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IRC International Water and Sanitation Centre is an NGO that works with a worldwide network of partner organisations in order to achieve equitable and sustainable water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services. IRC’s roots are in advocacy, knowledge management, and capacity building. IRC is an influential champion for change at international and national levels to provide and implement WASH services worldwide.

The IRC YouTube channel provides a valuable collection of videos about WASH projects across Mozambique, Ghana, Burkina Faso, India, Latin America, and other locations. The majority of the videos are in English, with some in Dutch and French. The videos and corresponding transcripts are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial Share Alike Licence: this means you can download the videos and share them with others as long as you attribute the author and source, do not use them commercially, and share any adaptations under the same licence.

• Emergency Medicine
  • New lecture slides for residents and nurses, from the Ghana Emergency Medicine Collaborative (CC BY SA)
• Health Services Administration
  • Managing Health Care - Clicks Workplace Case Study, from University of Cape Town (CC BY NC ND)
• Medical Education
  • International Trends in Problem-based Learning Facilitator Development, video series, from University of Cape Town (CC BY NC ND)
• Neurology
  • Neuroanatomy 2: Leptomeninges, Subarachnoid Space and Cisternae, from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (CC BY NC)
• Occupational Health
  • Postgraduate Diploma In Occupational Health: Module 4 - Occupational Medicine & Toxicology I, from University of Cape Town (CC BY NC SA)
  • Postgraduate Diploma In Occupational Health: Module 5 - Occupational Medicine & Toxicology II, from University of Cape Town (CC BY NC SA)
• Obstetrics and Gynaecology
  • Myomectomy Overview, a video-based module with exercises, from St. Paul Hospital Millennium Medical College (CC BY SA)
• Otolaryngology
  • Open Access Guide to Audiology and Hearing Aids for Otolaryngologists, from University of Cape Town (CC BY NC)
• Pathology
  • Lecture series on thyroid disease, video series, from University of Cape Town (CC BY)
• Surgery
  • Anatomy of the oesophagus for medical students and young doctors, video series, from University of Cape Town (CC BY)

You may also be interested in these new resources from other OER collections:

• Basic Sciences
  • Anatomy and Physiology textbook from OpenStax (CC BY)
  • Microbiology and Physiology textbooks from Boundless (see terms of use)
• Family Medicine
  • Musculoskeletal Exam video series, all with English captions and some in Spanish and Japanese (additional translations are invited), from University of Michigan (CC BY)

On Luganda Translation: Giving Back to My Community
Author: Eve Nabulya, Assistant Lecturer, Department of Literature, Makerere University

Rendering one text in another language is an enriching experience as one grapples with a number of decisions regarding the best way to reconcile the stylistic, linguistic, and social meanings of the source text with the translation. I found out about the Open.Michigan Translation Project when I was on a fellowship at the University of Michigan through its African Presidential Scholars Program (UMAPS), which is designed to enhance collaboration between early career faculty from Ghana, Liberia, Uganda, and South Africa and students and faculty at the University of Michigan. At first I thought the project considered only a few of the African languages, but when I learned that it was open to all languages, I could not forfeit such a good opportunity to make an input. Apart from the primary goal of availing learning materials in multiple languages, this initiative is actually projecting, documenting, and promoting languages that would not have otherwise easily made it to a global platform. I therefore consider my efforts in translating the disaster management videos from the East Africa HEALTH Alliance from English into Luganda as a way of giving back to my community, many of whose grassroots leaders would prefer training in local languages. In addition, availability of educational materials in local languages is likely to promote use of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) among those with less formal education.

In Uganda, ICT integration in education is a new phenomenon that is often entangled with infrastructural challenges. Recent studies have revealed that only 45% of the learning activities at Makerere University use electronic resources. Barriers include insufficient access to computers and other devices, limited bandwidth, and lack of necessary skills. However, with the implementation of learner-centred approaches now being encouraged in all colleges, the situation is rapidly changing.

The language situation in Uganda presents complications in the dissemination of information and learning materials to people at the grassroots. Luganda, English, and Kiswahili are the languages most widely spoken in Uganda but there are approximately 30 additional languages spoken in the country. English is an official language, with about 40% of the country’s population able to competently communicate in it. Luganda, the second most common, is spoken by approximately one-third of the population. Although the portion of Ugandans fluent in English has risen in the recent past with the introduction of the Universal Primary Education (UPE) and Universal Secondary Education (USE) policies, English remains a language of the elite and is not used on the streets, in public transport means, or in social gatherings except those targeting specialised audiences. However, the UPE policy allows use of indigenous languages in instruction during the first four years of school. Thereafter, learners with interest in specific languages can pick them up at secondary school level and pursue them to university level.

The Open.Michigan translation project included multiple health education video collections. I selected the disaster management videos because they were co-authored by my peers at Makerere University. To date, I have translated three videos: Intro to Disaster Management Training, Introduction to Disasters, and Epidemics.

