Alison gave out the certificates of achievement at the end of the 2-day generic instructor course. 2024 marks her 20th year as a volunteer in Cameroon, initially with MCAI charity and for the last 7 years with NICHE International. This is probably the last time she will come in person to Cameroon and we thanked her for her long service to the country – from overseeing the building of a playroom in Bamenda which enticed the children with HIV into their clinic, to the establishment of a breast milk bank in the same hospital, to the training of healthcare professionals in newborn care and now the support of a 28-strong Cameroonian teaching faculty. Alison continues as the lead trustee of NICHE International in the UK.
Alison at the centre of the Instructor Development Programme faculty with Mboppi Hospital Administrator
Graduates of the second Instructor Development Programme with their end of course certificate
16 healthcare professionals have just completed 2 days of Continuing Professional Development facilitated by 5 UK faculty who are in Cameroon to support the local Neonatal Care Course faculty and train 12 more instructors on the GIC at the end of the week. One of the 16, Ethel (second from the left, back row), is a nurse educator and is shadowing Ferenc, one of the European Resuscitation Council’s senior educators (sixth from the left, back row), and learning how to be a GIC educator.
It was an intense 2 days, mainly of educational updates but we had also been asked for some neonatal clinical updates so the material was interspersed with talks on jaundice, seizure management and CPAP, skills workshops on umbilical venous catheterisation and intraosseous needles as well as an evidence based discussion on the merits and dangers of cooling babies with ischaemic encephalopathy (early brain injury due to being without adequate oxygenation for an extended period around the time of birth) in low- and middle-income countries.
These professionals are the front line workers who will drive change in their health care facilities; they are driven by a need to make things better for new born babies in their country and to reduce neonatal mortality. Training and encouraging them as instructors of the Neonatal Care Course empowers them to initiate new practices at the coal face and hopefully effect long term changes for the good of the families they serve.
Today was the first day of a 2.5 day programme designed to support the on-going professional development of the Cameroonian Instructors who are trainers on the Neonatal Care Course.
These Instructors value time to refresh their skills as trainers, and also to discuss clinical issues in neonatal care. Some have travelled long distances from the North and North West Regions of Cameroon to attend the course.
Tree growing up the middle of Mboppi Hospital
This year NICHE International Instructors are doing the training in Mboppi Baptist Hospital in the urban centre of Douala. It has been a challenging day, with temperatures of 36 degrees, and variable electricity supply and therefore air conditioning.
Jo and Kirstie just about coping with the heat in the teaching hall
We have been enthusiastically welcomed by our Cameroonian colleagues, and continue to be impressed by their dedication and commitment to improving neonatal care in their country.
5 of the European faculty are in Cameroon this week for the second Instructor Development Programme which NICHE International has run here. We arrived 2 days ago – a fairly easy flight from London via Paris for 4 of us based in the UK (see our route map above), a slightly longer trip for our European Resuscitation Council educator who has travelled from deep snow covered north Sweden where the temperature today is -15, to 36 degrees and 80% humidity of Cameroon, via Stockholm and Addis Ababa.
Our journey is of course matched by those of our learners who have come from all over Cameroon to Douala for this course, some of them travelling over 12 hours by bus.
On Sunday 15 October, Conal McDonagh completed the Amsterdam marathon – his first – to raise funds for NICHE’s work. Conal is the son of Alison Grove, NICHE Trustee.
Unable to take part in the run, his partner Gill Monaghan decided to do a ‘plank a day’ for a month to help raise funds. A professional dancer, Gill squeezed in her daily plank while touring in Europe.
Thanks to both for their tremendous efforts and for raising funds to support NICHE’s projects.
6 members of the trained faculty in Bwindi taught their first independent NCC this week
We were delighted this week to briefly and remotely join Sadias and his faculty for their first 2.5 day Neonatal Care Course since their own instructor training in February. 6 of the trained faculty were teaching 16 trainee nurses from the nursing school which adjoins Bwindi Community Hospital.
Prescribing antibiotics workshopintraosseous needle insertionHappy learners with their certificates
Julia joined Sadias (remotely) at the first break on day 1 and was impressed with the set up for the course – lovely light rooms with plenty of space and all stations prepared, ready to go. NICHE International had sponsored the refreshment breaks as we believe so strongly that people learn better when their physiological needs are met. I therefore got to talk to one of the students while he was in the queue for coffee. He was delighted with the course and felt his learning needs were being well met. Cath joined the team on day 2 in the morning to answer any queries the new faculty had. Other than that, they were completely autonomous. Well done, the team!
We are waiting to hear what support the Ugandan faculty feel they might require next.
Our newest trustee, Dr Cath Harrison, and Dr Julia Thomson were speaking at the ALSG conference yesterday.
NICHE’s presentation was based around Maslow’s motivational model and showcased the need for “forward thinking, innovation and flexibility” which was the theme of the conference
Maslow is often quoted in adult learning circles – he developed his hierarchy of needs over 30 years from 1940 to 1970, believing strongly that humans want to grow and develop themselves and others and that – once our deficiency needs are met – we will automatically move up the pyramid. We spoke about the importance of feeding everyone properly on a course (Physiological needs) and ensuring everyone feels part of the team (Belonging and Love Needs) and valued (Esteem Needs). Only then will learners start tending to their own Cognitive Needs (engaging with the Neonatal Care Course), formulate plans to apply their learning (Aesthetic Needs), become instructors themselves (Self-Actualisation) and feel the buzz of teaching others for the good of all babies in their country (Transcendence).
Neonatal resuscitation trainer in Liberia, Grace directing the recent NCCs in Uganda
On the 22nd July two people took part in the North Downs Challenge to raise funds for our projects.
Paediatrician Julia Thomson, one of our NICHE trustees, completed 10k in an excellent time.
Charlie Crossley battled through wind and rain to complete 50k, accompanied by his friend Josh. Charlie is the father of premature twins who are now 2 years old.
He and his wife were grateful for the care they received from the NHS, and Charlie wanted to support the work of NICHE International which helps to improve the care of new born babies in poorly resourced areas of the world.
Charlie and his friend Josh with NICHE trustee Alison, in the rain at 32k
Charlie and Josh finish 50k
We are very grateful to Charlie and Julia for rising to ‘the challenge’, and for their successful fund raising.
A rainstorm threatened to bring the NCC to an early finish today as the crescendo on the chapel’s tin roof drowned out the lecturing
Undeterred, Judith found a microphone, the learners donned diocesan gowns from the vestry, moved their chairs to leeward and the lecture on the “Small Baby” continued.
The temperature dropped like a stone when the rains came. The learners were undaunted. The show went on.
