Project Overview - Project Activities and Outcomes
The activities in this grant provided for a two and one-half-year period
of activities designed (1) to ensure full understanding among the administrators
and the faculty of the CUR of successful approaches to community health service,
(2) to build capacity and develop instructional materials to carry out a community
health program, and (3) to develop the links between the CUR, the community
and the other institutions of higher education in Senegal that would be necessary
for the project’s success and sustainability.
Activity 1: U.S. Training for CUR administration and faculty
The CUR staff from the Bambey District, selected by the Senegalese Ministry
of Education, included three females (a physician, a dental surgeon, and a
nurse supervisor) and three male staff (a social worker, a nutritionist, and
the director of the CUR). The team came to Florida for two training sessions,
one in March 2001 and another in April of 2002. In addition to participating
in a number of training sessions, the Senegalese team observed state-of-the-art
community health programs that relate to one of the priorities in the USAID
strategic plan of “the increased contribution of the host- country institutions
of higher learning to sustainable development.”
Florida faculty selected by FLAWI administrators joined this team and provided
on-site technical assistance and training at UNF and FCCJ in Jacksonville,
and FAMU in Tallahassee, Florida. In addition, CUR faculty visited with the
Duval County Health Department to review validated community health assessment
tools. In their training, they also visited the programs of nongovernmental
organizations that successfully implement community health programs in areas
that are considered high priority to the Senegalese Ministry of Health and
USAID-Senegal.
Activity 2: Technical Assistance in Senegal
Faculty teams from UNF, FCCJ and FAMU traveled to Senegal and assisted with
the development of the community health curriculum. The faculty met with the
faculty of the CUR :
(1) to develop and create the curriculum,
(2) to discuss the Field-based experiential programs for the students, and
(3) to meet with the community health leaders and notables responsible for
delivering the community health programs in Bambey. These sessions included
visits by faculty teams and CUR counterparts to the Postes de Santé
(health centers) in the Bambey region to develop vital relationships that
would be beneficial for the students to receive internship training and sponsorships
in the area.
Outcome 1: Development of CUR Faculty
The grant planners believed that implementing a community health program depended
heavily upon a “training of trainers” approach. Therefore, professional
development activities focused on program management and administration for
the CUR Director and training in curriculum development, design of instructional
materials, advising and teaching techniques, and planning and evaluation for
the faculty.
Outcome 2: Building Curriculum and Course Content
In the project, the CUR faculty developed the materials and the instructional
approach for course work and for related field-based learning experiences.
The selected course of study was based on a standard two-year degree program
in community health following the Florida community college model. This model
was chosen because it possessed the flexibility to meet the variety of needs
expressed by the Senegalese community leaders. The project involved specific
writing skills for curriculum development of the core courses. These core
courses, based on the Florida curriculum, provided the basic knowledge, experiential
learning, and application of technologies necessary for the implementation
of a community health program.
Outcome 3: Development of Local Contacts for Building
Consensus on Community Health
A. Development of Community Support: The project utilized a variety of techniques
to engender support and enthusiasm for the community health program. Those
included establishing links with key community leaders, publicizing the CUR
through teleconferencing with community leaders and secondary school administrators,
using mass media, and publicizing information about CUR programs to prospective
students. An Advisory Council with representatives from the community was
formed, and at the end of the project, a final conference presentation was
given to the Bambey community and the Minister of Education.
B. Recruitment of Students: The project assisted the CUR in the development
of an innovative and aggressive approach to recruitment with a clear and equitable
selection process to ensure accessibility to all deserving persons, particularly
the non-traditional student. The plan encouraged student selection based on
role delineation, identified community needs, and the applicants’ demonstrated
leadership and service commitments.
C. Articulation: The CUR was encouraged to develop relationships with Cheikh
Anta Diop University in Dakar and Gaston Berger University in Saint-Louis
so that some portion of the graduating students could elect to continue their
education after completing the CUR program. The U.S. grant team met with Senegalese
university administrators and faculty as well as USAID and U.S. Embassy personnel
in Dakar to keep them acquainted with the progress of the project.
D. Internship/Employment: The CUR has been advised to use the assistance of
the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Health to secure agreements
from the Postes de Santé and local schools for the development of experiential
learning opportunities and future employment of students.
contact
Florida West Africa Linkage Institute
University of North Florida ; 4567 St. Johns Bluff Road,
South ; Jacksonville, Florida 32224
Telephone: (904)620-1950, Fax: (904) 620-1790
