Guestbook Entries

I'm a 53 year old women, mother of 5 grown child married 34 yrs. My husband had several affairs. We were high school sweethearts. You could have never told me I would have ended up in a marriage like the one I am in. I had two minor strokes(TIA) thank God nothing to serious he helps me but he doesn't want to be here anymore. He won't leave, but staying is causing extreme discomfort mentally and psychically. Did I mention He had a child out of this affair.

The Community Tool Box has given several ideas on how to recruit members, how to start the meeting, and tips on handling difficult group members.

AM 35 YEAR OLD. AM A KENYAN CITIZEN. I WAS BORN 35YEARS AGO IN MAGAWA VILLAGE IN SIAYA COUNTY FORMERLY SIAYA DISTRICT. I AM CURRENTLY PURSUING DIPLOMA COURSE IN PROJECT MANAGEMENT AT KENYA INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT. I STARTED A COMMUNITY BASED ORGANIZATION SOME TWO YEARS AGO WITH AN AIM OF SENSITIZING AND MOBILIZING THE COMMUNITY TO UNDERSTAND AND TAKE ACTION ON SOCIAL CHALLENGES AFFECTING THEM.

I HAVE JUST GONE THROUGH IT. BASICALLY IT IS VERY DETAILED AND RESOURCEFUL. THIS IS DEFINITELY GOING TO HELP ME DURING MY WORK.

I am an English hungry man who would like to teach and train people in speaking learning and writing. I am running 38, smart looking with a flair for English language. I have a beautiful family and enjoying a peaceful life. I am crazy on English movies and a voracious reader of classics. Looking forward for more progression...

My name is Mahawa Komala from Liberia west africa, I am a volunteer member of a peace building organization in Liberia called (Everyday Ganhis) our mission is to educate and inspire the public, supporting peace through sharing stories and experiences that illustrate fresh thinking, respect for traditional culture,restoration of nature, innovative media, and the importance of community storytelling. as a peace-builder, as we understand it, is the inside-outsider who, by tending to that role, catalyzes the wisdom of an individual or community to restore its intrinsically sustainable authentic nature.

The community tool box has been very helpful to me and also my work in the community, I dream to become a environmental scientist, I have interest in community issue and development, I get most of my article from the community tool box, whenever we have a project to undertake in our community I used the community tool box to get all of my information in during my presentation, I am very thankful to the university of Kansas of creating this tool box for us.

Thanks

Mahawa Komala
Liberia

I am the Director of Development at Eliada Home for Children, and have been doing program planning and fundraising for non-profits for 25 years. My background is social work.

I have used Community Tool Box for years - it helps me write grants, develop outcomes, lead processes, develop protocols, and so on. It is like "planning in a box". It is everything I have learned about non-profit work in outline form! I love it!

A group of art and design students from a local tertiary institution, Eastern Institute of Technology, presented to our parks team and Councillors on design ideas for an upcoming park revitalisation - one of the groups referenced ctb.ku.edu - that seemed familiar!
I am a KU alum (Bachelors Geography '87 and MSEd '92)
Good resource you have here - being used around the world!

Binta Moustapha teaches Basic Science and Biology at a privately owned school where she also heads the Mathematics, Science and Technology Department to earn a living.

She is most noted for her efforts towards promoting mathematics, science and technical education for young Nigerian learners especially girls since 2010 through a nonprofit organization which started as B'da Best Concepts but now registered as The Best Education for Development Foundation.

She has just opened an adult and Continuing Education Center this May 2014 to help young girls and women who were withdrawn from western schools for marriage acquire knowledge and skills to function effectively in the Community.

She just qualified for an award which recognizes women in Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics-(STEM) across Africa and Middle East sponsored by the United States Department for Education and Cultural Affairs.

This award is an all expense paid 5 weeks Internship at Washington DC and Silicon Valley in San Francisco USA scheduled for the 30th to the 5th of November 2014.

She looks forward to partnerships, empowerments and collaborations that will help develop her initiatives in Nigeria.

The Community Tool box has been a map to provide structure and content for my work.

The information and guidelines are indispensable.

I am the executive director of a local NGO dealing with community development activities like health, education, IGA, youth development, etc.

This is my first time to discover your web site and tool box. It helped me a lot improve the action plan of my organisation and it has been particularly helpful for my junior staff who found it very simple and easy to use. Thank you very much for developing these tools and making them available for free for the development of humanity. You are doing a great job. Thank you very much.

I am ADONGO ATOGUMLEMYA PROSPER a native of Yua-Navrongo and a graduate student studying community health and development of the university for development studies.

I am an educationist by profession. Have traveled wide across the different continent of the world. Am very concern and passionate about the pathetic condition and lack of proper development and organization of most communities in my country, and how to bring improvement to support what the government is doing. I have been considering starting an organization that will partner with private and government bodies and contribute to the improvement, provision of basic services and development to the less privileged citizens in their various communities across the nation. In my quest for useful and helpful materials, i stumbled on the Community Tool Box.

