With the support of a grant from Boston Area Returned Peace Corps Volunteers (BARPCV), EFA International conducted a leadership and organizational development workshop in January 2008 for the executive officers of four HIV+ youth support groups. During the training, 12 HIV+ youth developed knowledge and skills in managing an association.

Aissatou Sali, one of EFA’s Youth Network Technical Assistants, during a session on the benefits of being a member of an association

This training was the first inter-association training that EFA International has conducted, and it brought together members from four associations of HIV+ youth from three different villages in northern Cameroon including AJEPS, and three new HIV+ youth groups: ABEPSA, AWALLA, and ASSYSGOD. Associations created their own 3-month action plans and disseminated copies to the other associations, so that overlapping and similar issues could be done in collaboration.

The three new groups left the training with increased capacity that will improve the operations of their organizations. The presidents of the associations learned how to hold a meeting and devise an agenda. The secretaries learned how to keep minutes for a meeting and write official reports. The treasurers learned how to manage expenses and deposits for their associations using a simple accounting register developed by EFA. The executive officers returned to their associations with a better idea of how to better help their associations.

Tags: ABEPSA, ASSYSGOD, AWALLA, BARPCV, boston, leadership, organizational development, partnerships, peace corps, training, youth support groups