Regional Work

USAID Bureau for Africa

• With CapacityPlus assistance in using the Bottlenecks and Best Buys Approach, St. Joseph’s Kamuli Midwifery Training School expanded to include two additional practical training areas and gained provisional accreditation to offer diploma-level midwifery courses. CapacityPlus provided assistance to increase the quality and quantity of tutors and clinical instructors and supplemented clinical practice sites with needed simulation supplies, which led to the school’s gaining access to two new practical training sites, classroom teachers becoming fully versed in diploma-level curriculum, hiring of a faculty member, and training of clinical instructors to supervise diploma students. The school began enrolling its first diploma midwifery students in June 2014.

• CapacityPlus published two online courses on the QStream platform, which utilizes spaced education to teach and reinforce learning: Private-Sector Participation in Preservice Health Education and Innovative Financing for Preservice Education of Health Professionals. The courses are targeted at managers and implementers of educational programs and those who influence health education policy.

USAID Bureau for Latin America and the Caribbean

• CapacityPlus supported countries in the region to implement strategic plans for strengthening the supply chain workforce to ensure that medicines and other health commodities reach the people that need them, especially for HIV/AIDS services.

• CapacityPlus and a multiagency committee led a regional workshop in Guatemala. Over 40 representatives of five countries (Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Panama), technical experts, and donor representatives identified and prioritized key challenges facing HIV/AIDS commodity security.

• In the Dominican Republic, a Presidential Decree supported the professionalization and integration of the supply chain workforce; a new diploma course was established to train supply chain workers; supply chain workers took part in a workshop on motivation, teamwork, and advocacy; and a supervision manual and job descriptions were completed.

• In El Salvador, the Ministry of Health conducted a situation analysis that informed the development of recommendations to address areas in need of improvement, including low motivation among supply chain workers attributed to heavy workload and lack of recognition such as incentives or performance-based promotions. Based on the findings, the ministry hosted a three-day workshop for 35 representatives of the supply chain from different regions.

Photo by Trevor Snapp, courtesy of IntraHealth International