Incorporating adult learning principles and practices into the design of tools, training and curriculum helps to facilitate learning, skill application and behavior change.  Freedom from Hunger is known for its expertise in adult learning, particularly its application in the field of integrated services and use in curriculum design for clients with limited literacy.  In fact, all Freedom from Hunger staff are trained in adult learning methodology. 

Building from our training and worldwide experience, we offer a number of products and services to implementing organizations.  Based on the work of Paulo Freire and Jane Vella, all implement the following principles:

• Respect between the learner and the facilitator.

• Affirmation of the learner’s participation.

• Relevance to the experience and real-life needs of the learner.

• Dialogue between facilitator and learner, and among learners.

• Immediate application of the new learning to the learner's life and work.

• Engagement of the learner using discussion, small groups and learning from peers.

• Incorporation of tools that support visual, auditory and kinesthetic learning.

• Activities that allow learners to think and feel, as well as do.

• A safe environment for the learning to take place.

Specifically, our staff provides tools, training and technical assistance in the following:

• Principles and Practices of Adult Learning Primer to prepare staff to facilitate Freedom from Hunger Lifeskills curricula or other training events for clients or staff

• Dialogue-based Design Workshop Guide to build staff skills to design training events for groups with multiple knowledge, skill and literacy levels using dialogue

• Dialogue-based Facilitation Workshop Guide to build staff skills to apply adult learning principles and practices, particularly dialogue, to the facilitation of Lifeskills curricula with groups with multiple knowledge, skill and literacy levels

• Curriculum Design to develop staff capacity to design new curricula in response to local priorities and client needs

• Training System Guide to establish a clear, cohesive approach to training within an implementing organization in order to improve service quality and client satisfaction.