Social work, psychology and the 'softer' sciences may take a bashing at the hands of those who kneel at the altar of hard data, but in the Eastern Cape--emerging from a morass of historical intrigue and corruption--they're proving effective.
Take a cohort of stressed district health managers in resource-poor settings whose demotivation and burn-out contribute directly to poor patient health outcomes. Add an intensive listening skills and team building workshop hosted by a social worker with her Master's in Public Health. (1)
The result? The districts run by the newly empowered local leaders are suddenly removed from the 'problem district' chart at head office in Bhisho or Pretoria. What happened? The clouds of perception have shifted as each member of the team realises that the locus of power and change lies far closer to home than they thought. One word of warning from the facilitator herself, however; to be sustainable the workshop, now in sudden demand across the Eastern Cape, has to be part of a 'basket of interventions'. We hope that this first significant and innovative breakthrough is appropriately supported to give it the 'legs' it so badly needs.
