Linking Collaborating Centres to Build Global Capacity for Community Health
and Development
Stephen Fawcett and Jerry Schultz, WHO Collaborating Centre, Univ of Kansas
& Rima Affifi Soweid and Mayada Kanj, American University of Beirut, Lebanon
Presentation at Meeting of the International Union of Health Promotion & Education (IUHPE), Vancouver, B.C., June 2007
Linking Global Centres for Community Health
Assets for Community
Health
Americas
Central Europe
Africa
Middle East
Asia
WHO Centre at
KU
Centre B1CentreA3
Centre B3Centre A2
CentreE5 CentreC4
Centre at AUB
Centre2
Collaboration Among Global Partners for Community Health & Development
• MISSION: Enhance community health development globally through networking, capacity development, and collaborative research
• CONTEXT: o Widespread but unconnected engagement in
community health effortso Ad hoc relationships among partnerso Limited docking of complementary capabilitieso New communication technologies for enhancing
access among partners and across contexts.
Logic Model for Collaboration Among Global Partners for Community Health
• Potential Assets and Barriers• Activities• Outputs• Intended Outcomes
Logic Model – Potential Assets
• Relationships among broader partners (e.g., Collaborating Centers, WHO Regional Offices) and with communities
• Existing resources for capacity development
• Methods and tools for participatory research
• Diversity of experience and cultural knowledge
http://ctb.ku.edu/
Logic Model – Potential Barriers
• Time and competing requirements• Trust• Institutional culture• Communication and language differences• Limited opportunities for exchange• Lack of financial resources • Limited understanding of culture and
context• Threats of violence and political
instability
Activities – Networking and Planning
• Networking meetings within and between institutions (e.g., among collaborating centers)
• Assessment of needs/ interests and assets of potential partners
• Joint planning for collaborative projects
Activities – Capacity Development
• Translation and cultural adaptation of training resources (e.g., curriculum)
• Translation and cultural adaptation of Internet-based resources (e.g., Community Tool Box)
• Courses/workshops and certification or degree programs in community health & development
Capacity to do what?Some Core Competencies
1. Creating and maintaining coalitions and partnerships2. Assessing community needs and resources3. Analyzing problems & goals4. Developing a framework or model for change5. Developing strategic and action plans6. Building leadership7. Developing an intervention8. Increasing participation and membership 9. Enhancing cultural competence10. Advocating for change11. Influencing policy development12. Evaluating the initiative13. Implementing a social marketing effort14. Writing a grant application for funding15. Improving organizational management and development16. Sustaining the work or initiative
Activities – Collaborative Research
• Research studies of community health and development efforts and indicators
• Shared sensemaking across projects in diverse contexts
• Synthesis of knowledge about what works and under what conditions
Collaborative Workstations
INTEGRATED ONLINE SUPPORTS:• Building Capacity
• Documentation and Evaluation
• Co-Learning within and across initiatives
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
J A J O J A J O J A J O J A J O J A J O J A J O J A J O J A J O
Cu
mu
lati
ve N
um
ber
of
Co
mm
un
ity
Ch
ang
es
Loss of
Leadership
Hired New Staff
Renew ed Action Plan
Initial Planning Team Formed
Action Plan Completed
| 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006
New Leadership; Documentation & Feedback Begins
Health for All PartnershipCommunity and System Changes
Outputs – Networking and Planning• Agreements between centers and
institutions • Logic model describing the work together• Asset maps of capabilities of
collaborating partners• Action plans for implementing agreed-
upon projects • Joint grant proposals
Outputs – Capacity Development
• Local and global access to training in skills for promoting community health and development (e.g., translated and adapted curriculum)
• Global constellation of online tools for building capacity (e.g., in local languages)
• Regional access to technical assistance in implementing development efforts
Global Capacity Building for Community Work
Common Well
(Community Tool Box)
Americas
Central Europe
Africa
Middle East
Asia
English EnglishFrench
FrenchSpanish Portuguese
Swahili
Russian
Arabic
Mandarin Chinese
Outputs – Collaborative Research
• Joint presentations and publications to professional and practitioner audiences
• Enhanced cross-cultural knowledge of “best processes” for promoting community health and development
A. Assessing, A. Assessing, prioritizing, and prioritizing, and
planningcollaborative planning
B. Implementing B. Targeted action and intervention
C. Changing C. Changing community conditions community conditions
and systemsand systems
D. Achieving D. Achieving widespread change in widespread change in
behavior and risk determinants, factors, and behaviors
E. Improving E. Improving population health population health and health equity
1. Analyzing Information About the Problem, Goals, and Factors Affecting Them
1. Analyzing Information About the Problem, Goals, and Factors Affecting Them
2. Establishing Vision and Mission2. Establishing Vision and Mission
3. Defining Organizational Structure and Operating Mechanisms
3. Defining Organizational Structure and Operating Mechanisms
5. Developing and Using Strategic and Action Plans
5. Developing and Using Strategic and Action Plans
6. Arranging Resources for Community Mobilization
6. Arranging Resources for Community Mobilization
7. Developing Leadership7. Developing Leadership
8. Implementing Effective Interventions
8. Implementing Effective Interventions
9. Assuring Technical Assistance
9. Assuring Technical Assistance
10. Documenting Progress and Using Feedback
10. Documenting Progress and Using Feedback
11. Making Outcomes Matter11. Making Outcomes Matter
12. Sustaining the Work12. Sustaining the Work
4. Developing a framework or model of change
4. Developing a framework or model of change
Sharing knowledge and experience about what?
Framework & Processes for Collaborative Action to Promote Health/Equity
Source: Community Tool Box <http://ctb.ku.edu/> Work Group for Community Health and Development, University of Kansas <www.communityhealth.ku.edu>
Outcomes – Networking and Planning
• Discovery/exchange of innovations and tools in cross-cultural efforts to promote community health and development
• Widespread adoption/adaptation and use of “best approaches” for promoting community health and development
• Enhanced social connectedness and efficacy among those working to promote community health and development locally and globally
• Advanced leadership for collaborative research and practice in community health and development
• New generations of people competent in bring about community/system change and improvement
• Improved functioning (i.e., system change, population-level improvement) resulting from collaborative partnerships
• Reduced disparities in capacity and outcomes related to community health and development
Outputs – Capacity Development
• Knowledge/discovery of factors affecting community/system change and improvement
• Knowledge about conditions under which change contributes to improvement in population-level outcomes
• Enhanced knowledge base of “best practices” and “best processes” for promoting community health and development
Outputs – Collaborative Research
A Vision for Working Together Locally and Globally
• Sharing knowledge, experience, and capabilities for this work
• Adapting, extending, and making available tools for building capacity
• “Docking” our interlocking assets – across countries and cultures