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Summer 2004
Announcements
- Desmond Tutu Award Dinner - SA Partners wishes to invite you to its second Desmond Tutu Award Dinner to be held on October 8, 2004 in Boston. This year, Archbishop Tutu will present the Award to Danny Glover, actor and social justice activist.
- Lion King Performance - Please join SA Partners as it experiences the phenomenon of Disney's THE LION KING on September 9 at the newly renovated Opera House in Boston. Tickets include an exclusive VIP reception with cast members. For more information, call the SA Partners office at (617) 482-1317 or email info@sapartners.org
Health Partnerships
Academic Working Group:
University of Transkei (Unitra) Medical School - University of Massachusetts Medical School (UMass Med)
Guided by South Africa's Health Attaché, Ms Nobayeni Dladla, and SA Partners, the two institutions have recently revived discussions about partnership possibilities. The areas of collaboration identified by the institutions include student exchanges, faculty exchanges, distance learning and tele-education, preventive medicine research as well as HIV/AIDS research and training. The two institutions are currently working toward signing a Memorandum of Understanding.
Contacts: Dr. Michael Godkin, Prof. Khaya Mfenyana
Massachusetts General Hospital Institute of Health Professions (MGH Institute) - University of Transkei (Unitra)
A team from the MGH Institute visited Unitra last March. During this trip, the MGH Institute collaborated with Unitra faculty on a proposal, which was submitted to the President's Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). The proposal focused on developing HIV/AIDS capacity for new Unitra graduates as well as using MGH Institute's Distance Learning facilities to promote flow of information between rural clinics in the Eastern Cape, Unitra and the MGH Institute itself. Although the PEPFAR proposal was recently declined, it is hoped that some of the proposed activities may still be implemented with the help of Unitra's Regional Training Center on HIV/AIDS.
Contacts: Dr. Thembi Nonkelela, Dr. Cheryl Cahill
NGO Working Group:
Cape-to-Cape Partnership
Following a trip that four delegates from Cape Cod undertook with SA Partners to the Eastern Cape last February, the Cape-to-Cape Partnership has been formed. This collaboration is between three Cape Cod-based institutions -- the AIDS Support Group of Cape Cod, the Unitarian Universalist Meeting House, and the Outer Cape Health Services -- and the Bambisanani Project in the Eastern Cape. The partnership group has already created a joint website and begun efforts to raise funds for work in the Eastern Cape. Collaborative areas have also been defined, including technical assistance in the areas of project management and home-based care, as well as funding for various activities at the Child Drop-In Center in KwaMpisi. The partners are working toward signing a Memorandum of Understanding, and a formal Twinning Agreement in September when delegates from Cape Cod will visit the Eastern Cape.
Contacts: Karin Anderson White, Litha Klaas
Codman Square Health Center (CSHC)- Masimanyane Women's Support Center (MWSC)
CSHC and MWSC successfully completed their joint Hands Wash Each Other Project in July, which focused on the related problems of HIV/AIDS and domestic violence. During the process, the project was expanded to include the Dorchester House Multi-Service Center. An important outcome of the collaboration is a new Technology Center at the A.W. Barnes School in East London, South Africa, which has been fully restored and improved after a break-in in April. A total of 10 computers now make up the Technology Center. An official opening of the Center was held at the school in May. While some delegates from Codman Square and Dorchester House were able to attend this ceremony, students from the Codman Academy in Dorchester were able to participate in this joyous event through videoconferencing. A micro-enterprise initiative, involving women from the AW Barnes School working with industrial grade sewing machines has evolved as part of this project and is going well. The project was made possible through a grant from the US State Department.
Contacts: Mr. Bill Walczak, Ms. Lesley Ann Foster
Cambridge Health Alliance (CHA) - Port Elizabeth Hospital Complex (PEHC)
This May, delegates from CHA, Dr. Hilary Worthen and Dr. Kaethe Weingarten visited the PEHC where the two institutions signed a Memorandum of Understanding. During the visit, partners renewed their commitment to each other and further identified areas of collaboration for the upcoming year with an emphasis on HIV/AIDS, shared research, continued medical education and regular visits. Dr. Worthen also had the great opportunity of meeting with the new Superintendent-General of the Eastern Cape Department of Health and the provincial Minister of Health. Both agreed to support exchanges between the two hospitals. CHA hopes to host a delegation from PEHC in October of 2004.
