Dear HIFA Forum colleagues,
One of the papers included in the recently published BMJ Innovations special supplement devoted to social innovation in health [ https://www.bmj.com/company/social-innovations-for-health/ ] was the paper entitled “Description of global innovative methods in developing the WHO Community Engagement Package”, available at the following link: https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/12/6/e063144
The article describes the experience of co-creation, with the participation of a diverse group of partners, including different teams from WHO, the Social Innovation in Health Initiative (SIHI) hubs, UNICEF and community practitioners, among others, in developing a package aimed to guide practitioners to promote local action and enhance skills for community engagement (CE). The package includes 1) a database of CE experiences, 2) an online CE learning package of lessons and tools, and 3) a workshop package for identifying CE experiences to enrich the CE database and ensure regular updates of learning resources.
This project responded to a need for CE documentation and tools based on different local contexts and with a broad range of health and social development activities. The design process was based on CE principles, developed primarily through remote online environments. Therefore, adjustment may be needed for face-to-face implementation.
For the Honduras Node of the SIHI Latin America and the Caribbean Hub (https://socialinnovationinhealth.org/americas/), it was a great opportunity to participate in this project. The young Honduran professionals that collaborated, had the possibility for global networking and contribute to a large-scale relevant initiative during pandemic times.
Jackeline
HIFA-es Moderator
HIFA profile: Jackeline Alger, MD, PhD, is a parasitologist associated to the Department of Clinical Laboratory of the University Hospital; Executive Director of the Antonio Vidal Institute for Infectious Diseases and Parasitology; Tegucigalpa, Honduras. HIFA Country Representative of the Year for the years 2015 and 2018. Email jackelinealger AT gmail.com
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