8B Communications in the village

The following exercises will help you to develop skills in listening to, and speaking to, different people in the village. You will learn how to:

• listen with care to what people are saying

• observe the ideas and beliefs that are shown by what people say and do.

1. You will be split into groups of eight. Each member of the group will play the role of one of the following people:

a schoolteacher

a child, aged nine

a village leader

a community health worker

a mother

a traditional healer

a traditional birth attendant

a religious leader

If these names are not used or such people do not exist in your community, change them to be suitable for your situation.

2. To act out the role-play you will sit or stand in front of the group wearing a name tag to say what role you are playing. You should try to think and act like the person you are supposed to be.

3. A different group of eight trainees will be selected for each exercise.

 

Exercise 1 - Safe disposal of human waste (excreta)

The setting

A community health worker has called a meeting to discuss the best way to dispose of human excreta. The following people contribute to the discussion.

The role-play

The child says: 'I do it wherever and whenever I need.'

The schoolteacher says: 'There is a right time and a right place for disposal of excreta.'

The village leader says: 'Old people use different places from young people.'

The mother says: 'I have tried to get the children to excrete further away from the house.'

The traditional healer says: 'There are traditional places.'

The traditional birth attendant says: 'Some places are safer for disposal of excreta than others.'

The religious leader says: 'Regular opening of the bowels is important.'

The community health worker says: 'Latrines are safest. Excreta must be disposed of at a distance from water sources and away from people's homes.'

After these comments have been read, you should continue the discussion for about 10 minutes. Continue to play the role of the person whose name you wear.

After the discussion think about what the group has learned about the ideas, knowledge and behaviour of the different people represented in the role-play.

 

Exercise 2 - Breast-feeding

A different group of trainees now take on the roles.

The setting

At the end of a community meeting about feeding the children in the community the conversation naturally moves on to a discussion of breast-feeding.

The role-play

The village leader says: 'Mothers have always breast-fed their babies.'

The schoolteacher says: 'Breast milk is better than other milk.'

The child says: 'Breast-feeding takes too much of a mother's time.'

The mother says: 'They gave me three free tins of milk at the clinic. Bottle-feeding must be good.'

The traditional birth attendant says: 'As long as a mother breast-feeds, there is less likelihood of another pregnancy.'

The religious leader says: 'Our religion says breast-feeding is the natural way.'

The traditional healer says: 'Babies become ill if they are not breast-fed.'

The community health worker says: 'Bottle-feeding is dangerous and dirty. It may cause diarrhoea. Breast milk is clean, cheap, and always available when needed.'

After these comments have been read, continue the discussion for about 10 minutes. Continue to play the role of the person whose name you wear.

After the discussion think about what the group has learned about the ideas, knowledge and behaviour of the different people represented in the role-play.

 

Exercise 3 - Growing foods

A different group of trainees now take on the roles, or the roles are swapped within the same group.

The setting

A group of people have met at the market. They start to discuss the problems of producing food.

The role-play

The traditional healer says: 'I often get paid with food. It is cheaper for the people and better for me.'

The mother says: 'I want my family to start growing food but I have no seeds.'

The child says: 'I will soon be able to bring home seeds from the school garden.'

The village leader says: 'Children cannot grow food. They should rely on the wisdom of their elders.'

The schoolteacher says: 'I teach children how to grow food and look after chickens.'

The traditional birth attendant says: 'It is a good idea to do things for ourselves. That is how I learned to deliver babies.'

The religious leader says: 'You can help yourself, but you also need God's help.'

The community health worker says: 'If we help ourselves to grow food, we will also be helping ourselves to develop a healthy community.'

Continue the discussion for about 10 minutes, playing the role of the person whose name you are wearing.

After the discussion think about what your group has learned about the ideas, knowledge and behaviour of the different people represented in the role-play.

 

Exercise 4 - Immunization

A different group of trainees now take on the roles, or the roles are swapped within the same group.

The setting

A schoolteacher has organized a community meeting about immunization, and has asked the community health worker to come along.

The role-play

The traditional birth attendant says: 'I have seen that vaccinated children get fewer diseases than unvaccinated children.'

The religious leader says: 'Disease is a punishment for wrong-doing. Observing religious commandments is the best way to prevent illness.'

The traditional healer asks: 'How can a needle in your arm now prevent illness in your body in the future?'

The mother says: 'I am not sure if this is safe, or if it prevents illness.'

The village leader says: 'I was never immunized. I have never been ill. I am very old and still strong.'

The child says: 'I am glad we live too far away for me to be immunized.'

The schoolteacher says: 'I am sorry to see so many children with one weak, small leg that they cannot use. I did not see this in my last school where most children were immunized.'

The community health worker says: 'Immunization is safe, and prevents serious illness and death.'

Continue the discussion for about 10 minutes playing the role of the person whose name you are wearing.

After the discussion think about what your group has learned about the ideas, knowledge and behaviour of the different people represented in the role-play.