Have just downloaded all the PowerPoint slides. Am studying them slide by slide. Afterward, I intend to start recruiting a team of volunteers with similar vision and passion, train them using the community tool box materials, then we will launch the Community Organization for Development Initiative across my nation. I am optimistic that with the rich content of the CTB, I will be able to effect an action that will eventually benefit the ordinary citizen in my Country. I also want to make further contact with CTB organization for any kind of affiliation that might be available. Thank you very much for the good job with the CTB.

we are youth group working for youth of korangi , we are empowering our fellows by train them on different topics and life skills , which can make them benifical for society

CTB IS HELPING us by making us understand the concepts of community ,we use the speciman of fund rasing module and lectures

I am master student, studying Community Health and Development. I have a keen interest in community issues and participatory methods for sustainable development.

The Toolbox is to me a resource like like none other. It is giving me a more practical insight into the assessment of community needs and resources, building leadership and dealing with opposition. Among other things I am glad that I can readily see what others have done in their situation and be able to adapt and customize it to fit mine. I am about starting an advocacy and policy research organization and the toolbox resource on funding proposal is very informative. It really straigtens all ambiguity and for me, research, teaching and training, as well as building partnerships for future developmental projects just got easier. I am grateful.

I am currently offering a Master's degree in Community Health and Development at the University for Development Studies. I am a biomedical scientist by profession but intends to be a community development worker so as to help bring about positive change in the rural communities of Ghana.
The northern part of Ghana over the years have been faced with several developmental issues and i have been inspired, motivated and charged to contribute my quota in bringing about development within that zone which i happen to find my hometown.
I intend to act as a link between communities and a range of other authorities and partners who have the interest in community development. By doing this, it would give me the opportunity to frequently address inequalities and problems in various communities that are usually perceived to be culturally,socially and demographically disadvantaged.

As a community development trainee,the Community Tool Box will help me bring about social change and improve the quality of life of the local areas which i work in. Thus, it would help me plan as to what the community needs so as to take appropriate strategies to meet targeted goals.
The Community Tool Box will again, help me to gain requisite skills and techniques in order to actively engage communities in making sense of the issues which affect their lives, setting goals for improvement and responding to problems and needs through empowerment and active participation in order to solve problems and improve lives.

My name is Sutaa Francis from Nandom in the Upper West Region of Ghana. I am a nurse practicing at West Gonja Hospital at the public health unit. I did my nursing training at Jirapa nurses training college, preceded to Catholic University to do Bsc. Public Health and Allied Sciences (health management) and now at the University For Development Studies reading MSc Community Health And Development.

I am a nurse whose work is more on health promotion. My main aim is to improve the health status of the people especially maternal and child health. I have heard of the Community Tool Box but had not used it because I did not have much knowledge of it. I have come to realized that I have failed in most of my interventions because I have no power and direction. Now that I have a broader idea of the Community Tool Box, I have been empowered and I am going to use it as my dictionary or a compass in my daily activities. I am assuring Prof. Stephen and the world that they are going to hear my success stories in the near future. Thank you very much.

I have been teaching for the past twenty years and it suffice to say that, half of my working life has been with adolescents. I currently pursue a course in Community Health and Development in the University for Development Studies in Ghana as a Master's student and my reason for running this course is to help change my small community for the better through youth/adolescent empowerment in reproductive health related issues, for tomorrows future depends on today's youth.

I was introduced to this website by my astute lecturers of the Community Health and Development department of the University for Development Studies in Ghana, and as a teacher in the basic/second cycle level and a student of Community Health and Development, my interest is in the health of adolescents in general and their reproductive health in particular.
The CTB has armed me with all the tools needed to strengthen me and make me become more resilient and self-reliant in dealing with not just only my interest but other related community challenges.

I am Frank Adjei with BSc Public Health and MPhil in Community Health and Development.
I have the interest in the health of the people at the deprived community levels and how to assist and empower such people to develop and maintain their own health

To collaborate and bring out the community level participation to ensure mobilisation and community ownership

Am a student pursuing Community Health and Development at the University for Development Studies.My desire to work with rural communities and marginalized groups to improve their lives actually inspired me to pursue this program. A particular area of interest to me is adolescent health and development. My desire is to work with adolescents especially young girls to enhance their total development for the future.

Currently, am using the section on starting a youth/mentor ship group. I want to start a mentor ship program dubbed 'sister2sister' for senior high school girls in one or two selected schools in Tamale. The objective of this is to enhance the development of young girls in the areas of education, building self-esteem/confidence, career development guidance, sexual health and decision making and leadership skills.This section is giving me insight on how to start the program.

I work with ADDRO (an NGO in Ghana) as a Behaviour Change Officer. I am also a student of the University for Development Studies; studying community health and development.

I will soon be carrying out a my thesis research in some communities in the Upper East Region. I do sincerely want to give something (feedback/information) back to the communities when the study is complete. The Community Tool Box has offered me the perfect guide on how to do so.
I have also found that the CTB has a superior guide to developing competitive grant proposals; I will surely make the CTB website known to my employing organisation and my co-workers.

