To enable a research project in East Sudan to be conducted, Dr Khalifa Elmusharaf, Lecturer in Epidemiology & Public Health Medicine and coordinator of Population & International Health at RCSI Bahrain, has received a grant from The United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
The research project aims to improve communities resilience to social and economic shocks in a post-conflict setting and to address underlying conflict-drivers, including disproportionate underdevelopment and marginalisation.
The research project will provide pasteurised milk to 4000 underprivileged, malnourished school children in 14 targeted schools for one academic year. The research will evaluate the impact on nutritional status, health-related quality of life, education coverage, academic achievement, awareness of teachers and students on the nutritional value of milk and other foods, and any change in perceptions of community members, regarding marginalisation and discontent.
This research is a collaboration project between Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, RCSI Bahrain and Reproductive and Child Health Research Unit (RCRU) at University of Medical Sciences and Technology in Khartoum, Sudan.
It is worth mentioning that Dr Elmusharaf has recently been awarded a PhD from National University of Ireland (NUI) Galway on his research titled "Access to maternal healthcare in post-conflict South Sudan: Is the health system designed for the context?" Congratulations Dr Elmusharaf.