February 2011

  • February 22, 2011

    Doctor in Rural Nepal Shares Insights on Communities of Practice

    Kavitha Nallathambi

    JHU∙CCP | Communications Specialist
    Nepalese doctor exchanges innovative approaches to conducting virtual communities of practice with peers from all over the globe. USAID support allows health care practitioners to share best practices on reproductive health and family planning.
     
    Rural Nepal has little electricity, poor access via roads, and high rates of maternal and child mortality. Shishir Dahal, a medical doctor in Rolpa District, Nepal, shared his experience using online communities of practice (CoPs) for reproductive health and family planning with the Knowledge for Health (K4Health) Project at Johns Hopkins University’s Center for Communication Programs. 

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  • February 17, 2011

    USAID Administrator Blames Discrimination Against Women in Africa Reason for High Maternal Mortality

    Stephen Goldstein

    JHU∙CCP | Senior Consultant

    In a wide ranging speech at NIH this week, USAID Administrator Dr. Rajiv Shah went to bat for African women, especially mothers-to-be, who are 135 times more likely to die during childbirth than some of her Western counterparts.

     “I've given a lot of thought to why this is the case. I've heard many experts say that reducing maternal mortality is too complex, that it's too difficult to achieve in countries where most women will really never see the inside of a – of a Western-style hospital. But I really cannot escape the conclusion that our current state of affairs where a pregnant African woman is 135 times more likely to die during childbirth than some of her Western counterparts exists simply because she is, in fact, a woman. And this is unacceptable,” said Dr. Shah.

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  • February 09, 2011

    Health Professionals Desperate for Information: eLearning to the Rescue

    David Davies-Deis

    JHU∙CCP | eLearning Specialist
    In developing countries, it is costly to develop and circulate essential health information. Some organizations have specific guidance or manuals that help program staff and supervisors, but few have information that is useful and accessible to wide populations of professionals. Programs that cannot devote large amounts of money to face-to-face trainings or document production are looking for a way to deliver current, useful information to their staff. One effective way to bridge this divide is through distance learning.
     
    We know that access to internet is increasing. Over 10% of Africa is online, with an average increase of 200% in the past 10 years. The problem that many existing users face is that the quality of the connection is still not at a level where they can take advantage of “flashy” content and large downloadable files that require high-bandwidth connections – a luxury that most in Europe and North America are now accustomed to.

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