EFAIDS Programme in West Africa
Unions across West Africa have had a busy first half of 2009 working on the EFAIDS Programme, and have been particularly active in the area of training and publications.
Malian union SNEC, Syndicat National de Éducation et Culture, organised a series of supplementary trainings on the updated EFAIDS material for existing national and regional trainers. Cascade training was subsequently organised across five districts.
In Mali, refresher courses were organised for existing national and regional trainers to familiarise them with the new EI material developed in the framework of the programme. Cascade training was then organised in five districts. SNEC carried out research into the state of school infrastructures which will support ongoing advocacy by the union to improve the education system in Mali.
The collective of Senegalese unions, COSSEL, working on the EFAIDS Programme, also organised training workshops on the new EFAIDS resources, this time targeting the leadership of the five unions involved, to highlight the significance of EFAIDS work for their members. Unions received technical training on software so that they are better placed to follow up on the outcomes of the 2008 school audits. The Senegalese unions continued their study on the needs of teachers living with HIV in collaboration with UNESCO and CARVEE, the network of teachers living with HIV in Senegal which was established at the initiative of the teacher unions.
Cooperating unions FSPE and SLECG launched a season of workshops with cascade training taking place in all regions of Guinea, resulting in 712 teachers in 402 schools successfully completing the sessions.
The four partner unions working together in Côte d’Ivoire conducted training sessions in 10 towns most affected by the recent civil war. Over recent months 200 teachers from 40 primary and secondary schools were trained in Ferké, Bouaké, Man, Guiglo and Katiola departments. Further workshops on gender related violence were held with national trainers and unions’ women committees. Working in cooperation on policy, the four unions finalised a Code of Ethics.
Read more about activities unions throughout West Africa are carrying out under the EI EFAIDS Programme by consulting the country profiles on the EFAIDS website.
