It is helpful to follow a standard format when designing a training curriculum for THPs. Most training manuals contain information that covers the following categories:

1. Introduction and purpose

This is a statement of why the manual was developed, who it is for, the form it will take, the length and time schedule of the curriculum, and the information to be covered.

2. Objectives

These state the general outcomes that the training course hopes to accomplish.

3. Lesson plans

Each training manual should have specific lesson plans which break the entire content into appropriate learning modules for teaching. These will vary according to the content and the participants. Most lesson plans contain the following kinds of information:

• behavioral objectives for the session;

• main points of information to be presented;

• teaching methods to be used;

• estimated time to complete the session(s);

• audio-visual materials to be used;

• handouts to be given to/used by the participants;

• methods to evaluate the learnings of the session.

More information about how to write a lesson plan can be found in Appendix 1 and in publications listed in the References.^10,11,12,13