We are beyond thrilled to announce that the first big Malawi project we’ve been involved with is ready to roll out.
Thanks to funding from the Scottish Government provided to Smileawi we have worked together with them, the Dental Association of Malawi, the Maldent Project, Prodental CPD, and, with input from our own Clinical Advisory Group (CAG) and other volunteers, 12 hour long e-learning modules have been created for use by Dental Therapists in Malawi and the first of these is about to go ‘live’.
The modules can be accessed anywhere via tablets, computers or smart phones and will be immediately trialled by 25 Therapists in Northern Malawi.
The training is detailed as well as wide ranging and the Dental Therapists will be awarded Continuing Professional Development Points (CPD) for completing each training module. Importantly, this CPD will be recognised by the Dental Association of Malawi and the Medical Council of Malawi. The next step will be to assess its success and then look to roll-out the digital programme across the nation.
There are several ways that we feel this work is important;
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Rolling out this training will enable us to measure how successful digital training will be in areas where we are reliant on the digital communication infrastructure of rural East Africa.
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It gives us 12 ready to use training modules that are broadly suited to the whole region. Our intention being that our next step is to trial a slightly amended version of these materials in Tanzania with Clinical Officers that we have already trained and assess the benefit to their work and skills.
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It continues to establish a health partnership that enables us to expand into all kinds of other, new, training work in Malawi.
It really has been a team effort and we are enormously grateful for the time, energy and hours of hard work that’s been put in by everyone involved. It has truly been collaboration at its very best!
