PART III – ROLES OF THE OSH-WIND CHAMPION AND PARATECHNICIAN

Besides the participants, there are two important persons in the OSH-WIND Program. They are
the OSH-WIND Champion and the OSH-WIND Paratechnician. Together, they form the OSH-
WIND Help Desk to ensure an effective mechanism of advocacy and accomplishment of the
OSH action plans in their community.

THE OSH-WIND CHAMPION

The OSH-WIND Champion is a representative from the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR)
or the local government who serves as the chief trainer of the technical session. The Champion
may also be a member of the Technical Working Group (TWG) of the KALAHI Farmers’ Center
(KFC)7. The primary responsibility of the Champion is to make the participants understand the
OSH-WIND principles and not to dictate to them what to do. The success of the program lies on
the participants’ understanding because they have the knowledge, skills and experiences to
improve their own situations. The Champion provides support for the changes undertaken by the
participants’ initiative and the assistance of institutions in the community.

The following are suggestions for the Champion in making the technical session successful. The
suggestions are arranged in the mnemonic CHAMPION:

C onvey and discuss the simple, practical and low-cost ways of practicing
occupational safety and health. Encourage the participants to utilize solutions that are
locally available. Refrain from theoretical discussions and focus on the real current
problems to be solved. Discussions are never productive if they are theoretical in nature. One
little improvement is more meaningful than 100 theoretical discussions.

H andle the monitoring of the participants’ implementation of their action plans. Key
to the continued success of the OSH-WIND Program is the consistent supervision of
the action plans’ implementation. Based on the couples’ outlined plans, they will
collaborate in gathering information, report and give recommendations to improve the level of
health and safety in the households and workplaces.

A cquaint with and utilize the local and familiar examples of improvements.
Diligently discover the many examples available so farmers have the options to choose
the most appropriate solution for them. He/she must also utilize familiar examples so
that participants may understand the technical content of the session such as: the making of
kitchen utensil stand from bamboo or wood; use of sunlight inside the house; use of cart and/or
carabao in transporting heavy materials; and others. These are some of the examples that farmers
are very knowledgeable of.

7
The KALAHI Farmers’ Center (KFC) is a learning center for farmers who wish to increase their knowledge and
skills. It is also a venue for farmers to share their experiences and discover the best techniques and technologies that
may be exhausted to organize the livelihood activities of their families and the community.

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M ap out plans for an effective support system. Conduct regular visitations,
discussions and other ways of exchanging views and experiences. This will be a
venue to express support for the improvements done by other farmers.

P raise, encourage and appreciate the answers of all participants. Give attention to any
suggestion made by any participant and acknowledge their effort. Do not stress their
weaknesses; instead, emphasize the positive aspects of their ideas and proposals. Keep a
positive atmosphere when soliciting suggestions from participants.
Participants are unique and they have different ways of expressing their opinions. Others are loud
and vocal while others are silent. An efficient Champion gives opportunity for all participants to
speak their mind, even those who are silent. He/she is also alert in recognizing participants who
would like to give practical ideas.

I nstead of giving own opinions, focus in encouraging the farmers to participate in the
discussions. Provide only for direction during discussion and do not provide direct solutions
to the participants’ concerns.

O perate in a friendly atmosphere. Being enthusiastic and welcoming to the participants

will help them open up and express their views on the changes to be made. The frequent
and fault-finding assessment of the participants’ work and answers as well as the
authoritative attitude of the Champion usually hinders the free, clear and honest exchange of
ideas.

N ote, pay attention and socialize with the participants. Listening and paying attention
to whatever the participants have to say is important for the Champion. Their knowledge
and wisdom must not be ignored and taken for granted. Noting the special
characteristics of the individual builds the Champion’s rapport and camaraderie with them.

THE OSH-WIND PARATECHNICIAN

The OSH-WIND Paratechnicians, on the other hand, are farmers from the ARBs. They may be
members of the Health Committee of the cooperatives with DAR – Agraryong Pangkalusugan or
community-based health insurance. Advocacy and social marketing are the primary
responsibilities of Paratechnicians. This aims at propagating the implementation of meaningful
change in the living and working conditions of farmers and their families. As Paratechnicians,
they undergo an additional training stated in Annex D : Outline for OSH-WIND Paratechnicians’
Training. They assist the Champions in the administration of the OSH-WIND Help Desk. The
OSH-WIND Help Desk may be opened in:
• the KFC, as part of the services of their resource center;

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 • the DAR-AP8 areas, as part of their preventive health service; or
• other provinces or municipalities with community-based social health insurance
and KFC.

The OSH-WIND Paratechnician is expected to fulfill the responsibilities spelled out in the
mnemonic PARATEK:

P
cost.
rovide an exemplary model of improvement to other farmers. To be a Paratechnician
in the community is to be an ideal imitated by others in undertaking positive changes in
their living and working conditions. These changes must be simple, practical and low-

A dvocate and promote OSH-WIND through “social marketing” in order to

propagate its principles in homes, organizations and cooperatives in other
communities. This is important for the community to gather as much support from the
different sectors of society. From the focused group discussion, the Paratechnician, with the
assistance of the Champion, will identify advocacy issues regarding OSH. These issues will be
discussed in venues such as seminars, fora, and other special events related to agriculture. The
use of information, education, communication and motivational materials will also help in
spreading the practice of OSH-WIND in homes, organizations and the whole community.

R ecognize and award the OSH-WIND adopters with the help of DAR. With the help
of the Paratechnician, DAR selects note-worthy OSH-WIND adopters according to the
determined criteria9. The Paratechnician may also help in seeking sponsors for the
awards to be given to the outstanding OSH-WIND adopters.

A cquaint with the farmers’ hindrances or problems in undertaking the changes in

their household and workplaces and help find ways to solve such issues. Because the
Paratechnician is part of the community and socializes with the farmers, it is easy for
him/her to know their concerns in the implementation of their action plans. It is his/her role to
help find solutions and assist in the changes to be made.

T ake initiative of consistently monitoring and evaluating the action plan

implementation. With the leadership of the Champion, the Paratechnician assists in the
assessment of the participants’ action plans and its implementation. This may be done by
continuous visitation, presiding meetings with participating couples in the technical session to
discuss their experiences in spreading OSH-WIND or the use of the evaluation tools.

8
The DAR-Agraryong Pangkalusugan (DAR-AP) is a program that enhances the competence of the cooperatives in the rural areas to provide
social health insurance to farmers that are not reached by government programs. Through this, the cooperatives design their own premium
according to their capacities and the benefit package according to their needs. In this way, the underprivileged farmers have the opportunity to
receive their needed health services.
9
The sample guideline for OSH Awards and Recognition Program is in the Annex C of this Manual.

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E xperience sharing or the exchange of views and ideas regarding the changes being
implemented in their living and working conditions must be initiated by the
Paratechnician. This propagates the action towards meaningful change and deeper
understanding on the solutions to be made for the progress of their community

K eep the health of the farmer’s family of greatest importance. The Paratechnician
must encourage everyone in the community to undertake improvements in their living
and working conditions. It is the goal of the Paratechnician to propagate the principles
of OSH-WIND not only at home and in his/her organization but to the whole community.
Through the help of the Champion, the awareness of the farmers on the importance and
advantages gained from simple and low-cost means must be increased. The benefits of OSH-
WIND are usually taken for granted after the technical session, reason why the Paratechnician
must conduct follow-through activities.

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