Call Closes On December 7, 2007! This call invites applicants to participate and share experiences in a Regional Training Workshop for east and southern African countries on Participatory Methods for research and training for a people centred health system being held on February 27 to March 1st 2008. The call: TARSC and IHRDC under the EQUINET umbrella have since 2005 been carrying out capacity building on participatory reflection and action (PRA) methods for research and training for a people centred health system. The training uses a toolkit developed by the institutions and peer reviewed by CHESSORE and through practical use that provides information on areas for strengthening community voice and roles in health systems and examples of participatory approaches for training and research that supports this. The training aims to support work at national, district and local level with health systems and communities in health, with a major focus on the interactions at primary health care level. The 2008 training will focus on overcoming community and health systems barriers in accessing comprehensive prevention and treatment for HIV and AIDS and strengthening equitable primary health care responses to HIV and AIDS. It will thus be targeted at researchers, health workers, academics, civil society organisations, NGOs, community leaders and workers and others who are involved in work with communities and health workers who are doing or involved in work on equitable access to HIV and AIDS interventions, specifically at the interface between communities and health systems. The skills workshop uses the toolkit in a practical way to build understanding of PRA approaches and their use in strengthening people centred health systems. It will work through practical examples of PRA approaches. We will provide time for application of these approaches and capacities to areas of work that participants are practically involved with at community level. The workshop uses experiences from different countries in the east and southern African region. We will also invite participants who have used PRA approaches for strengthening community focused HIV and AIDS interventions. Following the training we will mentor and support research and training work linked to ongoing EQUINET programmes of work on participation and health and on equitable health systems responses to HIV and AIDS. REACH Trust Malawi and GNP+ will provide mentoring support for these linkages to work on equitable, community driven responses HIV and AIDS. There are limited places in the workshop. We invite interested organisations and individuals to submit an application to participate and to provide the full information shown below. The workshop will be held in Bagamoyo, Tanzania. The workshop will cost delegates their airfares and local costs of about $500 to cover their accommodation, meals and airport transfers. EQUINET will sponsor a limited number of accepted delegates for airfare or local costs or both based on need. Participants of existing EQUINET programmes are welcome to apply. Information requested from applications: Interested applicants should submit * a 1-2 page ‘expression of interest’ that outlines the research or training work that they and their institution are doing / are proposing to do that relates to overcoming community and health systems barriers in accessing prevention and treatment (including testing) for HIV and AIDS or strengthening equitable primary health care responses to HIV and AIDS, what their own role in this work is, where the work is being done, whether it is funded, what changes it is aiming at producing and why participatory reflection and action (PRA) methods will enhance the work * a personal CV including community based research and training and any prior experience of, training in or use of PRA methods, * brief information on the institution that they work in, and * clear information on whether they are able to meet all costs, or need EQUINET sponsorship for airfare ONLY, local costs ONLY, or ALL costs. Please note that EQUINET has VERY limited sponsorship funds so approaching other sponsors may be useful, and that if partial sponsorship is asked for from EQUINET, then preference is given to those who can fund their own airfares. Applicants should submit this information by 7th December 2007 to the EQUINET secretariat admin@equinetafrica.org and copy it to rene@tarsc.org. Accepted delegates will be notified by January 7 2007 on the outcome of their submission, including sponsorship and of the logistic details for the meeting. Focal points for queries on this programme are Rene Loewenson, Training and Research Support Centre; Selemani Mbuyita at Ifakara Health Research. Focal points for co-operating partners institutions are Ireen Makwiza (REACH Trust) and Kevin Moody (GNP+) . Please send queries through admin@equinetafrica.org.