The Pastoral Centre in Nkhata Bay bustled with activity from July 24th to 27th, 2025, as Ungweru Organisation through the Sharing Education and Learning for Life (SELL) program successfully conducted a Facilitators’ Training in community building.
This enriching four-day workshop brought together 26 volunteer trainees from different communities to equip them with skills and insights toward building strong and resilient communities. The topic was carefully designed to present a holistic concept of community and tools applicable in working with them.
Key session included:
Building with What You Have: An opening exercise where volunteers silently formed something meaningful out of a variety of objects to stress the importance of non-verbal communication and collaborative problem-solving.
Prayer Experience: May We All Be One: This activity promoted interfaith understanding and unity through readings from Christian, Muslim, and African traditions, with a reflective story called “Rainbow” to underscore the beauty of diversity.
Sankofa: Looking Back to Move Forward: Volunteers thought about their positive and negative experiences while stepping down training to other volunteers and mentoring workshops in their communities, paving the way for creative solutions to challenges faced in those activities.
Mind Map on “Community”: Participants examined the term “Community” through collaborative mind-mapping to deepen their individual and shared understanding.
Process Work on Identity & Exploration of Perspectives: These sessions looked into the personal and cultural identities. They introduced the “Crocodile Handout” to show how much culture is unseen and stressed that culture changes through time.
The Global Community & TED Talk (Chimamanda Adichie – The Danger of a Single Story): Participants listened to and discussed the powerful TED Talk that sparked reflections on diverse narratives and the interconnectedness of global communities.
The Role of Women & Sexual Addiction and the Internet: Important contemporary social issues were addressed, providing volunteers with a broader understanding of challenges within communities.
Seminar Group Presentations: Volunteers presented on key themes including Thinking, Teamwork, Caring for the Earth, and Social Media, showcasing their insights through creative expressions like poems, mimes, songs, or role plays.
The training concluded with a focus on practical implementation, ensuring that volunteers were prepared to apply their new knowledge in their respective communities. Participants received planning checklists and auxiliary materials, and were assured of ongoing mentorship and support from the trainers.
