The “Participatory Approach to Learning in Systems” has transformative potential to improve Infection Prevention and Control in Nigeria beyond the health facility setting. To leverage this potential, 12 PALS Trainers volunteered to become “PALS Multiplicators”. During their training, they will acquire competences to multiply PALS into other settings and for other topics.
The training program kicked off in October 2023. It consists of six modules that will be completed over the course of approximately 10-15 months. The first module was delivered virtually as a literature review and journal club and focused on the theoretical basis of “PALS”. The second module, a weeklong face to face workshop, took place in Abuja in December 2023. Training participants inquired deeper into the PALS concept and started to develop small PALS projects in familiar work contexts – an exercise for the “masterpieces”.
At the core of the training experience are “masterpiece projects”: each Multiplicator is required to work on a project, that will bring PALS into Practice in another setting, for example in a nursing school, or in a collaboration with health promotion professionals. To stay true to the PALS principle of “locality”, Participatory Approach and systemic understanding, Multiplicators will choose and develop their own projects fitting their very own (work) situation and context. Multiplicators will also contribute to increase the pool of PALS practitioners in Nigeria: In collaboration with a project funded by the Global Fund, Multiplicators will conduct a “PALS Train the Trainers” including a Change Agents Training which involves 12 health facilities in three Nigerian states.
Photo title: PALS Multiplicators and the project team during Workshop 2 in Abuja, December 2023.