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Last February, we concluded a partnership with the University of the Western Cape (UWC), regarding research on the impact that the Health Promoters are making in their target communities. A process that began few years back but was stalled for several reasons, the COVID-19 pandemic a major one, is now fully underway by postgraduate students in statistical science of the latter university, in collaboration with other role players.

The UWC and Hogeschool of Utrecht have partnered by extension.
In the middle of the above research, the students, Sasja Peeters and Pascalle Dietrich, of the Utrecht University of Applied Sciences (Hogeschool), the Netherlands, arrived South Africa following another partnership we have with their institution for an internship programme. The timing was right, as the duo have been working together, as part of their obligation, with the UWC students in the ongoing research, amid other organizational duties. An ad hoc collaboration was established between the students of both schools, in this process, which we hope to increase in the future.

This research in question which currently binds us all, aims at producing an easy-to-use daily instrument for data collection and analysis at our workshops. In line with this, we shall be using the tool to track our clients and show how ‘life changing’ our intervention is. It will help us remain in touch with them long after their physical workshop attendance, especially to determine the progress they have made (attitude change, behaviour change, opportunities acquired and general wellbeing), post workshop.

The research University WP and Hogeschool Utrecht
This research is very important for our organization as they are going to set up a tool for us so that we can collect data. We want to track our clients and show how life changing our projects are. So this means that in the future we also try to stay in touch with our clients so that we know how much they have benefited from the health education.