CHE

I must admit when I first heard of CHE I had no idea what it was...it only reminded me of Che Guevara. It's an acronym for Community Health Evangelism. I still didn't know what it was. However, I've been doing interviews at work with a couple of projects...the one I'm involved in Mozambique and another in Mexico...about Transformational Development and how it is lived out in the field. I knew that CHE was somehow related.

Well, this week I had a chance to see how it is related by attending a workshop where I was trained with 31 others on the principles of CHE. I would have to say that it was one of the most practical, respectful and humbling trainings that I have ever had. It clearly reminded me of my Community Organizing class, but we had a chance to practice and participate in the Participatory Learning Activities (PLAs) rather than just theoretically learning about them.

Since Transformational Development integrates the spiritual with the physical, social and econmical aspects of life, we learned about how to bring up spiritual topics within community groups. I admired that nothing was forced upon anyone, but the whole person with all their needs was recognized.

We'll see how this plays out for me, but it was foundational for whatever I do.

Just over 4 months and counting!

It's been that long since I've been at my new job...career! I'd like to share some of what I've experienced. I was at a family picnic on Labor Day and someone asked me, "What would be one thing that would summarize your experiences at your new job?" I responded that it was a nurturing environment...especially in my department. You might ask how I am nurtured, and I would say I am mentored, given freedom to spread my wings (and fail - a good way to learn sometimes), and allowed to work managing the project in Mozambique from many different angles (report management, desk research, coordination of communication between partners, etc...).

I also love relational things about my job. I love eating lunch with people from programs or finance or admin...we talk about such funny things (sorry I can't share them all here), and I've even played speed scrabble between bites. Next week I'm going with a group from Africa, Asia and Disaster Response regions to a conference on community health evangelism. I love the inter-departmental interactions, but more importantly I love getting to know people. I even have biked from home to work with a human resource staffer....we're both in our 40's and are proud of ourselves. We'll see what happens when the rains start.

So overall, it's been a wonderful transition for me into practicing public health. As I notice with most of my life experiences, including the bad, they shape me and help me grow as an individual.

I'm right where I should be.