Network HQ Staff News

President and Founder Kaakpema Yelpaala received the Eric W. Mood New Professionals Award from the Yale Alumni Association in Public Health on June 1st. The award is given to an alumnus that graduated from the Yale School of Epidemiology and Public Health (EPH) within the last 10 years who has demonstrated outstanding potential in the field of public health in the areas of leadership; creativity in the practice of public health; and service to the field of public health. Kaakpema earned an MPH from Yale in 2006 and brought together experts from the Clinton Foundation HIV/AIDS Initiative and Yale EPH, which led to the formation of a program called the Hospital Management Initiative (HMI). HMI aims to build the capacity of hospitals to respond to pressing healthcare needs in Ethiopia and Liberia. Please see http://info.med.yale.edu/eph/hmp/yaleclintonfellowship.html for more information.

Network Pursues ICT Health Solutions in Africa in Partnership with I-Linx

Network and I-Linx, a U.S.-based company that distributes satellite connectivity devices and provides communications consulting services, continue to develop our partnership that was formed last year. We are exploring ways to use satellite technology to improve health outreach services in Africa. I-Linx donated two satellite modem devices, known as Regional Broadband Global Area Network (RBGAN), to Network Global for demonstration of their applications for health programs in Ghana and Kenya. Network interns Matt Durstenfeld and Angad Singh traveled to Washington, DC to receive training in the use of RBGANs prior to going to Ghana and Kenya to test the devices with our local collaborators in the field.

Network is currently working with I-Linx regarding the application of a larger number of RBGANs for a variety of health uses, including communications for health workers in remote areas, telemedicine, real-time electronic data management, and monitoring and evaluation. We view this as an opportunity to test the technology and to possibly upgrade to the BGAN, a new, more powerful satellite network permitting global broadband connectivity. Network and I-Linx are working with local partners to develop practical, easy-to-implement models that extract value out of satellite communications for healthcare delivery in areas where other forms of connectivity are limited or nonexistent without overburdening programs with excessive cost.

For more information about the I-Linx, visit their website at http://www.i-linx.net.

Network and MATRIX Public Health Consultants, Inc. Collaborate to Assist the Ghana Health Service in the Evaluation of the Boat Clinic Program

Network and MATRIX Public Health Consultants, Inc. (MATRIX), a public health consulting firm that specializes in evaluation and planning, are collaborating on an intensive evaluation of the Ghana Health Service (GHS) boat clinic program, which targets communities on the Volta Lake using boat clinics. In April, MATRIX representatives traveled to Ghana to meet with officials at the GHS about the evaluation and visited the island community of Ada in order to interview relevant stakeholders about health outreach challenges. This included GHS staff, district health officers, and local leaders. MATRIX and Network are working closely with the GHS to identify potential sources of funding for the evaluation, with an emphasis on sources of funding that target child and maternal health and vaccination programs. We envision that the collaboration between Network and MATRIX will enable the GHS to improve the planning and implementation of the boat clinic program in order to efficiently and effectively address the major health burdens of people residing along the Volta Lake.

For more information on MATRIX PHC, please visit http://www.matrixphc.com/index.html.

Network Ghana Hires New Country Coordinator

Network Ghana, an affiliate and implementing arm of Network Global, has brought on Benjamin Manu as a Country Coordinator. Benjamin, a former intern of Network Ghana, is now assisting our Country Director, Samuel Manteaw, in the coordination and management of Network's projects in Ghana, including our boat clinic program with the GHS, our ICT partnership with I-Linx, international volunteers and other business development priorities. He has extensive experience in program management and social welfare policy to improve the quality of life of people residing in Ghana. We welcome Ben to Network and are grateful to have him join the Network Ghana team.

Network Kenya Initiates Partnership to Improve Rural Health in Northern Kenya Through ICT and Technical Assistance

Network Kenya has initiated a partnership with the Nomadic Communities Trust (NCT), a Kenyan Community-Based Organization that provides healthcare services to remote, nomadic populations in Samburu District. The majority of Samburu's 164,820 residents are nomadic pastoralists who move with their livestock seasonally through the harsh desert environment of northern Kenya. Their health challenges include HIV/AIDS, malaria, upper respiratory tract infections, famine, drought, lack of clean water, and extreme poverty. There is limited health infrastructure in Samburu and many of the roads are impassible by car or motorcycle, thus isolating the communities from critically needed healthcare service delivery. There is also insufficient communications infrastructure for cell phone use and IP connectivity in many parts of Samburu.

