Training Program
Safe Water and AIDS – SWAP’s program activities are conducted through existing structures where the communities take an active role in their own health and development. SWAP has continued to conduct trainings and build the capacities of communities and the various program beneficiaries to enhance their development agenda for sustainability. Capacity building of target populations in various programs has been key in empowering and supporting them to address their health needs through enabling them engage, share ideas, mobilizing resources and adopt positively to the ever changing needs.
Training of Health Workers on WASH and Waste management.
The training focuses on the WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Program WASH and Waste Management global standards for health care facilities. Other topics included COVID 19 prevention, Infection Control and Prevention and Social Behavioral Change Communication. This training followed baseline findings after assessments done at health care facilities. The program targeted and trained the facility in charges, Community Health Volunteers, Community Health Assistants, Public Health Officers and casuals. The trainings were conducted in 27 health care facilities in Rarieda, 21 in Nyando and 21 in Nyakach Sub- Counties.
Social Behavior Change Communication (SBCC)
SBCC is the strategic use of communication approaches to promote changes in knowledge, attitudes, norms, beliefs and behaviors SBCC is grounded in theory and is evidence-based. Programs are designed on the basis of existing data and they follow a systematic process, analyzing the problem in order to define barriers and motivators to change, and design a comprehensive set of tailored interventions that promote the desired behaviors. SWAP has incorporated SBCC in most of its program and research in the prevention of HIV, Diarrhea and Malaria as well as during emergency response during flood response and the COVID-19 pandemic. SWAP uses this SBCC approach as a way of communicating and providing feedback to promote social behavior change. The technique encourages participatory dialogue that increases inner motivation and problem solving.
Early Childhood Development
Early Childhood Development “Msingi Bora Program” is testing an international ECD curriculum facilitated by Community Health Volunteers. The study tests different potentially cost effective delivery models for an ECD intervention with curriculum that integrates child psychosocial stimulation and nutrition education. Training is key in this study as if focuses on an international ECD curriculum. Training of booster sessions greatly focus on play, talk, food, hygiene, parenting roles, love and respect is conducted to the CHVs who are delivery agents and directly implement the curriculum to mothers in the intervention through group sessions and home visits in selected villages in Sabatia, Rachuonyo East and south Sub- Counties. Each session is observed and supervised by the field officers.
Social Marketing of Health Products
SWAP has since 2005 worked with vulnerable groups and community health volunteers to enable them to do the social marketing of health and hygiene products. They are prepared to do door to door sales and provide health messages using social behavioral change communication. The training includes social marketing, social behavioral change communication, business skills, record keeping, interpersonal communication, village savings and loans, primary health care and hygiene promotion.
Training of managers of Hot Spot Areas in Nyando and Nayakach
Due to COVID-19 pandemic SWAP mapped out 34 hot spot areas where there is frequent crowding and its population is at high risk of COVID-19 community spread. SWAP intervened by providing Hand Washing Stations, Soap and Alcohol Based Hand Rub. The managers were trained on COVID-19 preventive measures, proper hand hygiene, demonstrations of proper hand washing, hygiene promotion and social behavior change. They were further trained on roles and responsibility to ensure proper use and monitoring of compliance of the WASH supplies.
Social Water Enterprises
SWAP has worked with three social water enterprises in Ahero, Chuth ber and Sondu and has facilitated several trainings for the local community based organizations to prepare them for the management of the social water enterprises. Training included business skills, group dynamics, financial management, record keeping, business planning, social marketing, social behavioral change, hygiene promotion and the prevention of COVID-19.