This call invites applicants to participate and share experiences in a Workshop on Participatory Methods for for research and training for a people centred health system being held in Bagamoyo, Tanzania, March 1-4, 2006. TARSC and IHRDC under the EQUINET umbrella and with support from CHESSORE have developed a toolkit of materials on participatory reflection and action (PRA) methods for research and training for a people centred health system. The materials provide information on areas for strengthening community voice and roles in health systems and introduce and provide examples of participatory approaches for training and research that supports this. The toolkit provides practical examples that can be used in field work, but also builds broader understanding of the elements of participatory methodologies for health. It 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.
Jobs and Announcements
The Global Health Research Initiative (GHRI), a partnership among the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), Health Canada (HC) and the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), invites letters of intent from teams composed of Canadian and low and middle-income country (LMIC) researchers and research users (e.g. policy makers, practitioners, civil society organizations and community members), interested in developing innovative multi-year programs that combine applied research, knowledge translation and capacity building to solve pressing health problems in LMICs.
The Knowledge Management for Development (KM4Dev) community of practice (www.km4dev.org) publishes a peer-reviewed, open access e-journal in the field of knowledge sharing for development, the 'Knowledge Management for Development Journal' (KM4D Journal) at www.km4dev.org/journal The first issue of the second volume (2006) will deal with 'Effective knowledge sharing for development in Africa.' Guest editors comprise Dina El Halaby, Reine Djuidje Kouam, Kingo Mchombu and Alice Mungwa, working with Chief Editor, Julie Ferguson.
"We would like to invite you to participate at the e-conference to be hosted by the Quality Network for Rational Drug Management, or QU4RAD Network, at www.qu4rad.net on 28 October to 5 November 2005. Entitled “Health, Human Rights and Health Professionals -What is the role of health professionals in promoting the peoples’ rights to adequate, affordable and effective treatment of illnesses?"."
Plans for the Global Health Watch 2007-2008 (GHW2) are underway which include a move of the secretariat to the Global Equity Gauge Alliance (GEGA) office at the Health Systems Trust in South Africa in October. The secretariat will be led by Antionette Ntuli and Bridget Lloyd of GEGA with the support of David Sanders from the University of the Western Cape. Thanks to Medact for hosting the GHW1 secretariat for the last two years. The GHW2 will be coordinated by a coalition of GEGA, Medact and the People's Health Movement (PHM) together with a new partner - the Health Research and Consultancy Centre (CEAS) based in Quito, Ecuador.
The Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa (OSISA) is pleased to invite colleagues to submit relevant case studies from different countries and regions in Africa that document attempts to use the law to push states to implement policies relating to the provision of HIV/AIDS and health-related services. While HIV/AIDS is the focus of the project, case studies documenting attempts (successful or otherwise) in addressing other public health challenges are welcomed.
The European Commission now calls for proposals for clinical research projects to address the three diseases - HIV/AIDS, Malaria and TB. Their focus is on developing new effective interventions against three diseases from early discovery through pre-clinical testing and up to early human trials.
In 2004 the STOP-TB Partnership invited proposals to host the Secretariat for the Network for Action in TB and Poverty. The Malawi National TB Programme, in partnership with the REACH Trust won this proposal.
The purpose of the Secretariat for the Network for Action on TB and Poverty is to support best practice in DOTS and TB control programmes. This initiative supports the overall goal of promoting access to DOTS and TB control programmes for poor and vulnerable populations. In its first year, the secretariat is engaging key stakeholders to promote action on TB and poverty in the WHO AFRO region. Coinciding with this active engagement, the global network will be promoted through the creation of a website, quarterly electronic newsletters, and through Working Groups of the STOP-TB Partnership and the annual conference on TB and Poverty.
The Network hopes to encourage discussion on best practice and be a conduit between policy makers and on-the ground workers with respect to TB and poverty. Anyone wishing to be a part of the network, or if you know of an individual or organization that would benefit from being a part of the network, please sign up on the Network website www.tb-poverty.org or email mwayi@equi-tb-malawi.org.
The Lancet has issued a call for papers on sexual and reproductive health. "The last International Conference on Population and Development in Cairo in 1994 marked the beginning of a new era for sexual and reproductive health. There was widespread acceptance of a broad definition of sexual and reproductive health that extended beyond the absence of disease and recognised the rights of women and men of all ages to enjoy a healthy sex life and the freedom to decide if, when, and how often to reproduce. Although there has been some progress since 1994 - a gradual integration of services for family planning and those for the management of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and the recognition of the need for information and services for adolescents, for example - sexual and reproductive ill-health still accounts for almost 20% of the burden of ill-health for women and 14% for men."
The International Society for Equity in Health, ISEqH, welcomes those interested in promoting equity in health to share experience and expertise at its Fourth International Conference in Adelaide, Australia. The overarching theme for the ISEQH's Fourth International Conference, Creating Healthy Societies through Inclusion and Equity, reflects the central role of social, political, and economic determinants in creating health.