Cross-Cultural Training of Our Workers Improves our Services
Value Health Africa’s Centre Region Coordinator Mbangowah Elvis Ngwa participated in a 7 months training on “Socio-Religious Studies” and “Hands-on Training on Social Services” organized by the Focolare Movement at Tagaytay Philippines. This training brings religious identities and social services into a dialogue, one which breeds inter-religious dialogue, mutual coexistence between persons of different religious ideologies and expertise social services especially to the very vulnerable of human persons.
Mindful of the social challenges which some local Cameroonian communities experience as is the case when Muslims and Christians have religious biases against each other, yet have to share common basic facilities and structures like schools, hospitals and social centres; mindful of the challenge of inter-religious dialogue and the expertise knowledge needed to serve of different religions who live in a geographical jurisdiction; mindful of the challenges of working with physically and mentally handicapped children and the social stigma some families experience due to certain diseases like AIDs and other STD’s – it becomes imperative to address these pressing challenges. These challenges could be overcome by a genuine yes to training on inter-religious dialogue and social services and an unwavering dedication of oneself to the altruistic gains of a society.
The training with the Focolare Movement involved class lessons, workshops, seminars and interactive events between people of different religious affiliations as well as training and volunteering with social centres. The expertise knowledge gained will be implemented to drive Value Health Africa’s mission, “to alleviate human suffering by improving health and wellbeing for all irrespective of age, gender or race in Cameroon and Africa at large.”