I AM A NURSE BY PROFESSION,HAS WORKED FOR THE PAST 14YEARS.I AM HIGHLY MOTIVATED,EASILY ASSOCIATE WITH OTHERS AND VERY FAST TO LEARN NEW THINGS.I LISTEN A LOT AND TALK LESS.

THE COMMUNITY TOOL BOX WILL HELP ME TO TREAT THE HEALTH OF THE INDIVIDUAL IN A WHOLISTIC MANNER,KNOWING THAT,HEALTH AND DEVELOPMENT ARE INSEPERABBLE.

Hoping that the tool box will help me expand on ideas for new grant writing opportunities.

I am the Survey Center Manager working with reports and statistics of our survey panels and research. Recently, I was asked about my grant writing abilities. I really had not done this before. So, I am writing to inquire if it is possible to send a HARD COPY of the Tool Box for Grant Writing. I have reviewed on line but do not have the time either at work or home to spend that much time online.

If you are able to send me a hard copy, I can work at it little by little to educate myself to become a grant writer and expand our business. Thank You.

Hello,
I am a patient's rights advocate working in support of Kansas SB9: The Cannabis Compassionate Care Act. I am a mother to 7. I have worked in marketing/promotions/advertising for over 16 years but my passions are history and cultural anthropology. I am going back to school in Fall for a Public Administration degree from KU. I am hosting a rally on May 17th to support the cannabis act, Bleeding Kansas 2014 (Facebook group), and I am so grateful to have found your wonderful site.

I have already downloaded all your power points, and shared all pertinent pages with my Bleeding Kansas Protest Facebook group. This information will be invaluable in the coming months. I will be using your petition checklist tomorrow as call and get all the needed information to make sure the petition we will starting, asking for the act to be put to a public vote, is completely solid. I am so grateful to have found you!! Thank you so much. We have so many patients whose lives are in the balance. We lost a precious 18 month old this year. We have many other patients still waiting. It is imperative we do all we can, and also that we do it in the correct, and most effective manner.

I had done self-help groups on various topics here in south eastern Arizona in the pass. I have mental issues myself and find peer groups help me maintain a positive attitude toward myself and how I perceive the world around me. Is also a great way in creating alternative perceptions, alternative solutions to similar reoccurring events, and learn new ways to advocacy for each other and individually. It has been several years since I was involved in peer support and find my mental status becoming fragile and shaky. When I feel I cannot influence or control numerous events in my life; especially the way people treat me (after years of therapy), it occurred to me my attitude or perception has become negative. I lack hope and faith in living a better life. I must not be using alternatives in solving these similar reoccurring events; nor am I using alternative perspectives. It is time to facilitate a self-help peer support group, since there are none available here.
I was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress severe enough that serious mental illness was attached. There is a debate over whether I have Borderline personalty or Complex-PTSD. I disagree with the borderline personalty (rural mental health center) and agree with Complex-PTSD (my therapist, I was seeing outside the rural mental health center).
Another factor is the policy changes that are occurring which is putting physical and mental health care together puts primary care physicians at the fore-front of mental health issues and potentially access to mental health programs even a worse problem in rural areas because of the lack of choices in physicians' or facilitators of various programs.
Additional factor is that the majority of rural communities cultural differences are extremely diverse and lack major perspective similarities from one to another.
Last factor is wanting to return to obtain my Bachelors degree in psychology. I have five classes to go however have failed Abnormal Psychology twice and withdraw 3 times; I need to overcome this issue.
Noteworthy points:
1- Our rural mental health centers use a more authoritative approach because most individuals are mandated by the court to use these facilities. They put people who volunteer to enter groups, treatment or therapy in these programs. One program does not fix everyone. (I am volunteer.)
2- My personal experience is that the majority of rural mental health centers lack programs that are client-oriented programs rather than court-oriented programs. Peer support groups are rare.
3- Client-oriented programs vs court-oriented programs
*Client-oriented programs are designed in a way that the service is non-compliant if the client does not like the facilities groups, treatment, or therapy, as well as, the facilitators' behavior, attitude, attendance, or performance. The service works for the client similar to an advertising service works for a business.
**Court-oriented programs are designed in a way that the client is non-compliant if the facilitator does not like the client's behavior, attitude, attendance, or performance. Service is provided for the client to meet courts requirements and service must uphold court regulations.
4-Equality is an excellent perspective; however, individuals unique differences can be overlooked, consequently individuals become objects in the process. People have different perceptions of people, events, and items attached to emotions. Objects lack perceptions nor possess emotions that are processed without differences, this makes object's performance the priority than than the object its self.
Note: You can quote me and have my permission to do so!! You can also use my name!

I am looking for new topics for self-help peer support group relevant to solving every day issues that attack a person's self-esteem, self-worth, and self-confidence.
Alternative approaches to resolving interactions with dealing with government programs, the continual policy changes, overwhelming increasing paperwork, and being treated like an object rather than a person. Learning and teaching now to advocate for one's self.
Alternative approaches to resolving interactions with family, friends, and the community.
Last but not least alternative perceptions of one's self, others, events, and programs. (As well, past and present behavior or treatment of the mentally ill by individuals in psychology relevant to abnormal psychology).