On March 13^th 2018, we commenced our 1-day beginner and 3-day advanced level DHIS2 training with 2 and 8 participants respectively. Participants were from organizations like eHealth Africa, UNFPA, Sight Savers and even private individuals. Two of them registered for the one day beginner level training and at the end of the training, they were eager to learn more. One of them said:

“It was fun, nice and enlightening. Initially I paid for one day but I would have regretted it”.

At eHealth4everyone, one of our core values is excellence, hence we ensured our training fully met the expectations of our participants. The training was practical intensive, interactive, and excellently organized. It was packed full of learning and our participants were well fed with delicious food. Our participants loved our trainers and facilitators. They loved that our training team was well coordinated, highly knowledgeable and that our facilitators were always willing to assist the trainees and answer whatever questions they asked.

The participants being trained on the use of DHIS2

In addition to these, here are three other important things our participants gained from our DHIS2 training.

1. An understanding of the NHMIS and DHIS2: One of the beginner courses taught was “Understanding the NHMIS”. The National Health Management Information System (NHMIS) in Nigeria became operational in 1999. In 2004, DHIS2 was adopted as the data management platform to be used for the NHMIS. The DHIS2 customized for the country’s needs is called the “National Instance”.Hence, DHIS2 is not the NHMIS. Rather, it is a platform developed by the University of Oslo and used in Nigeria and many other countries to manage routine health information. Using DHIS2, health facilities submit data monthly for analyses and use by decision makers.By the end of the training, our participants fully understood that DHIS2 is a platform used to build the NHMIS and can be used to build several other instances. A participant said:
   

   “Got a great understanding of the National Instance. It fixed the puzzles together and brought clarity with respect to what I do…”.

   

   Our facilitators providing assistance during one of the practical sessions
2. How to customize their own DHIS2 platform to suit their needs: DHIS2 is an open source platform that can be configured to suit an individual or organizations’ needs. Any organization can use DHIS2 to carry out data management activities. With DHIS2, you can create your data elements (or variables), configure your program indicators and develop datasets (or forms) to collect the data. Also, data you need can be entered using the datasets you developed. This data can be further analysed and used to create charts, and dashboards for visualization.This is the main focus of our DHIS2 training. We provide participants with sufficient skills to configure DHIS2 to do what they want, collect the data and carry out the analysis they want. By the end of the training, participants were able to fully customize their own DHIS2 to suit their organization’s needs. When asked how they would apply the training, many of our participants said they would develop datasets for their organizations and would use it at work for their data management needs.
   

   “…I also realized that DHIS2 had visualization features and organizations can incorporate it into their programs” – a participant said.

3. Valuable Career Skills: DHIS2 is used by numerous organizations all over the world and in Nigeria. As more organizations have come to recognize the versatility of DHIS2, they have begun to adopt it as well. Hence, there is a need for DHIS2 experts that can manage data using DHIS2. Some of our participants had no prior experience in data analysis or in the use of DHIS2. But with our training, they gained valuable DHIS2 and data analytical skills. (Read about how our DHIS2 training turns novices to experts here). This places them a step ahead as they become valuable employees in their organizations and provides employable skills to those who are unemployed. One of our participants who had no prior DHIS2 experience said;

   “…I started this training programme with no experience of data analysis in the health sector. I was very happy to get my doubts cleared…. I desire to start as an intern in an organization where DHIS2 is being used and implemented”

   

   Some of our trainers and participants after the training. They look so happy

    

   With our trainings, we are providing valuable knowledge and skills and providing the right manpower to manage health data for informed decision making that will impact the Nigerian health sphere. It is truly an investment worth making. To cap it all, we want to conclude with a wonderful statement by one of our participants.

   “For me that had no knowledge on DHIS2 prior to this training, I can actually pass on DHIS2 knowledge to others.”

   We love that what we train our participants is being used maximally and passed on to others. We especially love that our participants become extremely confident in their DHIS2 skills after our training, enough to want to pass it on.

   If this is not proof of the effectiveness of our advanced training, I don’t know what is. (Read about how our DHIS2 training is so much more here)

   Want to build your DHIS2 skills, we have another training coming up in May. Click here to indicate interest.