PROJECT
Triune aims to raise public awareness of three health-related concerns identified as debilitating public health in rural Uganda.
• Waterborne Diseases/Diarrhoea
More than three million people, mostly children, die each year of a diarrhoeal illness. Diarrhoea is one of the most common causes of death among young children in Uganda. Lack of adequate healthcare means that children suffering from diarrhoea do not get the simple yet effective treatment that they need. Moreover, diarrhoea is easily preventable through the provision of education on personal hygiene and sanitation.
• Malaria
Malaria affects approximately 500 million people each year and is responsible for over one million deaths. Those most at risk include pregnant women and children with one child dying of malaria every thirty seconds in Africa. Malaria accounts for nearly one half of public health expenditure and causes high absenteeism from the workplace and school. Despite the prevalence of the disease, malaria can be easily prevented and treated.
• HIV/AIDS
Despite a decline in the number of people affected by HIV & AIDS in Uganda in the 1990’s (from 30% in 1986 down to 6% in 2004), the prevalence is now increasing again and women are seen to be disproportionately affected. It is estimated that there are 940,000 people living with HIV in Uganda, with over one million children who have been orphaned by AIDS. Free antiretroviral drugs have been available in Uganda since 2004. However of the estimated 114,000 people requiring anti-retroviral treatment, only 67,000 are actually receiving it.
The project hopes that by bringing health practitioners together to work in collaboration with traditional healers and church leaders, detailed research reports and key messages will be produced that can actively contribute to increased public awareness of such health-related concerns in Uganda.
SPECIFIED PROJECT LOCATION – UGANDA
Triune has identified rural communities in Uganda to focus the project. The locations are currently being finalised and further information will be posted shortly.
HOW WILL THE TRIUNE PROJECT TAKE PLACE?
Weeks 1-7 (April/May 2009)
The project will take place over a seven-week period and link over 40 students from pharmacy, medicine, nursing, sociology and anthropology with their teachers and professionals from a variety of universities and colleges around the world. Using the unique Omnium Software™ interface, participants will interact in small working teams of six (with each student in each team residing in a different global location) to explore one specific health related issue from their own geographic settings and cultural perspective. During this time, each team will be joined by an expert teacher/mentor to guide them through their working process. In addition, all the teams will be visited online by established professionals and educators to provide their own feedback and ideas to the work taking place. Each group will collectively work with facilitators from rural areas in Uganda, to produce a detailed research report and key messages for the community.
WHAT ARE THE AIMS OF THE TRIUNE PROJECT?
This proposal presents an opportunity for collaboration between Health Sciences students and professionals from a range of universities worldwide. The project is the second in a series of online education initiatives developed in collaboration with the School of Pharmacy, University of Auckland.
The prospect of producing, coordinating and facilitating such a project not only allows Health Sciences students and professionals from around the world to find resourceful ways to assist communities in need, but also to develop an association between other disciplines and methods of treatment. To date, such an initiative has not taken place over distance previously and adds to the complexity and great interest of this venture. This creates an opportunity that could not have been achieved operating independently, or through traditional alliances, and will add to the philosophical aims for collaboration between education institutions.
By offering Triune to students and staff of universities across the world the project aims to realize WHO global initiatives for “Working Together for Health” and focus on topics relevant to professionals in developing, transitional and developed countries.
Through the establishment of a collaborative learning community, Triune will address:
• Internationalisation of student and staff experiences
• Written communication through the cultural exchange of ideas and concepts
• The notion of individual versus collaborative learning processes
• A cross-disciplinary approach to express shared visions
• The online classroom as a viable and effective model for collaborative participation
• Global health initiatives of various non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and aim to raise the profile of these organizations in countries around the world.
