African Diaspora and control of HIV infection due to unsafe medical practices in Africa

Abstract

Members of the African Diaspora have been portrayed as defectors, disloyal to their motherland. Such over generalized characterizations unfortunately risk clouding a complex reality and masking the positive involvement of a large number of Africans of the Diaspora in African affairs, particularly in the context of the HIV/AIDS crisis. One illustration of this involvement is a pilot project undertaken by US-based members of the African Diaspora in collaboration with one Congolese medical school. Implemented in the Eastern Kasai Province (Democratic Republic of the Congo), the pilot project focused on the training of health care professionals and on the deployment of quality improvement teams to effectively mitigate HIV infection which results from unsafe medical practices. Project aims, design, strategies, and accomplishments are described. Building on this case, arguments are presented to expand the concept of global learning to include capacity development projects, conceived and implemented by the African Diaspora. Key words: African diaspora, capacity development, control of HIV infection, global learning, health care workers.