Africa: Call For Participants

*/CALL FOR PARTICIPANTS/*

Second regional training Workshop on Participatory methods for research and training for a people centred health system Training and Research Support Centre (TARSC), The Ifakara Health Research and Development Centre (IHRDC)with the Southern African Regional Network on Equity in Health (EQUINET) and CHESSORE Zambia

*Call Closes On December 15, 2006! *

This call invites applicants to participate and share experiences in a Regional Training Workshop for east and southern African countries on Participatory Methods for research and training for a people centred health system being held on *February 14-17 2007. *

*The call:*

TARSC and IHRDC under the EQUINET umbrella and with support from CHESSORE are carrying out capacity building on participatory reflection and action (PRA) methods for research and training for a people centred health system. The training uses a toolkit developed by the institutions and peer reviewed through practical use that provides information on areas for strengthening community voice and roles in health systems and examples of participatory approaches for training and research that supports this. The training aims to support work at national, district and local level with health systems and communities in health, with a major focus on the interactions at primary health care level.

The 2007 training will focus on the relations between communities and frontline health workers. It will thus be targeted at researchers, health workers, academics, civil society organisations, NGOs, community leaders and workers and others who are involved in work with communities and health workers who are doing or involved in work on strengthening positive community - health worker interaction.

The skills workshop uses the toolkit in a practical way to build understanding of PRA approaches and their use in strengthening people centred health systems. It will work through practical examples of PRA approaches. We will provide time for application of these approaches and capacities to areas of work that participants are practically involved with at community level. The workshop uses experiences from different countries in the east and southern African region. We will also invite participants who have used PRA approaches for strengthening health worker- community interactions.

Following the training we will mentor and support research and training work linked to the ongoing EQUINET programme of work on participation and health in EQUINET.

There are limited places in the workshop. We invite interested organisations and individuals to submit an application to participate and to provide the full information shown below. The workshop will either be held in Harare, Zimbabwe or Bagamoyo, Tanzania- venue details are being finalized. The workshop will cost delegates their airfares and local costs of about $500 to cover their accommodation, meals and airport transfers. EQUINET will sponsor a limited number of accepted delegates for airfare or local costs or both based on need. Participants of existing EQUINET programmes are welcome to apply.

*Information requested from applications:*

Interested applicants should submit ? a 1-2 page ‘expression of interest’ that outlines the research or training work that they and their institution are doing / are proposing to do on strengthening community – health worker interactions at the primary care level, what their own role in this work is, where the work is being done, whether it is funded, what changes it is aiming at producing and why participatory reflection and action (PRA)
methods will enhance the work ? a personal CV including community based research and training and any prior experience of, training in or use of PRA methods, ? brief information on the institution that they work in, and ? clear information on whether they are able to meet all costs, or need EQUINET sponsorship for airfare ONLY, local costs ONLY, or ALL costs.

Applicants should submit this information by *15th December 2006* to the EQUINET secretariat [email protected] and copy it to [email protected] and [email protected] . Accepted delegates will be notified by Friday January 6 2007 on the outcome of their submission, including sponsorship and of the logistic details for the meeting.

Focal points for queries on this programme are Mr. Selemani S Mbuyita at Ifakara Health Research and Development Centre, and Dr Rene Loewenson, Training and Research Support Centre. Please send queries through [email protected] and copy it to [email protected] and [email protected] .