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South-North Research Cooperation - the long haul

By building up trust between researchers from different academic fields and institutions, based in Denmark and in the South, ENRECA Network has been a catalyst for collaboration and idea generation which has generated new applications, research projects and joint publications. The ENRECA Health Secretariat has organized a number of small and large seminars, conferences and retreats which have offered a ‘haven' for inter-institutional collaboration and creative thinking.

The Network dates back to 1984, but ENRECA Health - Danish Research Network for International Health was officially established in 1996 to facilitate exchange of experiences and dialogue between research groups who worked in and for the Danida-funded ENRECA programmes (Enhancement of Research Capacity in Developing Countries). From 1990, Danida supported twinning projects, which had the ambition to foster research capacity. These ENRECA projects run up to 12 years and typically received up to 6 M DKK for a three year period. More than 40 interdisciplinary projects were funded under the ENRECA mechanism covering a wide range of topics from health to agriculture. The health related projects were conducted in Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya, Sudan, Egypt, Mozambique, Madagascar, Guinea-Bissau, Ghana, Bangladesh, Nepal, India and Vietnam.

Examples of ENRECA projects:

Tororo Community Health - Community and Health System: Interaction and Change in Uganda (TORCH), 1994-2009.

In the early 1990's, Uganda began decentralising the public administration and the service sectors, including the health sector. District Health Teams faced difficulties in carrying out the decentralisation as they often lacked people's respect and trust. The TORCH Project
succeeded in strengthening the relationship between the users and providers of health care services in Uganda's Tororo District.

A multi-disciplinary approach, long-term engagement, capacity development, good communication and good relations with both the communities and the staff in the health facilities provided the foundation for the Project's success and impact. The most important outcome of the Project has been the individual and institutional capacity developed at the local and central level, especially the Child Health and Development Centre at Makerere University.