Contacts: Dr. Claire Pierre, Mr. Pumzile Zitumane
Center for Community Health Education, Research and Service (CCHERS) - Community - Higher Education Service Partnership (CHESP)
CCHERS housed at Northeastern University in Boston and CHESP at the University of the Transkei (Umtata) are focused on improving health professions education, community health development and health services research. The two organizations have recently agreed to prioritize community-based research as their primary partnership activity, focusing on maternal and child health and disparities in health care. They are also working toward a Memorandum of Understanding, which will formalize the relationship between the two institutions.
Contacts: Mr. Elmer Freeman, Prof. Khaya Mfenyana
Massachusetts Medical Society (MassMed) - Foundation for Professional Development (FPD)
Following Dr Gustaaf Wolvaardt's successful trip to Boston last April, the Global Health Committee of the MassMed Society is currently working with the FPD to identify possible information dissemination sites in the Eastern Cape. Among those disseminated will be the MassMed Society's New England Journal of Medicine. As a separate activity, the Global Health Committee is working with the Eastern Cape Department of Health on establishing a physician-rotation program at various points in South Africa. They are also in discussion with the PEHC-CHA partnership on possible collaborative clinical opportunities.
Contacts: Dr. Barbara Herbert, Dr. Gustaaf Wolfvaardt
Departmental Working Group:
Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH) HIV/AIDS Bureau - Eastern Cape Department of Health (ECDH) HIV/AIDS Directorate
Facilitated by SA Partners, the (MDPH) HIV/AIDS Bureau and the (ECDOH) HIV/AIDS Directorate co-hosted a conference for People Living With HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) in the Eastern Cape this May. Modeled after the Massachusetts Consumer Advisory Board (CAB) annual conference, this conference was the first one of its kind in the Eastern Cape. It was highly successful, attended by some 250 PLWHA, as well as representatives from government and other civil society groups. Its goal was to disseminate information to PLWHA on HIV/AIDS and ARV treatment as well as negotiate how best to integrate PLWHA into the various decision-making channels within government and elsewhere.
Contacts: Ms. Sophie Lewis, Dr. Jean McGuire, Ms. Nomalanga Makwedini
Northeastern University (NU) School of Pharmacy - Eastern Cape Department of Health (ECDOH) Pharmaceutical Services
The ECDOH Pharmaceutical Services continues to work with Northeastern University's School of Pharmacy and the Center for Community Health, Education, Research &: Service on refining areas of collaboration. Areas identified include management training and pharmaceutical logistics support. As an immediate next step, a team from ECDOH Pharmacy Department is planning a fact-finding mission to Boston.
Contacts: Ms. Lullu Peteni, Dr Jean McGuire, Dr Dan Robinson
Education Projects
Libraries for South African Schools Update
Training for the teacher librarians at the Melani School Cluster has been concluded. The Eastern Cape Department of Education, Education Resource and Information Services Unit has donated books shelves, several boxes of new books and a lump sum of R50, 000 ($7,400) to the project. Furthermore, at the initiative of the Cambridge Public Library (CPL), the International Board of Books for Young People (IBBY) has agreed to donate roughly 200 books to each of the 11 Melani Cluster Schools. These schools are among the 25 schools in South Africa to benefit from this project. CPL representatives also held a fundraiser in early June to support four of the participating teacher-librarians to attend an international library conference hosted by IBBY in September. These representatives are gearing up to attend the same IBBY conference in September. They will also visit Melani as part of their trip.
Contacts: Mrs. Nomawetu Jonas, Ms. Gail Willett
South Africa Partners serves as technical support to the Massachusetts - South Africa Health Task Force. South Africa Partners (SA Partners) is a non-profit organization dedicated to the establishment of mutually beneficial institutional partnerships between the United States and South Africa, in the areas of health, education, and economic development. Working with state and local government, academic institutions, and community organizations, SA Partners is creating a model for international development that is based on long-term commitment and sustainability. Partnerships supported by SA Partners bring together practitioners from the United States and South Africa who are committed to addressing social, political, and economic needs in a manner that strengthens communities, builds institutional capacity, and gives voice to those who have been previously excluded from public discourse
Send Feedback to South Africa Partners at: info@sapartners.org
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