The meeting was also an opportunity to work on the AMR fresk
The ten fellows exchanged ideas with their mentors – five of whom were connected remotely, the other five present on site. The meeting was an opportunity for the on-site mentors to work with their respective fellows on the implementation of their training plan.
A work meeting was also held to define the objectives of the collaborative project and the activities to be carried out by each fellow as part of the program
For those present in Senegal, the agenda included visits to two laboratories where two of the fellows work, the National laboratory of Public Health and the Microbiology laboratory in the Albert Royer Hospital. These visits enabled the two on-site French mentors to gain a better understanding of their fellows’ working environment and adapt their training plan accordingly.
Two Senegalese mentors and representatives from the Mérieux Foundation’s office in Senegal then took part in the ‘AMR Fresk’, a participative learning tool. This fresco, developed by Mérieux Université, aims to raise awareness of the public health problem represented by AMR worldwide. Participants discover what AMR is, its causes and consequences, and what can be done to combat this silent epidemic. Participants expressed their desire to become ambassadors for the fresco. Training will be provided to enable them to present the fresco to new audiences, notably in their respective laboratories.
Meetings between mentors and fellows will continue throughout the project, to support the successful completion of the activities set out in the individual training plans. The project will also continue with the completion of the collaborative project by all fellows.
About the Fleming Fellowship Scheme
The Fleming Fund’s Fellowship Scheme aims to support the development of skills and capabilities of professionals and decision-makers in the field of AMR.
The program encourages peer-to-peer learning through mentoring, as well as One Health Communities of Practice. Fellows are mainly selected from governmental public institutions to strengthen national AMR response capacities.
In Senegal, the Mérieux Foundation acts as the project’s host institution, coordinating the program by, for example, coordinating funding and selecting the most suitable experts to support the implementation of training activities.
About the Fleming Fund
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC)’s Fleming Fund is a UK aid program supporting up to 25 countries across Africa and Asia to tackle antimicrobial resistance (AMR), a leading contributor to deaths from infectious diseases worldwide.
The Fleming Fund invests in strengthening AMR surveillance systems through a portfolio of country grants, regional grants, and fellowships managed by Mott MacDonald, and global projects managed by DHSC.
The Mérieux Foundation has been selected for the Fellowship Scheme and Country Grants in Lao PDR and Senegal, as well as the Africa Regional Grant program to provide clinical engagement technical assistance for the Africa region.