So what are we actually doing??

Well after over a month here we are beginning to know a bit more about what we are meant to be doing. VSO in all the pre-departure training do really try hard to explain that the placement documentation you get in the UK may bare little or small resemblance to what happens once you arrive in country. They also try and prepare you quite a lot for all the possible frustrations you may face; from practical issues like a lack of computer or electricity etc to a lack of support or interest from your employer, colleagues. Quite a few of the volunteers we've met here are pretty cynical some legitimately so, some not. Anyway at the moment we are feeling very excited and enthusiastic - long may that feeling continue...
What I will be doing as an advocacy adviser is working with various different groups (women, youth, rural groups etc) to help them change/ influence policy, increase funding.. that sort of thing but I think it might be a bit of a case of making it up as we go along... The first project I will be working on is a short ActionAid funded project to work with local women, women's groups and health professionals to see how vanuatu could better focus its STI/HIV work to better serve/protect women. There's only about a 25% rate of condom use here, a masssively high STI rate and at the moment an almost non-existant HIV rate but its not clear if thats because of lack of testing or they are just lucky.... I think it will involve research, interviews, focus groups etc with a view to influencing the activity of the department of health...Im having to get to grips with a lot of HIV related acronyms. I'll let john explain what he thinks he's doing...