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"(T)his book was originally written to accompany a training course for people involved in support work. It's directed at people with the imagination and creativity to recognise that 'how we've always done things around here' isn't a good guide to good practice...The book looks in detail about what can go wrong...about how support can be disempowering...The book goes on to discuss alternative ways of working. It takes a look at what overall aims may be appropriate in support work; how different service design might help; what capacity thinking is; and it presents some ideas on how to work in an empowering way"
Version 2b

This study describes some key projects and interventions conducted in Peru in the fight against HIV/AIDS. The purpose is to identify good practices and learn from successful experiences. The first part of this document discusses the concept of good practice looking at advocacy, promotion and prevention, public awareness raising. The second part outlines the methodology adopted in this study. Part 3 details the objectives and activities of thirty projects and part 4 summarises the lessons learned

This study's main objectives are to evaluate traditional means of communication; to note their constraints; to select the traditional methods which can best be used for the diffusion of information and to devise a strategy for implementing the selected method of traditional communication. The methodology of this survey is based on the Active Method of Participative Research.
The study illustrates that the traditional media for communication in Cameroon are: the gong and songs accompanied by dances (in all of the surveyed provinces); the xylophone (in the center and south); griot [travelling poet] and balafon (in the east); colleagues of the traditional chiefs (Lawanes, Djaoros); and messengers of traditional chiefs or muezzins (extreme north).There are numerous constraints to using individuals in devising communications strategies: a lack of trained musicians, the lack of initiative on the part of the village elders, the disinterest of the youth, conflict among the different generations, the proliferation of modern communications technologies, the complexity of training in various methods, the possible alteration of messages, a lack of motivation and the slow speed of transmission. The study notes that the best methods for the diffusion of information in the regions surveyed in Cameroon are: the gong, the colleagues and messengers of traditional chiefs to organize village meetings in which reproductive health issues could be raised, singing and dancing, travelling poets and xylophones.
In order to devise effective strategies for conveying messages about reproductive health through these traditional methods of communication, traditional authorities must be engaged early on in the process and informed of the importance of these means of communication; qualified individuals must be identified as resources and others trained; and a training of trainers must be conducted

This policy brief focuses on the outcomes of the Kwale Health Systems Strengthening Project (KHSSP), which aims to improve the quality of health care at the dispensary level. The project increased the participation of the local community in the running of the dispensaries and in the development and operation of the health information system that was used. This brief outlines the projects work and lessons that can be learned from it

Rural households are managing as best they can in a rapidly changing and often threatening world which makes them vulnerable to the risk of HIV infection and ill equipped to cope with the effects of AIDS. Their chances of managing can be improved if they function in a supportive environment. However, in many cases this supportive environment does not exist and communities have to build their own resilience if they are to prove effective allies for rural households. Despite the difficulties of such a task, as shown in this paper, it is feasible. Certain conditions have to be met and pitfalls avoided in order to set up processes leading to sustainability and benefit all households as stakeholders. Such awareness is important for the communities themselves, but also for those providing outside assistance in order to trigger the building of community resilience and sustainability for all households, including in HIV/AIDS prevention and mitigation. This paper also reviews from a South East Asian perspective some of the lessons to be drawn from the global and African experiences and highlights some of the specificities and challenges of the region