Mumbai District AIDS Control Society (MDACS), in collaboration with Hindustan Construction Company’s (HCC) Corporate Social Responsibility Sector, organised a two-day peer educator training program on HIV/AIDS advocacy for HCC’s blue collared employees in the Naval Base, Navy Nagar, Mumbai.
OBJECTIVES
• The key objective of the workshop was to train participants as peer educators.
• To train peer educators to be equipped to disseminate HIV related knowledge acquired at the workshop to peers and co-workers.
• To train peer educators to reach out to their co-workers when in need of assistance for HIV related queries or situations.
• To tackle and reduce stigma and discrimination towards HIV-positive people, particularly in the workplace and among co-workers.
WORKSHOP AGENDA
Day 1: 11am -5pm
• Introduction to program
• Basics of HIV/AIDS
• Card game – Q&A format game with HIV/AIDS questions
• Condom Demonstration
• Video on stigma
Day 2: 11am – 4pm
• Short film
• Q&A about characters in the film
• Role play
• Discussion on how these peer educators are going to disseminate knowledge among their co-workers
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WORKSHOP
1. The 16 participants who attended the workshop were from different cultural and work backgrounds and this would facilitate wider dissemination of information and would break both language and status barriers. There were Maharashtrians, South Indians and North Indians who had different job profiles ranging from mechanic, driver, technician, construction, medical, watchman as well as the store worker.
2. The speaker Mrs. Shaila Gokhale was both very experienced and knowledgeable in the field and she had a very humble approach with the peer educators that enhanced the quality of the sessions.
3. The facilitator Mrs. Hemangi Patel managed the program very well, and was very thorough in her method of training, not leaving any question unanswered or wasting any time.
4. The positive speaker Meena Maraskole gave a comprehensive and touching account of her experience with AIDS and held the participants captive with her story and her zest for life. This was one of the best sessions of the day and accomplished much more than a third person account of AIDS as well as giving participants a chance to clear inhibitions and fears (touching, sharing the same space or the same cup) with a Positive person.
5. The format of the sessions were more effective when the participants worked in groups and were interspersed with both activities and interactive question answer rounds that cleared doubts and introduced complex information in a simpler way to grasp.
6. The Q&A round saw a great participation and clarification of misconceptions as well as new learning that took place. The marking system introduced a healthy spirit of competition and encouraged the participants to give their best answers
7. The role of the peer educator was greatly stressed through both the days, practical tips were given and relevant examples were used. The importance of being a peer educator, being given an opportunity to save people’s lives was reinforced at the beginning of the session that motivated participants.
8. The rapport shared among the participants was very genuine and coupled with the personal skills of both the speakers (patiently listening, encouraging responding, stimulating them to think, clear instructions) created an atmosphere conducive to learning. Logistically the room was well equipped and not too large that facilitated group cohesiveness and sharing.
9. The speaker began with a very good exercise (closing your eyes and distancing yourself from your construction site and preparing yourself for the session) that was very effective to get the participants mentally in the classroom.
10. There was time spent in clarifying doubts and questions about employment in the company if positive and the stigma associated with the knowledge of the positive status. Mrs Hemangi Patil clarified that the status would remain confidential and that there would be no negative consequences like termination or isolation from peers.
11. Video on stigma and discrimination was both effective in bringing out the message as well as acting as a guideline for how peer educators need to spread the message of sensitivity and acceptance of HIV positive people. Condom demonstration served to both disseminate information and clear doubts about condom usage as well as encourage everyone to use a condom, stressing its importance. The participants also got a chance for hands on experience that made the learning experience more real.
12. Short Film added star value to the proceedings. The audience watched film with rapt attention. Movie was very effective as many of the participants identified with the characters and the situations and learnt a lot from the movie that emphasized being faithful, going to be tested without fear and the ways to handle an HIV positive person.
13. The session on Non-verbal Communication was both important and essential for a proper dissemination of information. The participants learnt not only the message but the way it was put was very important. The final goal was to speak effectively and encourage as many people to go be tested but never to force individuals and to build strength and support in individuals who are HIV positive.
14. The confidence of the peer educators and their non-verbal skills were put to test by the role plays where they enacted out condom demonstrations in a make believe situation. The purpose of the communication skills was put to practice and students had a deeper understanding of their importance. Eg: telling the peers not to be afraid of testing when the fear is evident in their own voice.
15. There were many tips and concrete ways to disseminate information and each participant was given both the information printed for reference anytime as well as posters, pads and a kit with condoms to attach around their waist.
The workshop had excellent content with experienced trainers on board. It was obvious from the recap sessions that the audience had understand the information imparted to them. They also participated enthusiastically, in all the interaction that was made available to them. They could recall all the key messages when they were put to the test.
IMPACT
• While most of the participants already knew of HIV/AIDS, their knowledge of the disease increased during the two day training and they found all the sessions informative and liked in particular the short film and Meena Maraskole’s talk and were enthusiastic about going out and disseminating information and being peer educators.
• The session ended on a very positive note as a head of the HCC wrote a poem on HIV/AIDS and its troubles associated with it- stigma, discrimination and encouraged all to be strong and to live their lives as best as possible.
• There was a personal sharing by another HCC head who told of an experience where he was a support and friend to an HIV colleague who wanted to commit suicide and now is the Assistant VP of a company.
• The participants were happy to know of the perk of asking for a transfer to a state of their choice within HCC due to the fact that they were peer educators now.
• The peer educators were also introduced to their colleagues on the site as persons to approach for help regarding HIV/AIDS by the officials of MDACS (Mr Vijay Ajanikar) and Mrs Patil which solidified their status in the group and instilled in them a feeling of responsibility.
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