Viva Review 2009
SANJAI Thailand Based: Bangkok Works in: Bangkok, Chiang Mai, and Pattaya Member projects: 90 e Noroe-ordinator n r a ttak ork C
NaNJAI Netw SA Asia Viva
Training can be such a lifeless word. It makes us think of stuffy classrooms and boring manuals. It seems so far removed from the daily struggles of a vulnerable child. But the Viva Equip People training provides us with the knowledge and the skills to help put an end to those struggles, and what is more life-giving than that?
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As a co-ordinator of the Sanjai network in Thailand I am so pleased to be running this Viva Equip People course. It has been run in more than 10 different networks around the world, and now we are able to learn from it also. Working with children can be so rewarding – watching a child who was hurt and damaged and lonely become free and happy is a great privilege. But it takes a lot of work to help that happen, and so much energy, understanding, and skill.Viva’s training is designed to help restore your energy, give you new understanding, and grow your skills – it makes that transformation of a child possible. So please let me share with you some of what we are learning from Viva with this course, and I know you will soon love training just as much as we do.
Module 1: Understanding the child in context This class gave us an overview of the course topics, reminding us that everything we were learning was best applied with an understanding of children in their individual contexts. Every child comes from different circumstances, and has different fears, hurts, and hopes, and every child will develop and grow in different ways. It was our job to take the principles we would learn in our training and use them in a personal way to love and care for each child.
Module 2: Key issues in listening to children This was an amazing week- it was such a breakthrough for the class. In Thailand there is not much societal value placed on children, and adults do not tend to respect or even really consider their views. But this module fought against that, teaching us the importance of listening to children with love and respect. For some people this was the first time they truly realised that a child has just as much worth as an adult.
Module 3: Risk and resilience This session introduced us to the different ways a child might be ‘at risk’. It was eye-opening to see that it is not just things like poverty, abuse, hunger, or family breakdown, but actually there are very destructive emotional, psychological, and spiritual risks that children can be vulnerable to. However, it was also wonderful to learn about the natural resources that children have and the ways in which we can strengthen their inherent resilience to cope with difficult circumstances.
Module 4: Holistic work with children There are many deep-rooted religious beliefs in Thailand about suffering, and a kind of cultural fatalism. Many people are apathetic towards children at risk, believing that their suffering is simply their fate and so it is pointless to try and help. This module really challenged those ideas, and reminded us that as Christians we must prioritise the needs of the most vulnerable - we cannot say we believe in God and then do nothing for the children He loves so deeply.
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There are 20 staff and workers taking the classes, and although we are only halfway through the 8 modules it is clear to me that amazing changes are taking place in these wonderful and caring people. The children we work with have so many different Viva E needs, and now we are finally beginning to quip P eople modu feel like we have the right skills to support l e s : them. All of the training work that Viva 1. Und e r s t a n does may seem distant from the real ding t conte he ch x t action of helping children, but in fact it is ild in 2. Key i ssues the very thing which can help them the in list c h i l d ren most. ening
3. Ris to k and r esilien 4. Ho listic ce w 5. Pra o r k w ctical i issue th children with s in w orking 6. Chi children ld Pro tectio traum a t i sed c n and helpi 7. Dev ng hildre elopm n e n t, eval monit uation o r i n g 8. Sel f-deve of program , and m lopme develo nt and es pment staff