Ei-iE

The EFAIDS programme has started to have an impact among students and teachers in Guyana, Suriname and Haiti. This was the overall conclusion drawn by the EI regional Coordinator Virginia Albert on a recent evaluation visit to these countries.

Some of the common elements found in the programmes are as follows:

- There is strong support for the programme among the union leadership - The programme has reached a large cross-section of the teaching population - The back-up provided by EI and partners both in financial and material terms has been an asset to the Programme - The economic situation in these countries has a significant impact on the programme as teachers do not find adequate time to conduct additional activities beyond their working hours. The recommendations which were made subsequently are as follows:

- There is a need to put more solid structures in place and to engage in constant evaluation of the programme in order to improve the mechanisms and content; - The local union contribution is not reflected adequately in the reports; - The unions should broaden their activities to integrate the Ministries of Education and Health more fully into the programme; - The publicity aspect of the programme is still limited. In the case of Guyana some teachers are not fully aware of the nature of the programme.

These conclusions and recommendations will be the subject of a Caribbean regional meeting of EI affiliates participating in the EFAIDS Programme this October in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

For more information, please contact us at [email protected].