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Book – "Walking with communities"

Film – "TOGETHER"

Zambia's response to COVID-19

affirm

We know deeply that local communities:

• have capacity that can be strengthened
• can address division, stigma and discrimination
• can deal with conflict issues like HIV, AIDS, Ebola and civil war.

Healing starts with 'listening to story' ... simple and profound.

Reconciliation and forgiveness – so necessary – become possible.

'Local movement for care and change' becomes a recognisable pattern ... globally.

See: how we work.

[Website last updated 24 January 2022]

Respect and change

Inter-connected local and global conversations are changing the world.

The conversations occur in local and global neighbourhoods – within and between local homes and communities, governments and global organisations.

The conversation "movement" started locally when the tiny village of Sianyoolo, Zambia, responded to a suicide.

At first the conversation was about HIV and AIDS, and it was so successful that within three years policy on HIV and AIDS changed nationally (see 1990 extract [PDF 0.8MB]) – then globally.

Since then the scope of conversations has widened significantly, and thousands of local communities have taken action and improved their lives.

The worse the conflict and stigma, the better the conversation works. Whether the situation involves COVID-19, HIV, AIDS, Ebola and many other conflict causes – they all improve. When our voices and actions are expressed locally they can be amplified into global change.

The process and principles are simple and inexpensive – and they're also quite particular. It's a specific art.

Start by watching affirm's online film 'TOGETHER'. Read the Book. Study other materials on this website. They're useful – but understanding will come when you allow yourself to experience the conversation personally such as through applying the SALT protocol.

As to affirm - well, we're here to support and encourage you.

• We're more a community of practice than an organisation.
• We follow our belief that people in their homes and neighbourhoods can respond to critical challenges from their human strengths.
• We believe that organisations need to adapt their practice and policy as their response.
• We believe they can do so by intentionally learning from the local response by immersing themselves in local response through applying the SALT protocol.

We've followed and nurtured this conversation for over thirty years – and it still refreshes, inspires, reconciles and astounds us!