous avez appris de cet expérience.

Nous nous réjouissons de lire vos contributions.

Laurence et Geoff

[Laurence Gilliot]

Message from Wiwin sent by email.

Dear Laurence;

This is another experience from SATL Visit to RH Competence at Manonjaya Sub-district at Tasikmalaya - West Java Indonesia (November 2009) on inclusion. Groups of fatrhers that is really dominate SALT visit is becoming very supporting group when they were equiped with sufficient knowledge on ARH issues and better understanding on SALT as ways of thinking and working. Initially they came to community to preach, to teach since some of them were teacher, head of villages and know become religious preacher.

I learned that the way they approach community not for teaching and preaching but asking a questions and dream of neighbours, nieces, grandsons/doughters, siblings, youths and of course community gathering they cultivated on ARH issues and appreciate their current understanding. They link the community by information sources/service providers to provide complete information community need.

I learn inclusion from they way they try to open discussion ARH issues and what can we contribute as community members to make this come true. This were not there at the sub-district, even there were not exist even at the father's group's mind. That ARH issues were not simply not their bussines. Now its issues is simple there at the father's group's mind, speeches, approaches. I am really glad to know and learn that SALT approches is trigerring model group to be include.

Dear Laurence, kindly up laod my humble learning from Manonjaya to others :)
Best Regards

Wiwin

[Sanghamitra Iyengar]

Dear Wiwin,

Thank you for sharing your experience at Manonjaya! I think that is very special what you are saying,people just need to look at things from a new angle , that is all and once they are convinced, there is no stopping them!! SALT has quite an amazing power to break barriers that prevent us from being inclusive.

Thanks you for this sharing!

Regards

Sanghamitra

[Laurence Gilliot]

Dear Wiwin,

Thanks a lot for your message. It is great to hear that fathers get interested in ARH and that they are included in the response. According to you, what is the key factor that made them interested in ARH? Why did change happen?

Thanks for your response.

Laurence

[Gaston]

Dear friends,

For me INCLUSION is about seeing that we are part of a whole, in this case the community. We are all elements of the same larger 'organism'. My community member which is affected and infected is like an 'arm' of the community. I will not reject him, because it would be like cutting off an arm (or a finger). When my arm is wounded I don't cut it off, I take care of it. This consciousness lies at the root of my vision for Inclusion.

[Geoff Parcell]

A group has had a third meeting on the practice of inclusion.

Here is the vision we have come up with.

Everyone together addresses HIV and other issues that face the community.

Everyone has something to offer.
Everyone can participate equally.
Everyone cares equally for all members of the community.

Inclusion starts with self-acceptance. Each of us has a responsibility to feel included.

Many of us are infected.
All of us are affected.
All of us have something to contribute.

When we include, we appreciate our own strengths and those of others and we stimulate action.
When we are included, we feel appreciated and we act.


Does it match your vision? Have a look at the blog stories about inclusion and suggest improvements to the exisitnng principles for action. Try to use the form "If we ......then ....will happen."

An example to start us off. -- If we lead by example by showing acceptance then we encourage inclusion.

[Gaston]

The vision of the group in Guyana on inclusion:

"Our community lets everybody express themselves freely, including children. We include people with disability and involve stakeholders in the response through consultations and networking. There is equity, respect and solidarity leading to inclusive actions. "

[ukeme okon]

People are not really concentrating on Stigma but rather concentrate on HIV. people living with the viirus stigmatise themselve and even people affected also stigmatize PLWHIV. We have to promote acceptance, I have alot of stories from the people infected and it is not always a good one. As a result of this stigma the people Living with this virus always keep it to themselve so as not lose their love ones and it is really eating deep into our society.................................FOR US TO HAVE A FREE HIV/AIDS GENERATION IT BEGINS WITH US.

[Phil]

Measuring progress on inclusion.

This story comes from Phra Athikarn Tahanwat, the Abbot of Wat Hua Temple in Thailand.

We had a test. And we did the test every year. At the start there was a lot of stigma and we spent 2 years campaigning extensively. But even during the period of campaigning, we noticed that people were showing more understanding: people with HIV/AIDS were staying in the family. But within the family they were still separate. They kept the spoon and the bowls separately for the person with HIV/AIDS.

So on World AIDS Day eight years ago, the first test that we did was that we invited all of the parents and all of the people with HIV/AIDS to come to the Health Centre to see whether they would eat together. And they did. So that was a success.

The next year we took a further step by not just getting them to eat together, but to get the people with HIV/AIDS to cook the food, to see whether they would eat it or not. And they ate the food.

The following year we took another step by setting up booths and selling food cooked by people with HIV/AIDS. So that was successful again.

So the next year they took a step further and they arranged for people with HIV/AIDS to set up booths in other communities and to sell their food there to see if people would buy the food. And they did. So that was a concrete test to see how people reacted to these challenges.

…now there is never enough food to go around.”

[Geoff Parcell]

Phil

A great example of self measurement of progress!

Geoff

[Sanghamitra Iyengar]

Phil, this is an amazing story . The way in which one inclusive action opens the way or the next and the next. Everyone needs to start with something, however small if we are really convinced, change happens. Thanks for sharing this story.

I am replying to this after months, but that is the beauty of these assets, we can come to them when we can and it is always relevant!!

[Joma]

To me Inclusion is one of the main issue we are dealing with in this COMMUNITY LIFE COMPETENCE, when we talk about, Broken family, drug abuse, HIV positive, alcoholics, prostitution etc. There is a loop holes where they feel that they are not within the family, community, religious institution. Before those people make include themselves into it, the people need to create an environment of inclusion and we are ready to observe the change too.

SALT change peoples life

[Autry Haynes]

I agree with you Joma. Inclusion advocates for others within the community. In our work with indigenous people, they made the link between HIV and other social issues that you highlighted. I would add the issue of human trafficking. What is happening now is our effort to get people tested we include testing for other health related problems as diabetes, hypertension, TB and we noted that people come for these tests and then say "As I am here, I might as well do the HIV test to know my status." Inclusion is as important as any other practice of being ccommunity competent.