Projects such as this, which aim to increase the volume of learning materials in local Lugandan languages, would achieve much by partnering with universities. At the moment, Makerere University alone graduates over 100 students in Bantu languages every year. Given that Luganda is one of the two local languages considered by the recent Constituent Assembly as potential national languages, any efforts that produce literature and resources in it, especially learning materials, draw Uganda closer to solving her language dilemma.

Low-Cost Technologies for Distributing OER in Areas with No or Limited Internet
Author: Bob Riddle, Technologist, Medical School Information Services, University of Michigan

Common challenges to digital learning in developing countries include high technology costs, limited availability of technical resources or expertise, and an unpredictable infrastructure. A new set of low-cost technologies has the potential to lower barriers to the distribution of Health OER and other materials. Two such options, LibraryBox and Raspberry Pi, provide access to local wireless networks even in areas lacking power or Internet access.

First, on the recommendation of two master’s students from the University of Michigan School of Information, we explored LibraryBox. Through a web browser, users gain access to a list of files available to download. We used TPLink portable routers (approximately US$40 each) to serve as the wireless access points. Anyone in range of the wireless access point can connect to browse the contents of the attached USB drive. We gathered Health OER content from dozens of sources to fill a 64 GB flash drive to distribute.

The Raspberry Pi is an ATM card-sized computer that is programmed using open source software to perform many desktop PC functions. Raspberry Pi includes all of the functionality of LibraryBox, and offers many more options in terms of services and customisation of the user interface. For example, Raspberry Pi provides the option to connect to the Internet when connectivity is available, to download additional resources, such as syncing with a Dropbox folder. We experimented with multiple Raspberry Pi units, paired with a USB 1 Terabyte external hard drive, to provide access to an even larger collection of digital content over a local wireless network. Additionally, we added a rechargeable battery pack to serve as a backup power source. Setup for distributing offline digital content in this way costs between US$100 and US$200, depending on the accessories used. 

Setting up and configuring these devices takes just a few hours, and does not require extensive technical knowledge. Once they are configured, it is simple to access or update the content. Anyone with a wireless capable device, such as a laptop or mobile phone, can access Health OER from the Raspberry Pi or LibraryBox when they are in range of this wireless network.

These low-cost technologies can provide access to digital content in institutions that are power-challenged, network-challenged, and economically-challenged. Between June and August 2013, we deployed nine Raspberry Pi devices to sites in Kenya and Ethiopia and eleven LibraryBoxes to sites in Liberia, Kenya, and Ethiopia. In the coming months, we will gather more feedback from our partner institutions about the usability and maintenance for these low-cost, lightweight local networks and report on the results.

The Commonwealth Veterinary Association One Health Continuing Professional Development Programme
Author: Chris Daborn, Technical Advisor, Commonwealth Veterinary Association Continuous Professional Development Programme

The Commonwealth Veterinary Association (CVA), which includes 54 member countries and an increasing number of associate member countries worldwide, is embarking on a programme of support for the implementation of a Continuous Professional Development Programme (CPD) in each member country.

The CVA CPD programme, launched in January 2013, is being piloted in three Commonwealth countries –– Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania –– and two associated countries –– Sudan and Ethiopia. The results of the pilot programmes will be used to inform a CVA proposal to deliver a major CPD support programme in 2014.

The programme is supported by working agreements with a number of organisations including OER Africa, who is providing invaluable guidance, technical support, and access to information portals. The pilot program has resulted in the publication of CPD guidelines and a collection of links to veterinary information sources, many with open licences. The latter provides an invaluable reference, as many veterinary professionals in Africa are unaware of the wide range of OER available to them. We are now in the process of developing and delivering CPD for targeted and contemporary fields inclusive of One Health, animal welfare, and veterinary governance.

In order to expand the CVA CPD programme into One Health, we will bring together veterinary and medical specialists to jointly select and review learning materials, deliver and mentor associated learning activities, and evaluate the learning materials and activities. We believe that a joint veterinary--medical approach to the development and delivery of CPD will add to the quality and relevance of the learning materials, as well as cementing working relationships between veterinary and medical colleagues.

The case of brucellosis, a highly infectious disease that is transmitted between humans and animals, offers a good starting point for veterinary--medical collaboration. In those districts of a country where human and animal cases of brucellosis are suspected or known to occur, and there are many such districts in Africa, the District Veterinary Officer and his counterpart District Medical Officer should undertake a collaborative pilot survey in both human and animal populations. The updated information produced can be used to inform a joint paper published, reviewing what is known of brucellosis in that country or region of the country and earning both a number of CPD points. Working links can then be created with appropriate academic and research institutions to explore a particular aspect of the disease’s epidemiology. Armed with the information gained from their field studies, an evidence-based proposal can be put up for the control and eradication of brucellosis in the animal population, using the human population as a sentinel for the efficacy of the control measures implemented. Veterinary and human health para-professionals will need to be trained in the procedures appropriate for the control programme, while designing and delivering such training again earns CPD points.

If a similar collaborative approach were adopted for each of the neglected zoonoses that prevail in many districts, veterinary and medical professionals would readily fulfil their CPD obligations whilst, through the delivery of good One Health practice, making a valuable public health contribution to the communities they serve.