Kolabo

Location: Tanzania

Dates: Ongoing 

Project description:

Globally, there is a vast need to improve the care received by those with mental health conditions in low and middle-income countries. It is from this necessity to improve the availability of mental health resources that Kolabo was founded. Kolabo is an organization focused in Mwanza, Tanzania where community mental health services and primary care are rather limited. The University of Calgary has formed a strong alliance with our Tanzanian partners at the Catholic University of Allied Sciences (CUHAS) to ensure that together we work towards the mutual goal of building healthier communities. 

This partnership between institutions is the basis of Kolabo, which was named to indicate "collaboration" in Swahili. Our mission, objectives and outcomes are all intended to ensure this partnership is built on trust, mutual respect and sustainability towards building capacity in mental healthcare. 

The Kolabo project is currently focusing on several different initiatives. These include:

  • Developing a culturally relevant and locally driven mental health curriculum for undergraduate and post-graduate medical trainees at CUHAS located in Mwanza, Tanzania.
  • Supporting sustainable, capacity building of the CUHAS Psychiatry staff through faculty development in medical education, continuing medical education (CME), and medical education research.
  • Strengthening the cultural competency and medical expertise of University of Calgary Psychiatry Residents and staff who travel overseas to support UME, CME and PGME development. 
  • Development of a self-sustaining Post-Graduate Education (PGME) program at CUHAS where psychiatrists can be locally trained.
  • Collaboration between CUHAS students and graduates with University of Calgary Psychiatry Residents to create mental health related podcasts, which serve the local context of mental healthcare in Tanzania.

 

Key contacts:

 

Project partners: