African Transformation Written Profiles

African Transformation is a participatory tool that enables men and women to examine critically gender and social norms, including masculinity, and how they affect their well-being; to overcome gender barriers in their own life: and to work on eliminating harmful gender norms and supporting positive ones. “African Transformation” is an adaptation of the successful “Arab Women Speak Out” (AWSO) model to the African context.

The key component of AWSO is a series of video profiles showing positive role models of women from relatively low socio-economic status who overcame gender barriers and reached goals they had determined for themselves. The profiles are shown during a participatory, facilitative training, whereby participants review these women’s stories, and explore resources and strategies they can use to attain their own goals. The guide has been designed to help people explore thoughts, ideas, and behaviors and make positive changes in their lives using a technique called “participatory learning.”

Participatory learning uses facilitation to encourage people to actively participate in their own learning. The role of the facilitator is key to the success of the program and to enabling participants to use their own experiences and knowledge as a basis for solving problems. The guide should be used along with the video, audio, and written profiles. The profiles, as well as the discussions, role-plays, small and large group discussions, in the individual sessions help participants analyze their experiences, learn new information, improve their skills of interaction and understand and identify opportunities for change.

Source: Johns Hopkins University Center for Communication Programs

Date of Publication: August 5, 2021