Qualitative Research Collaboration Project

The key principle underpinning our projects is the empowerment of local expertise through education, training, development of infrastructure and collaboration.

This, our second formal project, looks to compliment the Tanzania National Mesh Hernia Project (TNMHP). It has been enabled through the University of Winchester (UoW) Global Challenges Research Fund. In 2020, this internal grant invited applications for a Global Healthcare project with aims to promote and support ‘sustainable health and well-being’. Through Mark’s association as a Visiting Fellow at the University; SWIFTSS, brokering a link with the Tanzania Surgical Association (TSA), teamed up with the UoW Centre for Global Health to apply for and secure this grant. 

After a preliminary period exploring a number of things, including the hurdles of the raging COVID pandemic, the project officially began in April 2021. The aims are to establish qualitative research methodology expertise in the Tanzania surgical community and to cement a UK-Tanzania qualitative research partnership. This will be achieved through tripartite collaboration, conducting an enquiry of ‘co-development’ in a global health partnership. If successful, the hope is that this established qualitative research partnership will then be able to explore in detail the TNMHP and the SWIFTSS-TSA Healthcare Partnership through a qualitative lens. Ultimately helping to inform and shape what we do, as well as sharing the learning with the wider global health community.

This exciting project has become possible through the hard work and vision of Rachel Locke at the University of Winchester and the enthusiasm and commitment of Dr Mugisha Nkoronko in Tanzania.