Honors

Health & Society, Policy & Social Justice 2007-2008

Health Development in a Global Context

Health development in a global context poses many interesting challenges. For instance, there is considerable debate regarding how to improve health-related quality of life in the developing world. Recent focus has been placed on the value of collaborative efforts to address the complex issues faced when seeking sustainable improvements.

The Barekuma Collaborative Community Development Project (BCCDP), located near Kumasi, Ghana, is one such effort. Founded on the principles of Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR), the BCCDP brings together partners representing a variety of perspectives to utilize existing resources to promote change. The key partners in the BCCDP are village residents and leaders (from Barekuma and surrounding villages); medical and public health professionals from the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital; academic, medical, and public experts from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Sciences and Technology, and medical and public health academics from the University of Utah.

Current efforts are needed to evaluate the progress of the BCCDP to date and to develop a long-term strategy for continuing the progress of this collaborative group. Students in this University of Utah Honors Program became familiar with approaches to improving health in the developing world, with a special emphasis on Sub-Saharan Africa. Further, they documented the progress of the BCCDP from its inception to the present and helped create a grounded strategic plan for the future.

Honors College students saw the activities of the BCCDP firsthand during a site visit over the 2008 spring break. Housed atthe Kwame Nkrumah University of Sciences and Technology, they visited the village of Barekuma, the Barekese Health Center, and the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital.