GHC conducted two trainings in August and September in Pemba and in Inhambane for community leaders on the topics of behavior change, working with most-at-risk-groups, and participatory communication/training skills. In Pemba, a total of 55 people from 21 organizations were in attendance, and in Inhambane 27 people from 22 organizations were in attendance. Participants showed great interest and motivation toward the training content.

As part of GHC’s terms of reference with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), these sessions will be followed up with a additional modules and several practicums that will be observed by GHC staff over the next year.

As part of the training on most-at-risk groups, members of LAMBDA, a local organization that works with men who have sex with men (MSM), were invited to share personal stories with the training participants. In both provinces, members of LAMBDA talked about what it was like to grow up MSM, how they first realized they were MSM, and how being MSM affects their day-to-day lives. This session was very well...

In Maxixe town, Inhambane province, Mozambique, eleven representatives from local organizations working on HIV/AIDS attended Global Health Communication’s (GHC) three-day training of trainers. During this training, GHC introduced participants to the general concepts of behavior change and the behavior change tools that GHC uses when training peer educators and when conducting Pathways to Change and RAMP.

Participants were excited about the content of our training, not only for use in their HIV-related work, but also in the ways that it could be applied to their own lives. Learning some of the underlying principles of behavior change and the techniques GHC uses to motivate change increased their appreciation for the challenges that at-risk and marginalized groups face. A representative from Lambda, a Mozambican organization for sexual minorities, shared this perspective: “I was there earlier this year and observed when the peer educators were being trained, but I did not understand how important or effective the tools were until I went through this training myself. As an...

Firmino Abilio came to GHC in May of 2011 from AFRICARE and the International Food Policy Research Institute. Since his arrival in our Maputo office, Firmino has been an instrumental member of our team. Responsible for logistics and procurement, Firmino makes sure that all GHC activities run smoothly. In addition to great administrative and logistics skills, Firmino has a natural gift for languages and helps translate documents and concepts on a regular basis. He is dedicated and hard working and—just as important—Firmino always brings a smile to the office. He has been a true pleasure to work with.

Therefore, to show our deep admiration and appreciation of Firmino for all of his hard work and friendship, we have awarded him the title Employee of the year 2011!

From all the staff at GHC, we thank you and we look forward to continuing to work with you.