Stepping Stones Africa Exchange

As part of this programme, ten trainers from Gambia, South Africa, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe met with practitioners in the field of reproductive health in Charney Manor near Oxford from May 5-7, 2002. This workshop was followed by a ten-day exchange programme with the Nicaraguan Association of Men Against Violence (AHCV) and the feminist organisation Puntos de Encuentro in Managua, Nicaragua. These organisations work on domestic violence, gender, and diversity, drawing on experiences from the Sandinista revolution. Returning to the UK on May 19, the group was joined by three Nicaraguan practitioners for two additional days of workshops that analysed and built on the results of the exchange. There was a more public day of presenting the outcomes of the visit to both countries on May 22.

Gender, Health, HIV/AIDS.

Exchange is a networking and learning programme on health communication for development that aims to share information and knowledge on effective health communication and to support strategic approaches to health communication. It also works to increase the involvement of southern-based organisations in generating, analysing, and applying good health communication.

Stepping Stones is a life-skills training package on gender, sexual and reproductive well-being, communication, and relationship skills. Created in response to the AIDS crisis in Africa, Stepping Stones is listed by UNAIDS in its best practice series for community mobilisation and is the winner of a BMA film award. It is now being widely adapted and used in over 40 countries in Africa, Asia, and beyond.