To respond to the challenges faced in accessing the Samburu communities, NCT is implementing an innovative mobile outreach program. Their mobile clinics provide reproductive health care, immunizations, and HIV/AIDS counseling among other services to approximately 300 nomadic pastoralists every 3 weeks. In the most remote areas, NCT uses camels to transport medical and travel supplies. Building on NCT's approach and lessons learned by Network in supporting a mobile outreach program in Ghana, Network Kenya and NCT are collaborating to improve health outreach to the people of Samburu district. This includes technical assistance from Network Kenya to improve NCT's operational efficiency and logistics planning, and to integrate satellite connectivity for their program through the use of RBGANs. We recently had a Network intern conduct a field assessment with NCT for the RBGAN technology. For more information on NCT and their camel outreach program, visit their website at http://www.nomadictrust.com.

Network Kenya is also exploring opportunities to partner with other institutions in Kenya on technical assistance for electronic data management and monitoring and evaluation and health advocacy through documentary film and other mass media approaches.

Network Tanzania Initiates Local Partnerships in ICT and Health Advocacy

Network Tanzania, an affiliate of Network Global, was officially registered as a nongovernmental organization in Tanzania in 2006. Led by Program Manager Jo-Angeline Kalambo, Network Tanzania is developing a number of promising opportunities to address health challenges in Tanzania. It has formed a partnership with a Tanzania ICT firm, SoftNet, to develop innovative approaches for using technology in health programs. SoftNet is a Tanzania-based company that provides information technology products, services and solutions; value-added telecommunications services, including voice and data convergence; and messaging and communication solutions using state of the art technologies at affordable cost. Network Tanzania and SoftNet have identified significant potential for the use of Short Messaging Services (SMS, also known as text messaging) to provide information and education on health issues and the development of robust, user-friendly health information management systems for hospitals in Tanzania.

Network Tanzania is collaborating with the WAMA Foundation to produce a feature documentary film on girl-child health challenges in Tanzania as a health advocacy project. The WAMA Foundation is a non-profit organization founded by First Lady Mama Salma Kikwete of Tanzania with the vision to see an increased number of economically empowered women, progressive communities, and healthy, well-educated children free from ignorance and disease. The film will have a particular emphasis on themes related to Phase 1 of the First Lady of Tanzania's Campaign against HIV/AIDS, "Treat Every Child as Your Own," and will be produced by Network using local film experts and support.

Network Interns Provide Valuable Support for Programs in Ghana and Kenya

Network interns from the US traveled to Ghana and Kenya to provide support for the boat clinic program in Ghana and the NCT program in Kenya. Network is grateful for the enthusiasm and valuable support our interns provide to our programs. Our volunteers are described below.

Matthew Durstenfeld
Matt is pursuing his undergraduate studies in biomedical engineering at Yale University. He spent 8 weeks in Ghana in conjunction with Network's partnership with the Ghana Health Service to support rapid field assessments of priority districts for the boat clinic program. Information from these assessments is being used for program planning and grant proposals. Matt also collaborated with fellow intern, Angad Singh, to test the I-Linx RBGAN satellite modem technology on the Volta Lake islands and demonstrate the technology to senior managers at the Ghana Health Service and district health officers.

Angad Singh
Angad recently completed his undergraduate studies in biology at Haverford College in Pennsylvania with top marks and an interest to pursue medical school in the near future. He will be working for McKinsey, one of the leading management consulting firms, in their New York office starting this fall. He spent 8 weeks supporting our programs by conducting an assessment of ways to integrate Information Communications Technology (ICT) into mobile outreach programs. He split his time between Ghana and Kenya, conducting rigorous assessments in the field and working with government officials and health program officers about how to integrate technology into their respective programs in cost-effective ways that add value to their programs. His work will underpin our program to utilize RBGAN technology in both Ghana and Kenya.

Due to the high level of interest shown by current and prospective interns in our work, Network expects to expand internship opportunities for exceptional candidates. More information on the interns' work will be featured on our website and a Network Global blog.

Network on Course to Launch Updated Website

We are in the process of updating our website to capture the rapid growth Network has experienced over the past year. New features to look out for on Network's updated website include: country specific pages; information on the work of our volunteers, including a blog on their experiences; our growing network of partners; and images from the field. We will send out an update to Friends of Network once we launch the updated site.