Written by Whitney Smith
The last two weeks have been very busy but very exciting. I was able to visit all of our CHE trainers in their communities, and I can’t tell you how encouraged I was to see their progress in their communities and in their homes. Now, the basic structure of a CHE program is this:
Facilitators will lead a series of Training of Trainers (TOTs). There are 4 of these TOTs, each a week long, and spaced out every few months, with specific homework assignments for the trainers after each TOT. These trainers help to create awareness in their communities about CHE and how it can be used to bring about wholistic transformation. They do small-scale projects to encourage the community, and help them realize what they can achieve when they work together, even without any outside help. After the 3rd TOT, the trainers help the community to select a committee. The trainers will train this committee in how to run a CHE program. The committee will select what topics to teach to the community, and also decide what community-wide projects should be done to bring change and transformation. Then, the committee will select CHEs (Community Health Evangelists), who will lead home groups, where they teach physical and spiritual lessons that can be easily implemented and shared, thus multiplying the impact throughout the community. The Trainers are also the ones to train the CHEs. One of the greatest benefits of this structure is that a community really feels ownership of this program, thus, they are empowered knowing their development lies in their own hands with God’s help. They feel confident that they do in fact have the resources, both in materials and people, to see their communities grow and become healthy in every way – physically, spiritually, emotionally, mentally, socially.
Our current trainers, who are eleven in number and span 5 different communities, have now completed 3 TOTs, and are gearing up for the fourth March 11-15. In one community, Lurchuk, we visited the home of trainer Athunta, where she lives with her 4 boys. She was keeping her home very clean and even using a tippy-tap! She and fellow trainer David have started training their committee and have already covered 14 lessons since January 7th! The committee is really motivated it seems. This community is about 3 hours from Tonj by car, and there is no phone network there. Despite the fact that these two trainers have been so disconnected from the rest of us, they have still maintained so much momentum for seeking God’s change in their community and helped to spur on others as well! I’m so proud of them!
Would you pray for our trainers and our team of facilitators as we prepare for the last TOT? We know that the real power to transform comes only from God. Join us in seeking his transformative power in the lives of our CHE trainers and their communities!
