Nuffic is currently accepting applications for the Health Systems Strengthening through education and training – In Burkina Faso, Burundi, Ethiopia, Mali, Niger.

The main objective is to contribute to sustainable and inclusive development through the strengthening of organisations key to sectoral development in OKP partner countries. This will be achieved by developing the capacity, knowledge and quality of individuals as well as organisations both in the field of Technical and Vocational Education and Training and Higher Education (TVET/HE) and in other fields related to the priority themes in the OKP partner countries.

The Orange Knowledge Programme lasts for 5 years and is implemented through three types of interventions:

• individual scholarships;
• group trainings and;
• institutional projects focusing on sustainable improvement of technical and higher education capacity.

The scope of this thematic document is rather open to allow for a wide range of initiatives that contribute to Health System Strengthening. The following examples illustrate the type of interventions that will be considered:

• Interventions focused on Capacity Development and training for community health care workers:
  • Strengthening health workforce: Development of offline and online skills training to health care workers and inform communities about the virus, prevention and access to treatment. Reaching community health care workers with accurate and reliable information is key at district and community level, especially in the short-term;
  • Strengthening service delivery: Establishment of Tele-medicine (doctor-at-a-distance) and call centre solutions, that are set up together with local Ministries of Health and support existing networks of community health workers in rural villages.
• Interventions focused on Health system strengthening:
  • Strengthening the health workforce: Training for biomedical technicians on how to use and maintain medical equipment. For example, a current OKP institutional collaboration project includes the development of a ‘biomedical instrumentation’ curriculum which could be expanded to include relevant knowledge for COVID-19 / disease outbreaks response;
  • Strengthening health leadership and governance: Training related to local health governance: e.g. training health administrators on mapping and analysing the spread of diseases; using geographic information systems; financial management and planning in health; involving health professionals in health policy making;
  • Strengthening health governance: Capacity building for medical professionals, preparing them better for task-shifting (e.g. need to assist on Intensive Care Units during epidemic);
  • Strengthening health service delivery: Integrate outbreak response into broader primary health care capacity building.

Funding Information

Total budget: Euro 1 200 000

Target Groups and Countries

• The calls Nuffic will target health care professionals involved in health service delivery and health care organisations in Burundi, Ethiopia, Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger. They have targeted countries in which OKP (regional) projects related to SRHR/Health are currently being implemented. Indeed, our assumption is that the potential for synergy and impact will be higher in countries where the OKP already has a significant network and presence in SRHR and/or Health.
• Applicants have to aim for synergies with other ongoing OKP or NICHE initiatives in this country, as much as possible. Applicants are expected to demonstrate a high level of knowledge regarding the country context for which a proposal is submitted, particularly with regard to the situation related to the current COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on the health system within this country. The content of the suggested projects must be coherently embedded in national strategies and policies and must contribute to their implementation.

For more information, visit Nuffic.