Amref Wins Internet Society Foundation Grant to Expand COVID-19 Training for Health Workers
(Photo: Amref Health Africa)
July 6, 2020 – The Internet Society Foundation announced last week that Amref Health Africa was selected as a winner of one of their Emergency Response: COVID-19 grants. The Internet Society Foundation will award Amref with $275,000 to help expand our COVID-19 training for health workers in Kenya, Malawi, Senegal, Tanzania, and Zambia using eCampus – our digital learning platform that offers online courses for health workers in Africa.
Kenya, Malawi, Senegal, Tanzania, and Zambia all share a shortage of health workers adequately prepared to prevent COVID-19 infections, confirm and manage cases, and cope with the psychological strain inflicted by the pandemic. On top of that, COVID-19 guidelines are evolving constantly and regular updates for health workers is necessary. While its clear that more training is necessary for health workers on the continent, face-to-face training is not possible under COVID-19.
Amref proposes to expand eCampus which provides training for health workers online, allowing health workers to access accredited courses wherever they are. Currently, 2,278 health workers are enrolled in eCampus. The grant provided by the Internet Society Foundation will allow Amref to enroll 10,000 more health workers across the five African countries, roll-out COVID-19 training and regular updates on the virus, and develop new content on topics such as nutrition and mental health/psychosocial support. While we focus on building the skills of health workers in the targeted countries, the training courses will be available for free online to any health worker, anywhere, building resilience and preparedness for future pandemics.
Learn more about what we’re doing to stop COVID-19 in Africa
The Internet Society Foundation was established in 2019 to support the positive difference the Internet can make to people everywhere. They provide grants to nonprofits and individuals with initiatives that utilize the internet to improve lives during or in response to emergencies, initiatives that build resilience and preparedness for national disasters, and more. Learn more about the Internet Society Foundation.
