NUFFIC Orange Knowledge Programme grant for SHE Collaborates, Maastricht University

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The NUFFIC Orange Knowledge Programme granted Maastricht University EUR 1,695,756 to run a project in Kenya to Develop Skills for Health Professions Education in East Africa in a Public Private Partnership: From aid to trade. On the long run this project will support in the development of Kenyans Ministry of Health PPP strategy and toolkit for providing uniform guidance for national agencies and county governments on how to engage in Health PPPs and unlock private sector investments while safeguarding value for money.

´We are living in a day and age where we have the expertise, technology and means to advance everyone’s health and wellbeing. It is our moral obligation to support Kenya in forging partnerships, find the right modalities to harness the potential out there and make it work for everyone, everywhere’.

Project name:

Development of Skills for Health Professions Education in East Africa

Project leader and project management:

SHE Collaborates, Maastricht University

Project duration time:

January 2020- December 2021

Project team: SHE Collaborates FHML, Maastricht University, Skills Meducation BV and Hanze University of Applied Sciences
Client:

North Coast Medical Training College (NCMTC), Kenya. Project location: Mtwapa, Kenya (lead) together with 4Kenya and Pwani University in Kilifi and Kwale counties

Description of the training:

There is a shortage of skilled health workers in Kenya and East Africa. Traditionally, Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) curricula focus on knowledge. To competently contribute to primary healthcare, graduates also need technical and “soft” skills.

Goal: This changes teaching and requires new educational skills and materials (e-learning, manikins, etc.).

  1. Teachers of institutions in Coastal Kenya will be trained to develop and implement skills training, entrepreneurship training and e-learning modules and
  2. Educational skills materials will be developed, supplied and maintained.

Aim: NCMTC will become a centre of excellence in skills training for paramedical professionals with strong emphasis on community care. Pwani University (public) and 4Kenya (private) TVET will join NCMTC. A revolving student loan programme will enable disadvantaged people to enroll. Skills Meducation BV will develop a branch in Kenya to supply training materials for East Africa.

A new programme ‘Biomedical instrumentation technician’ will be developed to deliver graduates who can maintain medical and educational equipment. Through involvement of county leaders, training regulating bodies (e.g. TVETA, ECSA) we will strive towards sustainable change in training health personnel in Kenya and East Africa.

Two more Dutch social enterprises are partner and expand to support e-learning (BUKU), community health and access to medicines (Healthy Entrepreneurs).

Type of activities carried out in this project:

    • Trainings
    • Workshops
    • Symposium
    • Co-development of strategic plan of expertise centre
    • Stakeholder meetings
    • (online) coaching
    • Course development
    • Skills Material development
    • Entrepreneurship in health
    • E-learning
    • M&E

Financed by: Nuffic, The Orange Knowledge Programme contributes to a society’s sustainable and inclusive development by providing access to education and training for professionals and organisations in technical vocational education and training (TVET) and higher education. The Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs as part of its development cooperation policy funds it. Nuffic, a Dutch non-profit organisation for internationalisation in education, manages the subsidy programme. It offers funding for long-term, demand-driven partnerships between Dutch knowledge institutions and organisations in 21 participating countries, as well as individual scholarships and Tailor-Made Training courses in all 54 selected countries. From the Dutch development cooperation policy, four priority themes have been selected on which to focus in the programme: Food and Nutrition Security; Water, Energy and Climate; Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights; and Security and Rule of Law. Crosscutting themes in this programme are inclusion, employability and environmental sustainability.