Potentialities for community and rural development through voluntary and governmental health professions partnership: a case study from south Kordofan [1995 - 2000]

ABSTRACT

Developing countries are confronted by multiple challenges. Civil conflicts and war, rapid population movements and displacement, poor rural infrastructure settings and destruction of existing ones, economical recession and malutilization of resources and bureaucracy, are some but not all. Partnership is needed and new players for a new era are to be introduced. Non-governmental agencies can play that role through partnership with governments and history of the post-war Europe is an example. In this study a similar experience from Sudan is under appraisal whereby a leading non-governmental organization, Benevolence International Foundation [BIF] has been, and through partnership with the State Health Authorities, implementing health and other social activities in some of the most needy rural suburbs of Kadogli Province in South Kordofan State. The population served by BIF in these locations mount to a bit more than 25% of the total population of the province. Through implementing Primary Health Care Projects in eleven locations in that area which suffer from the severe and devastating effects of the civil war that has been going on for long and where official role of the government is almost nil, BIF intends and endeavors to mobilize and develop that rural communities. The aim of this essay is to determine if BIF has succeeded and to what extend in inducing change in that communities through highlighting on the major achievements and also to disclose some of the weaknesses and obstacles encountered. The work was an observational descriptive survey covering all the locations of south and west rural suburbs of Kadogli Province through a non-probability sampling technique and starting from late 1995 and up to the end of 1999. The results included populations covered in each peace village, distance from Kadogli city, PHC components performed and those still left undone per clinic, number and classification of practicing health personnel and of those who had a chance for training, and components of community development motivated as indices for success of failure in inducing a positive change in that populations. The study concluded with the affirmation to the importance of voluntary governmental partnership in developing underprivileged communities and in inducing rural development and assured on the role that NGOs can play by making use of the lessons learned from BIF experience in South Kordofan