Cusuna: May Workshop Report
1.       Community Agents Program

With the quarterly AHMEN support and the educational and programatic facilitation of SIFAT, the training program in Honduras continues the goal to graduate 50 agents from the Garifuna and the Musquitia area in a three years program. On May 2-6, 45 agents attended the Second Workshop of the Second training year. The workshop was developed at the community church building and the nutritional center as always prepared the food.
Pastor Nahun Flores, one of the agents, is the local responsible for all the logistic organization on the field. Pastor Flores and his family serve in the community not only as Pastors but also from an important role beside the community authorities and the Garifuna Municipality Network coordinating activities and the Community Agents cooperation in community health campaigns.
Quarterly, the workshop facilitation and the follow up to learning and practice of the 50 agents in each one of the communities represented continues. After three years as the curricula is designed, the agents will receive the diploma certified by AHMEN, SIFAT and endorsed by the local Government Health Department.

2.       Attendants

The program has been receiving agents coming basically from the garifuna communities (Afro Honduran people) and from La Musquitia indigenous communities, right from the places/communities were the extensive impact of AHMEN brigades has taken place.  To some of the agents the trip takes around eight hours, but they come making the best effort and covering all the transportation costs by their own.
Some of them represent different Catholic and Evangelical denominations, as also some local NGOs working in community development. We count with a few nurses and agents who already had a basic experience in community health. The presence of them has enhanced the learning of the all group.
All of them are supported by the local community authorities and continue with the commitment for community, family and personal transformations.

3.       Workshop content

Now and for the next two workshops we are developing a strategy for HIV-AIDS prevention, since after Haiti, Honduras occupies the second place in incidence.
Based in prevention the manuals orient the agents in clear concepts, understanding myths and realities, and designing a prevention strategy in their communities. The manual approaches also sexually transmitted infections and how to support people living with AIDS.
We always have the visit of more people from the communities who are requesting the openness of a new group. That is a conversation on the table for AHMEN and SIFAT.

4.       Replications

The learning process is based in the practice of everything that the agents learn. That is why they receive training in communication methodologies to replicate the new knowledge in focal groups at their communities.
Most of the agents have returned to the current workshop to share the replication experience, one of them worked with a group of thirty youths from the community and got a commitment from the youths and some of their parents to complete the learning attending the next replication.

5.       Networking

5.1. The training program continues coordinating with local actors, among them MAMUGA, the Garifuna Municipalities network who have offered financial support to build some model of efficient cooking stoves to benefit a pilot group of families in the communities represented by the agents.

5.2. ECOSALUD, a local NGO where Jerry Batiz, one of the community agents cooperate, has interest in coordinating HIV prevention campaigns among garifuna youths

5.3. National Agricultural University (UNA): some student from this public University will be attending the training that SIFAT offers in Alabama. These students are great candidates to contribute as volunteers in the community development and training program that AHMEN has in Cusuna community and for new initiatives that might be concreted this year.

6.       Next steps

6.1. Preparation of next workshop in August, to continue with the HIV subject and the facilitation of the medical aspect by a Physician from the Ciriboya Clinic supported by a medical Cuban brigade.

6.2. Coordination with AHMEN medical August brigade to develop health clinics during the workshop with the support of the community agents. If possible the brigade may bring a specialist on HIV to cover the medical aspect of the subject.

6.3. Coordination of formal Pastor Nahun support to follow up the cusuna agents, specially if the Yorito new program starts.

6.4. First pre-workshop at Yorito in June inviting two current community agents from Cusuna to encourage the potential agents and testify the success learning and development in their communities.  

7.       Pictures

JERRY BATIZ For Jerry it has been important his contract renewal with ECOSALU, a private NGO working with the Garifuna population. From this position Jerry has an strategic place to share and socialize the vision, concepts and practices on HIV-AIDS prevention among thousands of youths. At the same time as community agent, Jerry contributes with group dynamics and support to the HIV workshops in Cusuna.

JULIAN BERMUDEZ, Community Agent Julian is a challenge to his workshop mates. He testified about the importance to read and review the materials they receive during the workshops. He said that we should not loose time and read and continually review and learn the concepts and practices they reflect on during the workshop. Julian is that kind of persons who brakes the lack of self-esteem and is always challenging to the others to commit in practical ways in the community as change agents.

GUILLERMO BATIZ, Community Agent The subject on HIV has begun to be a challenge for the community agents. Guillermo Batiz, testified during the workshop how he has been an incomparable support to a family in his community. One of the members of this family is a person living with HIV-AIDS. As it is typical in many places, this person was marginalized by the ignorance of the community, but not Guillermo! He has approached the family and shared with them about solidarity and encourages them to continue supporting their relative. He use to visit the family and share time and teaching with them, using the new knowledge he has acquired and at the same time stimulating a social learning in the community about acceptance, and understanding of the HIV reality without myths.

WALTER NUNEZ, Cristina’s son and support of the Nutritional AHMEN Center at Limon Since Cristina is still recovering of a delicate health situation, Walter came to cover the learning and at the same time he shared his conviction to support actively the project. He would like to contune attending the training program and wait for a new group to open and complete the first year program that the current group has satisfactory completed.

The workshop is part of the every day's life in the community. That is why we make a stop during the session, because it was the time for the fishers to arrive to the beach... In the same way we expect a good fishing with the community agents preparation and the many lifes they are serving and contributing to a new life in their communities.