Dear Jindra,

thanks for your message.

Global experiences reveal that local responses are a critical factor to achieve progress on life challenges (i.e. HIV, TB, malaria, reproductive health, livelihood, peace & reconciliation). Every community has the capacity to respond to life challenges, to build a common vision, to act and to adapt. Facilitators can reveal and nurture that potential.

The experience of the Constellation shows that two things are required for a community to take local action: ownership of the issue and the response and realization and use of own strengths. When our facilitators meet with communities, they look for their strengths. They do not start from their weaknesses. Communities take action from strengths, not from problems. We call SALT our mode of interaction with communities. We practice SALT in each step of the process.

The Constellation proposes a process (the Community Life Competence Process) to facilitate action towards Life Competence. The process consists of a number of steps and tools that can be facilitated together with a strength-based way of working.

Communities in 28 countries have successfully applied the process to specific issues. For example, they strive for AIDS Competence, Malaria Competence, Reproductive Health Competence, Peace Competence, WASH Competence etc. Through knowledge management tools, they share daily their experiences on www.aidscompetence.ning.com

Look forward to hearing more about your work especially participatory decision making and story telling and of course appreciative inquiry.

Warm regards,

Rituu