My Experience of Trainings in Molo

Talking about my experience working with MCDF, I want to talk about the last 9th July. That day I arrived to the office at morning, and Emily (MCDF’s founder) told me that Martha had an idea and she asked me: “Would you like to go to Molo for a training with Esther and Winnie today?” I obviously wanted it, so I went to make my bag and we went to Molo. The travel was for a couple of hours and we arrived there at 6pm.

The next day we wake up and we used a ‘boda boda’ for go to ‘Molo Polytechnic Centre’, after introduce ourselves with the class, Esther started the training and in that moment I didn’t know what to expect because I was making a relation of the trainings with the exercise that we made in the NOPE conference in the middle of June, so I was expecting that we were only going to talk about the FC2 – Female Condom Second Generation- and the importance of protection sex. But then Winnie wrote some rules made by the students in the wall, so I thought, that’s really great and then I saw that during the two days, they really respected the rules that they purposed, so for me that was amazing and a really good example by them. 

Then Esther started the training making two questions: Who has sex? And why? So, I was expecting the reaction of the students and surprising myself was a really good reaction by them, because they interacted with Esther and gave her a lot of interesting answers. So, I really enjoyed the training and I was learning at the same time from the students, from Esther and Winnie.

One of the things that I realized of that training it was that Esther and Winnie made a one really interactive and dynamic, and that was amazing because they were not limited to talk in one way or to say “this is the true”. They started making questions to the students and talking with them, and according what I think this is one of the most important things, because if you want to share this information with someone else it’s better listen first what people think and let that they expressing themselves about the things that they think about it. So it was a really smart strategy by the talkers, because they were avoiding the confrontations and promoting the talk between everyone and recognizing that all of them have something to say about it.

To finish that experience, I can say that I enjoyed it and I learned a lot of it, because was a really professional talk, and the way that made approached the topics was very witted because it was about the ‘Sex, HIV & AIDS in Africa, about STI’s, the importance of the protection, the empowering, and skills that could be useful not only in these topics but also daily life’. So I think that the fact that Esther is a psychologist and Winnie is a Mass Communication professional, it's an advantage for the training because they have the knowledge about how to talk with people and for transmit an assertive message and more with one that could be delicate like talk about sex. But they really know how to encompass the topic without taboos but with a lot of respect, so they are really amazing trainers. Another thing was that even they gave to the students some tips about good communication and negotiation skills, but maybe the most useful skill that they used was that they really believe in what they say and about the importance of work on the HIV preventing, talk about these topics and the role that play the education on that, that for me it is also one of the most important things, so it was a great learning for me.  

Esther, Winnie and I having a selfie after trainings in Molo

1.       My Experience in Mariakani

My experience in Mariakani started on 14th July, we went with Esther to that place in a travel of nine hours on bus, so was a long one but I really enjoyed the diversity of the landscapes and they are wonderful. Then when we arrived at 9pm, we went to the house where I stayed for fifteen days.

I am going to talk first about the trainings in Mariakani, then the experience with the CSW –Commercial Sex Workers-, the meetings that we had for MCDF and my experience living there and sharing with the community.

So first of all, I want to talk about the trainings that Esther and Charles made in Mariakani. We went to ‘Mariakani Youth Centre’ to start the training with some youths, I had the Molo experience before, so I was expecting something great like that one. At the beginning I saw that they were some shy, but even though of it I think that the attitude of Esther and Charles made that the students felt trust in them and they started to talk and to interact more with the talkers, so I think that I could see that they were really interested on the topics and even the next day they were really dynamic on the exercises and involved on these. At the end of the training with them, they were really interested in work with MCDF promoting the ‘HIV & AIDS preventing’ and advocating for the FC2 –Female Condom Second Generation-. So, in a moment like this you can just remember that sometimes the only thing that you must to do is to dare to talk with the people, and then see the outcomes.

After the experience on ‘Mariakani Youth Centre’, we started another one on ‘Mabati Medical Centre-Hall’ with the students of ‘Mabati Technical Institute Centre’. In that one, the training is going to be in five sessions during five months, so I think that it’s going to be some different than the other ones, but I think that could be really productive because Charles –that is the person in charge of the talks- is going to have more time to talk and to interact deeper with them, so it could be splendid. But about the experience there, I think that was really great, the students had an amazing attitude, they said a lot of interesting things and they made good questions that helped to make a lot of clarifications about the contained of the training.

About the meetings that we had for MCDF in Mariakani I think that all of them was successful. But I want to talk about one in particular, because for me was really rewarding. We went with Charles to Kaloleni town and we met Mr. Mzungu an official of District Education Officer in Kaloleni. When we arrived there, we talk with him about the work that MCDF want to make with the schools there and he was really gentile, so he told us that he is going to make a letter for us for a permission to go to the schools. Then, when he asked us the whole name of MCDF and Charles started to tell him: “Muthaa…”, he was really happy because he realized about Muthaa –Emily- because she worked with the community in that place some years ago. And for me that was really amazing because I saw how a person like she has touched a lot of people that even some years later they can remember her in a great and positive way.

One of the other great experiences in Mariakani was go to the place of the CSWs – Commercial Sex Workers- in the town to talk about the FC2. We went with Charles twice, the first time was to give some FC2s to the CSWs and to show how it works, I made the explanation to them so it was really good because they asked me some questions and we could show them the tips about the FC2 and the right way to use, so it was magnificent. Then, we went again to that place with Charles because the last time we didn’t bring enough condoms and we went to another different place for give to another CSWs some FC2 too, expecting come back again and talk with them about their doubts about it.

To finish I must to talk about my experience living in Mariakani, because was one of the most importance apprenticeships, because while I stayed there I could talk with some of the students that I met during the trainings. For the other side I met a really good people in that place like the people that work in the place where we went to take the meals every day. And one of those people that always I’m going to remember is a kid –Eric- that every day came to the office and he started to make eyes to me and I started to play with him with one of his toys outside the office, so he really made my day every day, I always was expecting that he come for have fun with me. So, I think that I just can say thanks Mariakani for the all experiences and thanks MCDF for the opportunity to go there and for all the knowledge that you shared with me.