Existing skills, interests and capabilities, such as language and literacy levels of the participants (for both
men and women) need to be assessed. It is also important to find out people’s previous levels of
knowledge on the components of this training and any previous relevant training or experience.
Generally, people learn best in small groups, particularly where they are asked to participate.
However, given that the number of CCCs or home visitors in the ADP may be large, and the
objective is to engage as many members of the community as possible, it may be inevitable to have
groups of 30 to 45 people. Such large groups will require more trainers and more rigorous planning.
The facilitators or trainers
Ideally, there should be at least two facilitators or trainers for every session. This should ideally be
the lead person from the ADP and a resource person from within or outside the ADP or community.
Having more than one facilitator (co-facilitating) training together is useful because:
Facilitating a big group can be extremely challenging and tiring.
Co-facilitators can give each other support. This helps the group dynamics and breaks the
monotony of having only one facilitator. It is important for at least one facilitator to come from the same area and ethnic group as the
majority of the participants. This will provide relevant local knowledge. Having at least one facilitator with knowledge of local languages enables small-group discussion
to be held in people’s first language. This may be particularly important to prevent women or
the less articulate groups from being disadvantaged in discussions.You need to consider all the above points when choosing your co-facilitator(s). Facilitators need to
work together as a team and to be seen to be doing so, because:
The reactions of the participants will vary according to their perceptions of the facilitators in
terms of their sex, ethnicity, age, class and many other factors.
The group may cast them in different roles, for example ‘expert’/ ‘non-expert’, ‘one of us’ /
‘outsider’, and try to play one facilitator off against the other. The same message will be interpreted differently depending on which facilitator it comes from.In order to work effectively as a team, facilitators should:
Discuss and agree on training styles and methods, and how to tackle specific issues in the guide.
Discuss their strengths and weaknesses and use these constructively as a basis for planning. Agree on fees, responsibilities and schedule time required for planning and training. Make arrangements in good time – remember that good technical resource people tend to
have full diaries, so contact them well in advance.Guide to Mobilising and Strengthening Community-Led Care for Orphans and Vulnerable Children Unit 2, Facilitator’s Guidelines^61