Kohima: The North East Institute of Social Sciences and Research in Chümoukedima hosted a two-day workshop on Participatory Rural Appraisal. The event ran October 22 and 23. It targeted Master of Social Work first-semester and Bachelor of Social Work trainees. The goal is building practical skills for community assessment.
Assistant Professor Daisinlung Sebastian Kamsuan taught the core concepts and principles. Assistant Professor Vizosu Kikhi led the practical sessions. Trainees used a wide range of analytical tools. These included social and resource mapping, transect walks, ranking, scoring, pairwise matrix ranking, mobility mapping, seasonal calendars, daily activity clocks, timelines, and problem tree analysis.
These exercises help future social workers identify community needs. Students learn to map local resources and find root causes for problems. The school wants to ensure students can plan and carry out real interventions. Dr. Judith Huidina, the Skill Coordinator, planned the entire event. She noted the program, "emphasised experiential learning and community participation in identifying needs, analysing problems and developing appropriate interventions."
The training finished with a focus on community organization. It prepared the students for future fieldwork. They now have a toolkit for effective community engagement.
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