People change
The energy for change comes through regular immersion into community experience. By asking appreciative questions, people discover and reveal strengths which communities themselves might not realize. They in turn are inspired to transfer the experience into our own contexts: at work, in our social and family lives. SALT is a mode of interaction with communities: Stimulate, Appreciate, Learn, and Transfer.
Here are a few examples of people who were transformed through the SALT experience.
Before I used to interact with my family in the African way: you tell them what to do, you know what they should do… you know it all. You are the expert. You give commands and your family should follow. Now, we interact and discuss issues like adults. I listen to my children, learn from them and appreciate them. So many families admire our family and copy what we do." Joseph Senesie, coach from Sierra Leone |
"The AIDS Competence Process has affected my entire life including my profession, family and personal development. I am a new person today.
To start implementing SALT was very hard, as I couldn’t see my role in the future. Today I find more space and interest on it as people love, need and request visits that help them feel more capable, important and valuable rather than the boring condition of poor, victim and beneficiary as we are used to making them feel." Joao Vembane, Handicap International, Mozambique |
"Maybe you can help me to understand what made me fall in love with SALT. It has pushed me for more contacts with human beings who are same as me. My vision of them used to be different: they were beneficiaries of my activities. This means, today whenever I move to the field I’m going to find people who have their own concerns, dreams, strengths, etc. I’m going there to learn from them and my presence is already a stimulus for their dynamic.
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Ibu Henny is the secretary of local AIDS commission and a lawyer by profession. "The SALT process has transformed my thoughts, actions and the community I work for. I started holding my community as a mother, as a government employee, as a community leader. I am there beside my community, not for teaching but listening, deep listening, to transform it to a positive force of change."