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AHI Training Course 2006

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2006 AHI TRAINING COURSE OUTLINE

The Asian Health Institute (AHI) is a Japanese non-governmental voluntary organization (NGO) founded in 1980. AHI committed to support the development of well-doing and well-being of the marginalized. Since its establishment, AHI has been working for human resource development through participatory training programs.

These training programs offer opportunities for middle-level community-based health and development workers throughout Asia to enhance their capacities

  1. as community organizers and trainers on health and development issues, and
  2. as facilitators for people's organizations (POs) and local governments (GO) towards participatory local governance, and
  3. as middle-level managers to empower their own organization through participatory management.

Moreover, AHI promotes networking among participants and their organizations to strengthen overall NGO effectiveness in responding to the health needs of the people. AHI offers two kinds of training programs in Japan for 2006; the International Leadership Development Course (ILDC) and the Oriental Medicine Course (OMC) described below.

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International Leadership Development Course on
PO Capacity Building and Multi-Sector Collaboration in
Health and Development

INTRODUCTION
Health is the right of all people. In reality, though, health and health care is to a large extent a privilege of the rich. Rather than "Health is Wealth," "Wealth is Health."

For the poor of Asia, economic globalization in recent years has made their survival even harder. In the 1990s privatization and commercialization of health has accelerated, turning the basic needs of the poor into a market commodity.

Governments have withdrawn from their responsibilities in social sectors such as health and welfare, providing extremely low budget allocations. Most governments now privatize some of their health facilities, start charging user fees for service, push local governments and health facilities to take care of the health budget, which cause a further unequal access to health care for the poor.

Failure of free market economy together with the lessened government responsibilities has caused wider gap among people, areas, and nations, and destruction of nature and the living environment.

Another global trend today is decentralization, which provides the opportunity for the people to take part in decision making at the local level to have control over their own lives. How to take this new space for the side of the poor is a big challenge.

In order to effectively respond to health problems and challenges, as community health and development workers, we must take proper actions at the community and local levels by incorporating global, macro, and micro level realities.

Middle-level workers who are in touch with both grassroots and global realities play a key role in achieving health for/by/with the poor. This role can be optimized through effective facilitation in PO building and multi-sector collaboration in health and development in a concrete locality.

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2006 COURSE FOCUS
AHI finds the need to strengthen the role of NGO, PO and GO in effectively facilitating and coordinating multi-sector efforts to establish a democratic society. Toward this end, the role of NGO is critical to support people's organizations' initiatives and build their capacity to take an active role in local governance, and to support local governments to enable people to participate in local governance.

In this light, it's also meaningful to have team application to the course, from NGOs and their local partners such as people's organization representatives and local government officers working in the same locality.

Participants are expected to bring case studies about concrete field experiences on PO building and multi-sector collaboration and share with other participants.

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OBJECTIVES
The course aims to enhance leadership quality among participants, who will subsequently take initiative in developing the potentials of their own organizations and in empowering people's organizations through partnership and collaboration between and among NGOs, POs, GOs and other sectors.

During the course, the participants will be able to:

  • brush up analytical skills around health and development problems at the global and local levels;
  • discuss the effects of macro trends such as globalization and decentralization to the poor and the vulnerable people;
  • clarify key terms of health and development, such as:
    Primary Health Care, decentralization, local governance, etc.;
  • seek alternative development perspectives and the role of NGO, PO, and GO;
    revisit the principles of people's organization building and find effective approaches for capacity-building;
  • enhance participatory concept and skills in field activities, training, and organizational management;
  • explore multi-sector collaboration as a strategy to institutionalize people's participation in participatory local governance;
  • re-examine their own organizations and find specific points for improvement;
    reflect and enhance their own attitudes and values to become more effective community health and development workers; and
  • formulate their own plan of action, incorporating their learning and insights from the course.

Above are tentative objectives, and specific objectives and schedules will be developed and finalized by the participants collectively during the course.

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PRINCIPLES AND METHODS
AHI basic philosophy is "Sharing for Self-Help". The course will be conducted using AHI participatory principles and methods. Participants are responsible for their own learning. Course process becomes content, and learning is most powerful when thinking, feeling, and action are converged.

