IOM Sierra Leone E-learning Project

Engaging Diaspora to Strengthen the Health, Flood Prevention, and Agriculture Sectors in Sierra Leone

The project’s Learning Management System (LMS), KnowledgeDeli Global, is provided as application service. The actual servers are located outside of Japan and the service support multi languages. The International Organization of Migration (IOM) achieved project goals through the operation of KnowlegeDeli Global.

The project aims to enhance the knowledge and skills of human resources in the fragile Health & Service sector in Sierra Leone. KnowledgeDeli Global make it possible to conduct distance learning between lecturers in the USA and students in Sierra Leone, and also contributed to the general transfer of knowledge and improvement/sustainment of practical operations in the Health & Service sector.

Project Site:	University of Sierra Leone, College of Medicines and Allied Science (COMAHS)
Target Beneficiary:	Initially 15 graduate students and then 33 under-graduate students later on
Provided Hardware/Software:	11 DELL Desktop Computers 1 HP Laser Printer 48 Headsets 24 Web Cameras 25 Copies of Antivirus Software 1 Connector Set
Activity:	The Streaming of “Research Method” and “Health Policy” lectures via the LMS
Funded by:	Government of Japan

The Republic of Sierra Leone is located along the Atlantic coast of West Africa. Sierra Leone has struggled with several incidences. The civil war from 1999 to 2002 victimized many citizens, including doctors, nurses, teachers, technicians, and managers. An outbreak of Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever in 2014 made many people sick. Unprecedented floods in 2015 caused extensive damage.

These incidents made its already fragile health service even worse, which resulted in citizens having the shortest life expectancy in the world: 53.1 years old in 2016 (WHO). In addition, there are only 0.022 doctors for every 1,000 citizens in Sierra Leone. This is a stark difference when comparing to the 2.297 doctors per 1,000 citizens in Japan (WHO).

The survey carried out by IOM shows that 78% of doctors over 55 years old who migrated to developed countries, are willing to provide training to students in health sectors in Sierra Leone. The result of the survey led IOM to start the project outlined in this report. As previously mentioned, the project utilizes e-Learning to provide lectures from the United States to Sierra Leone.

The survey conducted before the project shows that no ICT infrastructure, including computer laboratories, ICT centers, and university/faculty libraries, existed at the University of Sierra Leone’s College of Medicines and Allied Science (COMAHS). According to the survey, 84.1% of the students had no PC access, and 61% of the students made payments to commercial facilities out of the campus for ICT services such as scanning documents, printing, and internet services. In the context of ICT skills among students, 70% of students had no experience with Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, E-mail, or internet usage. Furthermore, only 25% of students knew about e-Learning and only 23.4％of students had smartphones.

The project enhanced the learning environment of COMAHS. Two professors in the USA were selected as lecturers. The first being Prof. M.J. Harris, a well-seasoned associate professor and director of the PhD program at the University of Louisville, Department of Health Promotion and Behavioral Sciences, School of Public Health and Information Sciences. The other being Ms. Y Jalloh, a highly motivated public health professional with nearly 10 years of experience. They provided lectures for “Research Method” and “Health Policy” respectively.

The evaluations carried out during the latter part of the project are shown below.

Executing the first e-Learning course revealed many issues with regards to managing the project. Not only does broadcasting high-quality lectures require a well-maintained and reliable internet connection, but careful coordination and system support is also required among COMAHS stakeholders. These issues were recognized as areas that need to be improved on.

Digital-Knowledge Co., Ltd, will continue to contribute to development in Africa via their e-Learning services and support.

Established in 1951, IOM is the leading inter-governmental organization in the field of migration and works closely with governmental, intergovernmental and non-governmental partners.

With 175 member states, a further 8 states holding observer status and offices in over 100 countries, IOM is dedicated to promoting humane and orderly migration for the benefit of all. It does so by providing services and advice to governments and migrants. IOM works to help ensure the orderly and humane management of migration, to promote international cooperation on migration issues, to assist in the search for practical solutions to migration problems and to provide humanitarian assistance to migrants in need, including refugees and internally displaced people. The IOM Constitution recognizes the link between migration and economic, social and cultural development, as well as to the right of freedom of movement.

IOM works in the four broad areas of migration management:	Migration and development Facilitating migration Regulating migration Forced migration.

IOM activities that cut across these areas include the promotion of international migration law, policy debate and guidance, protection of migrants’ rights, migration health and the gender dimension of migration.

In addition to serving as director of Japan’s largest e-learning group organization “e-Learning Consortium Japan” and running Japan’s only comprehensive e-learning forum “e-Learning Award Forum”, we participate in various other social contribution initiatives to further the development of e-learning, such as the e-Learning Association, ICT Education Promotion Council of Japan and The University CIO Forum. Moreover, capitalizing on our more than 27 years of experience in e-learning and with the aim of contributing to society, we established the e-Learning Strategy Research Institute in April 2007, which conducts studies and research into e-learning technologies, market and educational effects. In addition, we are simultaneously engaged in support activities targeting people studying IT technology at vocational training schools with the goal of re-employment in web-based industries.

Digital Knowledge is focused in three areas when promoting international e-Learning services	International Development Projects Overseas Human Resource Development Support for Expansion of for Overseas Education Business

Having a track record of installations at over 2,000 schools and companies in Japan, Digital Knowledge now leads e-Learning solutions outside of Japan.