Two Team Milestones Reached
The Capacity Project HRIS Team has been very busy lately, recently hosting two very important events: our first regional Africa HRIS/DDDM workshop and an auxiliary event at this week's Global Health Council conference.
In April, the Capacity Project collaborated with the East, Central and Southern Africa (ECSA) Health Community and WHO to conduct the “Africa Regional Meeting on Human Resources Information Systems (HRIS): Taking Stock, Sharing Lessons and Setting the Agenda for the Future” in Arusha, Tanzania. More than 50 HR managers and technology experts from ten countries where the Project has been working to strengthen HRIS attended, along with representatives from organizations like I-TECH and Health Metrics Network. Participants expanded their knowledge of HRIS strengthening activities in the ECSA region, shared best practices, identified challenges and established plans for improving HRIS. Highlights of the meeting included disseminating the Project’s HRIS Toolkit in print and electronic format, conducting usability testing of the Project’s software, building capacity for HRIS development and enhancing skills in using HR information for policy and planning, along with fostering a network of HRIS practitioners and experts in different countries who can share ideas and offer technical assistance. This was the first regional meeting on HRIS that the Project has planned. The team is now working with the ECSA Health Community to finalize a workshop report. Once approved, it will be posted on our website, along with the presentations and photos.
Last night the Project hosted an auxiliary event, "Health Workforce: Using Better Data, Making Better Decisions," at the Global Health Council conference in Washington, DC. The HRIS Team was very involved in the planning and implementation of this event. It was very interactive and participants were invited to learn about the Project's five-step HRIS Strengthening process, the iHRIS software and other resources and tools the project has developed -- like the Global Resource Center (GRC - a digital library) and the Human Resources for Health Action Framework (HAF). There were tables set up dedicated to the new HRIS Toolkit, the iHRIS software, the GRC, the HAF, GIS mapping, using data to make decisions, Stakeholder Leadership Groups, FBO resources in Tanzania, and also tables devoted to specific countries where the Project has been working. We were delighted that some of our HRIS team members from Namibia, Kenya, and Uganda were able to come to the conference and share their experiences strengthening HRIS in their countries and regions. In addition to the tables, there were interactive, guided demos to try, so participants could 'touch' through the iHRIS Manage software, GRC, and the HAF. We also had a time line highlighting key HRIS team events and accomplishments over the last five years. About halfway through the event, the director of the Project, Anne Wilson, gave a speech followed by a short video about HRIS in Uganda. Participants were free to visit tables, pick up publications, and try the demos. There was a lot of energy in the room and many engaging conversations at each table.
Both of these events were great opportunities to disseminate the Capacity Project's tools and resources. It took several months to plan both of them, and we feel they were both extremely successful. Following are some photos from the event last night.
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