Rain Workers

To achieve our primary goals - reducing poverty and empowering women - we train local multipliers, so-called RAIN WORKERS, who pass on the knowledge they have acquired in a snowball effect.

Activity Fields of the Rain Workers

RAIN WORKERS are established in a local NGO, educational or health institution, or a suitable network. Additionally, they are qualified by The RAIN WORKERs through the educational program "Knowledge as a Chance" and serve their community. Low-threshold, easy to understand, in the local language, with knowledge of traditions, they spread knowledge among those who do not have access to education on family planning and sexual & reproductive health and rights. RAIN WORKERS conduct their "Health Talks", among others, in:

Educational Centers

Primary & Secondary Schools, High Schools, Universities, Academies for Health, Social and Pedagogical Professions, Vocational Schools / Vocational Centers

Recreational Youth Centers

Sports clubs, youth groups, teenage mothers' groups, uncut girls' groups (groups of girls who are active against genital mutilation and are not themselves affected)

Women's and men's groups

Purely gendered and mixed groups of adults, parents' meetings, couples without children, mothers' groups, various associations

Organized communities

Church meetings, HIV-infected groups, further training for pedagogical - medical - social personnel

Decision makers

village elders, midwives, circumcisers, religious leaders, children’s officers, violence prevention officers, police officers, clan leaders

Places of public life

Marketplaces, village meetings and celebrations, family visits, couples counseling, religious gatherings, agricultural field days.

What means to be 'a good Rain Worker'?

RAIN WORKERS are the "bridge builders" of The RAIN WORKERs: they are the link between the educational program "Knowledge as a Chance" and the people in their communities! Their heart beats for healthy development in their society! The ideal RAIN WORKER is:

  • experienced in the field or has a suitable profession,

  • works well in a team,

  • works with schools & universities, health centers or in village communities,

  • is locally networked,

  • maintains long-term partnerships,

  • raises awareness in the local language in a culturally sensitive way,

  • clarifies complex knowledge in an easily understandable way with descriptive TEACHING TOOLS,

  • takes pleasure in confidently conveying complex and often taboo content,

  • is didactically and methodically skillful and flexible.

Are you interested?

@ NGOs and educational/health institutions:
Want to have your team trained as RAIN WORKERs by The RAIN WORKERs?

@NGOs, educational/health institutions, experts, individuals:
Do you want to participate in the next RAIN WORKER trainer training?

Feel free to contact us

How to become a Rain Worker

Beginner Workshop

Basic Training: In a 5-day Beginner Workshop, participants*, who ideally are already working in the social, educational, or medical field, learn the core content of Family Planning (FP) and Sexual & Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR). They are trained by local and/or European trainers. The workshops are organized jointly with Southern NGOs or educational institutions. The centerpieces of the teaching and learning materials are:

  • the The RAIN WORKERs workshop folder in English, French, Arabic and Amharic (if needed, we translate selected content into other local languages).

  • the "Big 5 TEACHING TOOLS

  • the poster set

All RAIN WORKERS receive this material set together with the RAIN WORKER T-shirt in the The RAIN WORKERs bag (After beeing certified as a RAIn WORKER they may keep the materials).
The Beginner Workshop can take place "on the ground" or in Distance Learning.

Probation Time/ Revision period

For the next three to six months, trainees meet once a month with a local supervisor from their NGO to review and reinforce what they have learned. During these meetings, they will use the The RAIN WORKERs TEACHING TOOLS, practice content, didactics, and presentation in the group, and think together about where and how they will organize their outreach, the transmission of knowledge in their community, after the completion of the training.

Advanced Workshop

After the months of the "trial period", in which the participants realize whether they really want to complete the training, a 5-day Advanced Workshop takes place, in which the contents of "Knowledge as a Chance" are repeated and intensified. In addition, the trainers go into real field situations with the trainees and practice generating persuasive arguments, addressing young people, and simply explaining in communities.

Afterwards, a trainer runs an exam and certifies the graduates. The newly graduated RAIN WORKERS receive a RAIN WORKER certificate and may now begin outreach activities in the community.

Implementation Time

We usually support certified RAIN WORKERS for 12 months by means of an allowance for them to conduct two sessions, two educational activities, per month and to sensitize and educate their environment. The RAIN WORKERs target:

  • Schools & youth groups, street children,

  • Community meetings, Elders groups,

  • health facilities,

  • Church communities,

  • Women's and Men's groups,

  • Teenage Mothers, HIV Groups and Uncut Girls Groups.

They submit their monthly reports to The RAIN WORKERs so that the data can be evaluated, and the training curriculum can be constantly adapted to socio-cultural conditions.

Implementation Time

We usually support certified RAIN WORKERS for 12 months by means of an allowance for them to conduct two sessions, two educational activities, per month and to sensitize and educate their environment. The RAIN WORKERs target:

  • Schools & youth groups, street children,

  • Community meetings, Elders groups,

  • health facilities,

  • Church communities,

  • Women's and Men's groups,

  • Teenage Mothers, HIV Groups and Uncut Girls Groups.

They submit their monthly reports to The RAIN WORKERs so that the data can be evaluated, and the training curriculum can be constantly adapted to socio-cultural conditions.

Together for a better world

For NGO cooperation: Book RAIN WORKER training

You want to have your people trained as RAIN WORKERS and/or as RAIN WORKER trainers* by The RAIN WORKERs and additionally qualify them with the educational program "Knowledge as a Chance"?

Your RAIN WORKER training offer

Our successes can be seen

33 years

... experience in transmitting knowledge about family planning and sexual and reproductive health and rights to educationally disadvantaged people!

"Big 5" Teaching Tools

Innovative, unique - simply smart and are easy to understand, clear teaching materials that Dr. Maria Hengstberger and her team have developed. They make it possible to talk about difficult topics, to overcome barriers of shame and lack of understanding and to break taboos.

> 750 RAIN WORKERS

have been trained as knowledge multipliers since 2009. In independent projects or in cooperation with The RAIN WORKERs, they take "Knowledge as a Chance" out into their communities every day.

12 countries

In 12 countries of the African continent, we have already trained RAIN WORKERS in cooperation with local NGOS and institutions: Senegal, Mali, Niger, Sudan, South-Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Zambia.

more than 700.000 people

... have been sensitized and educated by RAIN WORKERS in West, East and Southern Africa since 2009: in schools, in personal talks, in large groups but also through radio and TV broadcasts.

Bridge between North and South

At The RAIN WORKERs, work and donation partnerships are based on mutual respect, flexibility, and heart. These are the keys to our success for a better world together, where women are empowered, and poverty is reduced.

Rain Workers introduce themselves

Many RAIN WORKER teams from many NGOs in many African countries are active in their communities on a daily basis. Representative for all of them, we introduce you to those who, besides their educational activities, could take the time to compile personal information and who agreed to share their portraits. They also needed the appropriate technical equipment (smartphone with a passable camera), as well as internet access - both of which are not a matter of course in rural areas.

Catherine Nyongesa

Catherine Nyongesa is now a RAIN WORKER trainer at DESECE. The video was recorded in Jan 2022, in November 2022 she did the trainer training 🤩.

David Juma

David Juma is a RAIN WORKER Supervisor with the NGO DESECE in Bungoma, Kenya.

Lilian Chacha

Lilian Chacha is a Senior RAIN WORKER with the NGO Make Me Smile Kenya (MMSK) in Kisumu, Kenya.

Robert Partis

Robert Partis, meanwhile, is a RAIN WORKER supervisor at DESECE.

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