MISSION

The mission of SOMA-Net is: -

  • To establish long-term holistic and sustainable solutions to health in Africa
  • By encouraging, facilitating and supporting research which blends social and health science concepts, theories and approaches in defining, analyzing and interpreting health problems
  • And developing innovative approaches for health improvement that bring into play all factors that influence the health problem
  • With communities and target groups as active partners.

THE PRIMARY GOALS഍

  • Develop, promote and integrate social sciences in health research
  • Facilitate and enhance the capacity of individuals and institutions to conduct health social science research (HSS).
  • Produce and disseminate advocacy materials on HSS
  • Establish media for exchange and dissemination of information on HSS

THE CHALLENGES

  • Develop and field-test social science methodologies and initiatives that impact on human health and development.
  • Conduct applied participatory research on availability, accessibility, and affordability of resources in the community and maximizing these resources in improving health and development.
  • Improve the skills of young professionals in coducting quality health social science research and prepare high caliber research papers and technical reports.
  • Disseminate health social sciences research findings.
  • Document the extent of skills and wealth of experience existing in Health Social Science in Africa.
  • Establish and maintain a cadre of professionals, organisations and affiliates committed to health social sciences

STRATEGIES

SOMA-Net’s strategic role is to advocate the integration of social science principles, approaches, methodologies and practices in identifying, understanding and solving health problems in Africa. The strategy has four elements:

  • Research – initiate, facilitate and encourage comparative, multi-sectoral, cross-country research through a process that strengthens research capacity of individuals and institutions.
  • Networking – create opportunities for exchange of information, ideas and foster collaboration among Health Social Scientists with a view to strengthening Health Social Science in policy, programmes and practices.
  • Advocacy – promote effective concepts, principles, approaches, and methodologies used in Health Social Science for integration into health policy, programs and practice.
  • Capacity Strengthening - facilitate and enhance the capacity of individuals and institutions to conduct Health Social Science research.

ILLUSTRATIVE LIST OF PROJECTS

  • Development of a training guide ng guide in nutrition using Consultative Research Methodologies
  • Regional skill development workshops on the use of social science approaches in health assessment, analysis, and interventions with participants from Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Sudan and Ethiopia
  • Training teams of health and social scientists and nutrition program managers from Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Malawi and Ghana in interactive qualitative research methods in nutrition
  • Comparative Analyses of Experiences with Health Sector Reform: Promoting Better Health through Equity-related Research: Using Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) data to develop tools to describe intra country inequities in health status
  • Research on HSS in the curricula of some selected African universities
  • Commissioning of case studies which have used HSS research to improve health
  • A data base of individuals and institutions working in the field of HSS
  • Convening Social Sciences in Health International Conferences. The conferences have been held in Kenya - 1990 and 1992, Cameroon - 1994, Zimbabwe - 1997 and Botswana - 2000

COLLABORATING AGENCIES

SOMA-Net enjoys and appreciates generous support from a variety of foundations, corporations, international agencies, universities, governments and non-governmental organizations like:

  • Carnegie Corporation of New York
  • Academy for Educational and Development/ USAID
  • Rockefeller Foundation
  • Ford Foundation
  • Swedish International Development Agency
  • International Development and Research Centre
  • UNICEF
  • World Health Organization
  • Council on Health Research for Development
  • University of Nairobi, Department of Community Health and Applied Nutrition Programme
  • University of Zimbabwe Medical School
  • Blair Research Institute Zimbabwe
  • University of Yaounde Cameroon
  • University of Nsukka Nigeria
  • University of Pretoria, Witbank Hospital
  • University of Ghana, Legon Sociology, Geography and Resource Departments
  • Institute of Public Health Tanzania
  • Tanzania Food and Nutrition Centre
  • Kenya Medical Research Institute
  • Ministry of Health Kenya, Uganda and Ghana
  • Child Development Centre, Uganda
  • University of Botswana, Population and Sustainable Development Program

For more information contact:

CEO/ Coordinator

P.O. Box 20811
NAIROBI-KENYA
Tel: 254-2-560569/ 567577
Fax 254-567577/ 560569
Email: somanet@africaonline.co.ke.
Website: http://www.somanet.org.
 
SOMA-Net is a non-profit, non-governmental Organization, which promotes and advocates for the application of social sciences in improving human health and development.

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