The year long training course the sponsored sister undertakes consists of the following modules:
Module 1 – ‘Sustaining an Income’.
* How to overcome stereotypes and inequalities that prevent women from gaining economic self-sufficiency.
* Increasing their confidence and challenging beliefs that women’s value is secondary to that of men.
* How to manage family resources, and the value of saving.
* The different types of economic activities they can become involved in, including regular and self-employment, group enterprises, and cooperatives.
Module 2 – ‘Health and Wellbeing’.
* The prevention, treatment and management of key health issues in the family and community, and how women in particular are affected.
* Psychological health: learning to identify symptoms of stress and actions she can take to relieve it. Through storytelling and discussion, the sponsored sister and her classmates will learn to support each other and will receive referrals for further information and care.
* Reproductive health: reproductive anatomy and health; pregnancy, birth and infant care; family planning and birth control; and sexually transmitted infections and HIV/AIDS. The class will identify challenges to exercising their reproductive rights and will be provided with strategies for negotiation and discussion with their families and communities.
* Basic family health: the importance of a clean environment, proper hygiene, and good nutrition for personal, family, and community health. The class will also discuss the dangers of substance abuse, as well as the positive impact of living healthy lifestyles, including making time for rest, relaxation and exercise.
Module 3 – Family and Community Decision Making
* Gender equality: emphasising that women are equal to men before the law and thus deserve equal opportunities, including contributing to decision-making at home, and financial decisions.
* Women’s legal rights – national and community laws, ownership and inheritance of assets, laws and customs in marriage, divorce, and child custody; domestic violence and rape.
* Women’s involvement in the community: identifying ways in which the sponsored sister and her classmates can involve themselves in community decision- making processes, including local politics.
Module 4: Social networks and safety nets
This module introduces women to the value of working with each other in groups, or ‘social networks’. Social networks allow women to share ideas, resources, and information, as well as to help support and protect one another and solve problems collectively.
*Unit 1 begins by addressing the importance of support groups. The sponsored sister will identify ways in which support from others has helped her in the past and ways that it can continue to help her in the future. Participants also learn to identify key factors in teamwork, effective group management, leadership, and planning.
* Unit 2 addresses group advocacy. Participants learn how to harness the power of groups in order to face the problems that affect their community. They work together to identify problems, analyse the underlying issues and then strategise a plan of action. They are educated about negotiation and conflict management, and trained to recognise potential causes of conflict. They learn specific tools to resolve various conflicts such as searching for common ground, respecting other points of view, and negotiating.
* Unit 3 of the module and the Women for Women programme concludes with a reinforcement of all key ideas taught throughout the year. The sponsored sister will be encouraged to reflect back on each module and make personal and community goals for her future.