Hi everybody. Sorry, I was a bit silent, crazy deadlines. Back on track.
I have a very strong believe that our community engagement team has a good understanding of the value of stakeholder engagement. It is possible that the definition of stakeholders is not as clear as it should be at the site. Most of team believes that the word “stakeholders” is applicable for NGOs or other local or international organizations but it does not mean that they don´t value the community (it´s just about the terminology).
My site has developed a community engagement plan where activities with our CAB are listed, including monthly meetings. Additionally, community events such as health fairs, plays about HIV vaccines as well as meetings with local leaders and even radio shows in the local radio station are also planned and some already accomplished. We had situations where rumors in the community regarding blood collection were spreading and our CAB helped identifying adequate solutions and provided support. The situation that I just described helped building even more trust between the site and the CAB and vice versa since we had a problem, we asked for support, we got the support and we developed a successful plan according to the CAB orientation. The CAB felt that site trusted in their judgement and followed their suggestions…. this was great….
One problem is attendance to CAB meetings. Sometimes I attend these meetings and from 15 people only 50% show up (usually the same ones). How do we engage CAB members and make them prioritize the meetings and activities?