Participants will share their own ideas and experiences and learn from each other to build the course together. By sharing and working collectively, the course serves to facilitate self-reflection by the participants.

The process enables them to grow and become more effective workers capable of empowering and motivating people to think, feel and act for themselves, while continuously learning from and being empowered by the community and other sectors.

Rather than relying on outside resource persons, the bulk of course input will be formed by participants' ideas, skills and experiences.

Primarily, participants will learn through working together on case studies, demonstrations, workshops, learning exercises, dialogues, small group discussions, role plays, exposure visits and cultural programs.

Moderating, reporting, and reflecting on activities are also important components of the course.

Details of the course schedule, contents, and methods will be planned with/by the participants.

Learning through living together in the dormitory accommodation is also an integral part of the course.

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DATES
September 4 (Mon), 2006 - October 9 (Mon), 2006

SENDING ORGANIZATION

  • NGOs must have experiences in utilizing community organization, PO formation and multi-sector collaboration as well as human development as major strategies rather than service delivery in health and development work. NGO applicants may invite qualified PO leaders or local government health officers, who have been working in the same area toward a common goal.
  • POs should have experiences in initiating their collective actions for their community health and development issues. Participants from the PO sector should be selected by their members.
  • Local GOs should have been trying to take people's participation as a main strategy in democratic local governance.

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PARTICIPANTS
Fifteen (15) women and men, from a range of Asian countries.
The participants should meet all the following conditions:

  • Have at least 5 years of field experience working in community-based health and development programs in rural and marginalized areas;
  • Have extensive experience in community organizing / PO building and training;
  • Have experiences in multi-sector collaboration toward participatory local governance in certain locality;
  • Currently in the middle-level management positions where they can implement plans and influence organizational changes;
  • Be able to articulate their ideas clearly in English, which is the common language used in this course;
  • Be around 30 to 50 years of age, and in good health;
    Have strong commitment and support from her/his sending organization to fully utilize the learning and techniques acquired from the course.
  • (For NGO workers and Local GO workers) Be committed to continue to work in the sending organization at least 3 years after the course completion and;
  • (For PO leaders) Be committed to continue to live and work in the community.

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VENUE
Asian Health Institute (AHI)
987-30, Minamiyama, Nisshin, Aichi, 470-0111 JAPAN

FINANCIAL REQUIREMENTS
In line with our standard financial sharing policy, AHI will pay for:

  • Training expenses;
  • Board and lodging during the course period;
  • Domestic transportation expenses incurred within Japan;
  • Half of the international airfare along the most discount direct route, and minimum transit expenses.

AHI asks the sending organization to take responsibility for:

  • The remaining half of the international airfare;
  • Domestic transportation expenses within their respective countries;
  • Other expenses incurred for travel preparation, such as passport, visa, travel tax, and airport taxes in their respective countries.

For the applicants from the PO sector, in case of extreme financial difficulty, we may consider alternative financial sharing arrangements in order to provide them an opportunity to participate. Please inquire from us.

For the following countries : Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, and field offices or counterpart organizations of Japanese NGOs, AHI asks the sending organization to pay for the full amount of international airfare and part of the training expenses. Please inquire further details.

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APPLICATION PROCEDURE
Please complete and submit the following documents:

  1. AHI official application form for ILDC 2006 (Click here to download: Microsoft Word 100KB)
  2. Statement by the sending organization with information.
    (For PO and GO applicants recommended by NGO, ENDORSEMENT sheet should be filled out by the NGO authorized personnel and should be attached to the application.)
  3. Two passport size photos
  4. Brochure and Annual/Activity report (If not written in English, please attach a summary in English, together with the original.)

DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION (All the original documents must reach AHI by):

April 15, 2006

 

All the applicants will be informed of the selection results approximately one month after the application deadline. Successful applicants will also receive a set of documents for visa application as well as information on traveling to and living at AHI.

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CONTACT PERSON

General Secretary
Asian Health Institute (AHI)
987-30, Minamiyama, Nisshin,
Aichi, 470-0111 JAPAN
Tel : 81-561-73-1950
Fax : 81-561-73-1990
E-mail: ahi@jca.apc.org
URL: http://www.jca.apc.org/ahi/

 

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