Awa Traore Visits

Awa often speaks about:

Step one: Assess Need

This is two steps in one!  First, look around your community; is there a particular need that stands out?  Second, look at your own work and skill set.  What can you continue after Awa is gone?  What fits in with the work you’re doing?  Who do you work/live with and do they have the same concerns?

Step Two:  Organize and Schedule

Find dates and times that work for the participants and any other members of the community that will be part of the event.  Contact Awa and make sure it fits into her schedule.  Try to schedule your visit with one of the tournées Awa does throughout the country. 

Location:

Find a place that works for your event.  Usually, you can get a school or local government to give you a space or use a public area.

Things to consider when looking for a place: how many people total will be attending?  This can include other speaking guests, participants, chaperones for the participants, other local workers in your field (i.e. Health Relais), other PCVs, extended family members of the participants and their children.  Consider how much privacy you’ll need.  If you have a small group discussing sensitive issues, make sure you are in an enclosed space where people aren’t constantly passing.

Schedule Supporting Events:

To run a great event, you need to schedule more than just the event itself.  Other important considerations include:

Event Awareness: invitations before the event, speaking the heads of the households of the invitees, talking to village/quartier chiefs about the event, talking to other community leaders, doing a pre-Awa sensilibization, reminding invitees about the event.

Event Preparation: Find location, confirm location, arrange for food and boissons, chairs and seating. For big events: schedule additional speakers, find lodging for speakers and guests, arrange catering (clarify who is responsible to bring utensils, bowls and soap)

Send Awa a description of your event with the number of participants and description (ie primary school students and their parents) and topics to be covered.

Example:

1/4 - 3/4 talk to Awa/girls group/family about dates for a ‘stay in school’ event

6/4 talk to school about using a classroom, chairs and black board for the event

7/4 send a detailed description with times and places to Awa

10/4-12/4 invite all members of the girls’ group – tournée from house to house and talk to family about the event; invite the girl and one ‘chaperone,’ request the father

13/4 talk to and invite local teachers and neighbouring woman principal

14/4 at regular girls’ group meeting, talk about the importance of staying in school and the subject of Awa’s talk

16/4 confirm Awa’s arrival; call all families and remind them of the time and place of the event; get neighbour to freeze 30 bissap glaces and buy 5 big pops, ice and small cups

17/4 arrive at school and set up chairs and snacks; AWA ARRIVES; greet everyone and call missing participants; begin ‘stay in school’ day; have host mom deliver snacks; afterwards, have girls fill out a response form

21/4 at regular girls’ group meeting, discuss lessons learned and other ideas that Awa talked about

Step Three: Follow up

After Awa leaves, participants are usually very inspired and motivated to get to work.  Now is the time to form a plan, start a new program and set goals. 

Have the participants respond to the talk.  What was their favourite subject/activity?  What would they change?  What did they like about the event?  What do they want to know more about?

Do a brief write up on the event and send it to the SeneGAD National Coordinator (Ellen Jefferys-White at ellen.jefferys.white@gmail.com).  Specify what went well, what you would change and anything you have learned.

Tips

Getting entire families involved in events makes them much more effective.  This is especially true if your target audience is young.

For big events, break up work with other volunteers.  Make committees and give each of those committees a very clear outline of their responsibilities.  The week before the event, try to make sure every committee member is at the site of the event, aka not in his or her village

Try to involve family leaders whenever possible

Invite community leaders and elected officials, but do not rely too heavily on their support