uOttawa is among the Canadian post-secondary institutions recently chosen to deliver transformative education and training from the Canadian International Development Scholarships (BCDI 2030) program, implemented by the Colleges and Institutes Canada (CICan) and Universities Canada (UnivCan) consortium.
The BCDI 2030 is an eight-year, $80 million program funded by Global Affairs Canada. It supports 25 new scholarship projects, a $13.3M initiative which will positively impact the lives and careers of nearly 500 individuals from partner nations, the majority in Sub-Saharan Africa and its vast francophone communities. Over half of the scholarships will be allocated to women.
Dr. David Ponka, Interim Assistant Dean of Global Health and a Full Professor at the Faculty of Medicine, says a total of $750,000 in BCDI 2030 funding will be allocated to uOttawa over the span of five years to build the transformative CEReSa project with our valued partners in the West African nation of Benin.The uOttawa Faculty of Medicine is administering the program and has built strong reciprocal ties with these partners over the past 20 years.
“This initiative is an excellent example of how the Faculty of Medicine integrates internationalization and cultural sensitivity into its global outreach efforts.”
Dr. David Ponka, Interim Assistant Dean of Global Health & Full Professor at the Faculty of Medicine
The capacity-building CEReSa project will position uOttawa and the Faculty of Medicine as hubs for training the next generation of health changemakers in Sub-Saharan Africa. It aims to create a lasting impact on the health sector in Benin, including ramping up the skills of young healthcare professionals in vital fields such as nutrition, health education, and interdisciplinary health sciences.
It will also strengthen medical education, contribute to the retention of medical and teaching staff, and consolidate international cooperation between Canadian and Beninese institutions, according to Dr. Ponka, who has significant experience helping to build capacity in primary care systems in low- and middle-income countries.
“It not only enhances the professional development of individuals but also contributes to the improvement of health systems in Benin, helping to create sustainable, locally relevant solutions to health challenges and training of the next generation in scientific research and higher education in health, and advanced techniques in various clinical specialty areas,” Dr. Ponka says.
Opening Doors
Because the uOttawa Faculty of Medicine has nurtured partnerships in Benin over two decades, we understand that closely listening to the perspectives of those on the receiving end of international development scholarships designed to reduce inequalities is crucial. From Benin, two young health professionals who aim to be among tomorrow’s healthcare leaders in sub-Saharan Africa were eager to share their views.
Océane C. Danmadou, a 26-year-old from Cotonou, a bustling port city on Benin’s south coast that is the francophone country’s economic center, plans to complete a master’s degree in nutrition and population health. She believes the CEReSa project’s objectives are “perfectly aligned with the needs of the health sector” in her African homeland.
“In my opinion, this kind of program deserves to be encouraged and valued, as it opens doors that would otherwise remain closed to many,” Danmadou says. “It's an opportunity for beneficiaries to hone their skills and then make a positive impact in our communities.”
“The project will be of direct benefit to local communities, as they are the main beneficiaries of public health training and actions.”
Dr. Josué Avakoudjo, Professor & Faculty of Health Sciences Dean at University of Abomey Calavi
Rupinia Accrombessi, a 22-year-old from Cotonou with a professional degree in nutrition and dietetics who is setting her sights on a master’s in nutrition and population health, sees the Canadian scholarship program as a big opportunity.
“I spent a long time looking for a master's degree in nutrition, taking into account the quality of the training and its cost. However, I quickly realized that to enroll in a master's program of interest and quality I would need a scholarship,” she says. “This opportunity is therefore very welcome. It would be a further step in acquisition of skills for the young Beninese dietetic nutritionist that I am.”
Building Capacity
Our Beninese partners agree that the CEReSa project has tremendous potential to advance local solutions to local problems, ultimately building and sustaining systems to improve health outcomes and make a real, tangible difference in people’s lives.
“The project will be of direct benefit to local communities, as they are the main beneficiaries of public health training and actions,” says Dr. Josué D.G. Avakoudjo, Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Abomey Calavi and Professor of Urology.
Dr. Avakoudjo says the project is already contributing to a collective awareness among professors, doctors and students of the resources needed for improved pedagogy. He says it will empower Benin’s mission-driven health professionals to work more effectively with government decisionmakers to create new infrastructure systems and boost policy implementation.
“In view of the challenges we have identified since the start of the project, we’ve taken steps to approach our authorities for an infrastructure project commensurate with our ambitions,” he says.
Professor Colette Sylvie Azandjeme of the Regional Institute of Public Health (IRSP), University of Abomey-Calavi, ticked off some of the CEReSA project’s anticipated benefits: Practices will improve and be diversified, knowledge transfer systems will be refined, research data will be better archived and made accessible to inform decisions.
“The long-term impact will be the availability of these training courses and enhanced capacities for the benefit of the communities in Benin and in the countries of the sub-region covered by the IRSP's training, research and expertise,” she says.
Responding to Urgent Needs
For Benin and other nations across sub-Saharan Africa, the Canadian scholarship program and uOttawa’s capacity-building CEReSa project could not come at a better time. The need is tremendous. In 2002, the African Centres for Disease Control and Prevention put out a call to action describing a “critical shortage of health workforce in Africa.”
“If only one woman and one newborn per day could be spared, we would have achieved a great deal.”
Dr. Marie-Hélène Chomienne, Associate Professor & Clinical Investigator
“The shortage of personnel is so acute that any initiative – small or large-scale – that supports the training of healthcare professionals can only contribute to meeting this need, enabling the retention of healthcare personnel, and building capacity both to deliver care or services and also to train future professionals,” says Dr. Marie-Hélène Chomienne, Associate Professor and Clinical Investigator at the Department of Family Medicineas well as a scientist and founding member of the Institut du Savoir Montfort.
Deeply involved in the Faculty’s Benin projects since 2003, Dr. Chomienne understands the urgent scope of the needs the BCDI 2030 program and uOttawa’s CEReSa project (the acronym stands for “Combler les Écarts pour la Relève en Santé” and was chosen by Beninese partners) will work to address.
“The fellows' achievements will enable them to take a fresh look at Benin's health challenges, and to identify or propose solutions adapted to their own context, thus guaranteeing their sustainability,” Dr. Chomienne says.
“Having practiced obstetrics for 15 years, the thing that challenges and haunts me most is having seen the immensity of maternal mortality on a daily basis. It’s like the immense scale of newborn deaths. If only one woman and one newborn per day could be spared, we would have achieved a great deal.”
Boosting Global Outreach
Securing the competitive government funding dovetails with uOttawa’s support of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, which include ending poverty, ensuring healthy lives and achieving gender equality.
It also greatly strengthens the uOttawa Faculty of Medicine’s ongoing efforts at boosting global partnerships and international exchanges as outlined in our strategic plan and promoted by our International and Global Health Office (IGHO).
“This initiative is an excellent example of how the Faculty integrates internationalization and cultural sensitivity into its global outreach efforts,” Dr. Ponka says. “It goes beyond simply transferring knowledge. It fosters a reciprocal exchange where both Canadian and Beninese participants learn from each other’s experiences.”
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