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In accordance with the agreed upon
program, the training activity began 1 June with protocol procedures in the
morning and an introduction to the supply problem and general SUMA system
characteristics in the afternoon. The next day, a more detailed introduction on
the system's levels was made and a basic demonstration of the screens at the
Central level was made with the help of 'datashow'. During the following days,
participants worked with the system following the practice sessions that were
adapted in situ according to the circumstances of the group, followed by
practical demonstrations throughout 'datashow'.
At the same time, frequent revisions,
demonstrations and clarifications were made. The use of 'datashow' throughout
the process was very valuable in helping to understand.
On Thursday, a practical exercise was
performed in a warehouse in which participants prepared an inventory on a series
of items, created the Central and Field Units, then entered the data, followed
by the respective group revision.
As in most SUMA courses, the
background of the participants is enormously diverse and much depends on their
familiarity with informatics, which finally sets the rule, since those who have
no prior experience with computers are additionally burdened with having to
familiarize themselves with the keyboard and other details. This makes it
difficult to progress at the same pace with the entire group.
In any case, the group's enthusiasm
and interest from the beginning, and the extremely low dropout rate (1 in 19)
should be highlighted. Another interesting aspect was the diversity of
organizations that were represented, among which there were NGOs, UN agencies
and government institutions (see Annex 1, Participation List).
Generally, the good quality
participation was reflected in the way they benefited from and learned the
system, and we could identify some with whom we can follow up and have take
advantage of an eventual effort to show and train SUMA in the country or region
(see Annex 2, Participant Approval).
The relationship with the Americas
Region co-workers, Jean Luc and Victor, was one of great cordiality and a lot of
mutual cooperation. Likewise, the relationship with the delegates from WHO in
Geneva, Reinaldo and Michel, was very friendly and satisfactory. An atmosphere
of pleasant camaraderie and support dominated during the entire week.
The PAHO office in Kigali gave us a
lot of support by designating Nicolas Baher as our local counterpart, who took
care of all the logistical details and even the Representative, Dr. Baba-Moussa,
was at hand throughout the process and assisted both in the opening and closing
ceremonies. In a very much-appreciated gesture, he also went to the airport to
bid farewell to us and gave us a small gift.
There really were no major
difficulties other than the room being a little small for the number of
participants. It becomes a secondary issue since it had no effect on the final
results for the course. On the contrary, as mentioned before, local support and
the participants' enthusiasm largely contributed to the success of this
activity.
It is important to take advantage -
as soon as possible - of the enthusiasm and availability both of the authorities
(WHO Representative and the ministry of health) and the participants, if
introducing SUMA in the short-term is desired.
In a future training activity,
whether it be in the country or the region, it would be interesting to invite
some of the best participants to become familiar with the system as well as with
the training methodology and begin creating a database of instructors in the
area.
A pleasantry that is usually included
in this type of activity is the coffee break which was not included here, but
which the participants would appreciate.
This activity allowed us to put the
manuals, the exercises, and even the screens to the test, above all in the use
of French. Through this process, we were able to locate some details that were
corrected in the software before giving the participants their diskettes.
Changes and observations on the written material were noted for later revision
and correction. | 
