The manual:

• explores three participatory tools, namely Participatory Learning and Action (PLA); Community-led action research (CLAR); and transformatory workshops.
• gives a general overview for conducting community-led action research
• provides a description of the CLAR process among the key populations of the SVRI project. This section also gives an overview of the action plans developed based on this process.
• presents the challenges and lessons learned in implementing a community-owned process to address stigma and gender-based violence, and Section six presents conclusions.

The report highlights several lessons learned:

• Ensuring their safety is a key way of building the confidence of frontline workers
• Be aware of the context and constraints of target populations, such as truckers' helpers and disguised community-based sex workers, in order to reach and mobilise them.
• Ensure that the project is presented to target populations in a way that is meaningful to them.
• Participatory methodologies are extremely powerful even in short duration because they involve participants as active learners
• Involving adolescents in the intervention programs, at the recommendation of the community, provided a vital opportunity to clarify their doubts, build on their knowledge, and give them the opportunity to voice their concerns on reproductive health, sex and sexuality.
• The intervention activities created an enabling environment, which led to the acceptance of people living with HIV and AIDS, and their active participation in transformatory workshops and all other activities of the project.
• Networking with government, NGOs and community-based organizations and media has been a great support and strength to the project in creating a larger enabling environment.