Sunday, December 14, 2008

The mists are clearing

Things are becoming more and more clear. I’ll be working in Bamenda and other parts of the North-West for “United Cities and Councils of Cameroon”.

Among other things, my role as a volunteer will be:

· To train volunteers and partners on coaching and mentoring to help them acquire skills for driving change forward

· To train volunteers and partners on change management

The major outcome should be new training modules on coaching, mentoring and change management appropriate for circumstances there, as well as partners and volunteers trained on how to better respond to the change needs of the councils and other partners.

This work fits into a wider project on Participation and Governance, whose objectives include:

1. To and strengthen the capacities of civil society organizations to improve their governance and advocate for the rights of vulnerable groups to quality basic services

2. To strengthen the capacities of local decision makers and state agencies to engage in transparent practices that promote good governance and increase access to quality basic services

I've had the jabs (ouch!), and I'm about to start the anti-malaria tablets.

I fly out on 2 January, first to Zurich, then to Yaoundé, the capital of Cameroon. I’ll be returning, arriving at Manchester airport on 4 March. Please keep in touch. I don't want to be "out of sight, out of mind".