Cape Town, South Africa (25 June - 4 July 2012)

 The International People’s Health University (IPHU) of the People’s Health Movement (PHM) jointly with the International Budget Partnership (IBP), South Africa and PHM-South Africa announce "THE STRUGGLE FOR HEALTH" a short training course for young health activists from 25 June to 4 July in Cape Town, South Africa.

Apply now in English
Postulez dès maintenant en Français

- The main course will be preceded by a mandatory online preparation during the period 12 April - 20 May 2012.

- All applicants are also encouraged to register to participate in the Third People’s Health Assembly (PHA3) which will be held in Cape Town South Africa (6-11 July 2012).

Objectives

The IPHU short courses are to enable younger health activists to make new connections, share experiences and study together. They aim at strengthening the growing activism of the People’s Health Movement and International Budget Partnership.

Who is the course planned for?

• Young health activists and practitioners working on the issues of health, gender and human rights and particularly including those involved or wish to be involved in the People’s Health Movement (PHM) and the International Budget Partnership (IBP) .
• Applicants should have a university degree or equivalent.
• Priority, with respect to enrolment, will be given to 
  • Younger people motivated to get involved in PHM and have endorsed the People’s Charter for Health
  • Primary health care and public health practitioners;
  • People with a track record as health activists within the PHM, in particular, people who have been actively involved in organisations which are part of the PHM.
• A total of 50 participants is expected.
• The enrolment policy aims to achieve: 
  • geographical mix
  • gender balance
  • diversity of involvements: community based organisations, health care agencies, NGOs, universities, government officials, etc; and
  • diversity of skills, records of activism, interests, experience, and educational backgrounds.

Announcement Brochure

Download Announcement Brochure in English (coming soon) and French (coming soon) and distribute widely.

Application and Deadline

• Apply online by filling in the Online Application Form in English or in French.
• If you are unable to apply online, you may download the Application Form in Word format in English, fill it in and email it to iphu[at]phmovement.org (please do not convert the form into PDF or into an image format).
• Deadline for receiving applications: 25 March 2012
• All applicants will be advised of the outcome of their application soon after the deadline.

Language

The course will be taught in English and French. Simultaneous translation will be provided.

Fees & Scholarships

Registration*             USD 50 (EUR 40 or ZAR 400)

Tuition**                   Free

Accommodation***   USD 350 (EUR 270 or ZAR 2710)

* Mandatory - Cover all training materials; lunch and coffee breaks during the training days.

** Supported by the PHM-IPHU for all participants.

*** Fixed rate for subsidized activists’ accommodation in shared, basic facilities.

- PHM-IPHU is committed to reducing the financial barriers to attending IPHU. A limited number of scholarships for travel and/or accommodation will be available for qualified applicants.

- Priority will be given to qualified applicants from South Africa (as the host country) and other Sub-Saharan Africa countries.

- Travel scholarships for qualified South African participants from outside Cape Town is subjected to a fixed rate, estimated based on the average cost of travel by bus or train.

- In case of travel scholarships provided for qualified international participants, flight tickets will be booked by the PHM Global Secretariat upon a written confirmation by the participant on the itinerary provided. Most of flight tickets will be non-refundable; accordingly, participants will be asked to pay back the cost of their tickets if they did not show up. This policy is only to ensure that we are using our limited resources efficiently. 

- Registration fees are mandatory for all participants.

- Activists’ accommodation will be reserved in shared, basic facilities.

- PHM-IPHU scholarships do not cover visa fees, airport tax & travel insurance (if applicable), personal living expenses, per diems, or local transportation in the home country.

- Applicants should seek such support from sponsors in their own countries in the first instance.

Venue

• The course will be convened at University of Western Cape, Cape Town, South Africa.

Accommodation

• Activists’ accommodation in shared, basic facilities will be reserved from 24th June till the night of 12 July 2012 at University of Western Cape University (all participants of the IPHU course is encouraged to extend their stay to participant in the Third People’s Health Assembly (PHA3).
• Any change in the accommodation plans will be announced.  

Curriculum

See the Draft Program Framework.

The curriculum includes:

• the struggle for health and organized health activism: challenges, strategy and practice, achievements and new directions;
• working with communities and with grass roots people’s organisations;
• social determinants of health: poverty, oppression and hierarchy; alienation and exclusion; racism, sexism and materialism;
• comprehensive primary health care: achievements, challenges, lessons and new directions;
• the political economy of health: imperialism and globalisation, the international financial institutions and the UN system; local issues and global pressures; monitoring the budget for health;
• health system strengthening; the politics of health policy;
• the right to health: principles, achievements and new directions;
• people’s health and the environmental struggle;
• research: part of the problem and part of the solution.

Approach to learning

• Start with the struggle for health
• Teach and learn in partnership
• Knowledge is imbued with purpose
• New ideas must be used
• Activism is an ethical commitment
• Learn new ways of being (as well as new facts and theories)
• Refresh, enquire, research
• Nurture leadership: judgment which inspires confidence; integrity which creates trust and the courage to take risks
• Learn to listen to learn; learn to teach; teach to learn
• Steer our own learning; grow the skills and habits of life long learning
• Build our community of activists
• Stay with the struggle for health

The course will involve: pre-reading & exercises; lectures, small group discussions, debates, workshops and follow up study. Resource materials will take the form of soft/hard copy readings, lecture notes and websites.

Faculty

Faculty members will be a mix between high-profile academic personnel and health activists of a sound experience, in addition to a number of PHM resource persons, from the region as well as PHM-Global.

Contact

For inquiries, please contact the IPHU-Cape Town Coordinating Group at: iphu[at]phmovement.org