ARTICLES

CTPH FORMS A STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP WITH CISCO SYSTEMS, INC. IN UGANDA

Conservation Through Public Health (CTPH) in Uganda has formed a strategicpartnership with Cisco Systems, Inc. under the Cisco Networking Academy program and Least Developed Countries Initiative.

CTPH and the Department of Women and Gender Studies (DWGS) at MakerereUniversity, a Cisco Local Academy signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to partner with Cisco Systems, that will assist the next generation of ICT professionals to gain exposure and work experience in the design and implementation of networking technologies.

Conservation Through Public Health is a grassroots non-profit organization, non-governmental organization founded by Ugandans in December 2002, with a mission to promote conservation and public health by improving primary health care to people and animals in and around protected areas in Africa.

This new organization supports programs related to disease transmission between poor rural communities, wildlife and livestock around protected areas. Conservation Through Public Health received 501 (c) 3 tax exempt charity status in USA in July 2003 and Non Governmental Organization (NGO) status in Uganda in December 2003.

According to CTPH's Founder and CEO, Dr. Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka, "the MOU will enable Cisco Networking Academy Program participants to use their ICT skills to make a contribution towards CTPH's integrated public health and conservation programs in Uganda , helping to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)."

The ICT component of CTPH is to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)." The ICT component of CTPH is concentrated on both district level and village settings and includes connecting health care units in the community; promoting of local content development and knowledge tools; f acilitating research on human and animal diseases; building capacity in the use of multimedia and ICT solutions; and disseminating conservation and health information via the radio, TV, mobile phone applications, community Internet portals, CD-Roms, handheld computers and existing medical and clinical databases at both regional and international levels.

While the ICT component was started as a project stream i.e. ICT in public health and wildlife conservation, Conservation Through Public Health has found that experience to date highlighted the need to incorporate their ICT work into other complimentary sectors such as, community education and ecotourism. Through this, CTPH believes it can have a greater impact in tackling health issues associated with transmission of diseases such as, tuberculosis, scabies and rabies between people and animals, including endangered mountain gorillas and chimpanzees, buffalo and cattle.