Expanding the Epi Training Kit

Epi-Training Kit

Expanding the Epi Training Kit: A South-South Collaboration for Multilingual and Localized Public Health Data Science Training Materials in Africa

Last update: Feb 26, 2025

BACKGROUND

Enhancing Tools for Response, Analytics and Control of Epidemics in Latin America and the Caribbean (TRACE-LAC) is a project funded by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) with the objective of building a high-quality, open-source, and interoperable data toolkit for epidemic analytics — and fostering an engaged user community — to support decision-makers in responding to epidemics in Latin America.

The Pontificia Universidad Javeriana (Javeriana) has been supported by IDRC to develop various activities and research products within the TRACE-LAC project. As part of this effort, Javeriana created the Epi Training Kit (EpiTKit), an open-access online training strategy.

The EpiTKit consists of a series of modules and units for virtual training in public health data science and infectious disease modeling, aligned with the Epiverse initiative led by data.org. To date, 10 units have been developed in Spanish, tailored for audiences in Latin America and the Caribbean.

This new phase, developed in partnership between Pontificia Universidad Javeriana and data.org, expands the reach of the EpiTKit to Africa through a South-South collaboration, emphasizing multilingualism and localism in the translation and cultural adaptation of training materials.  The initiative aims to strengthen local capacities in data science for public health while fostering knowledge exchange between regions facing similar gaps and epidemiological challenges.

GENERAL OBJECTIVE

To translate and culturally adapt the materials of the Epi Training Kit (EpiTKit) for the target audience in  Côte d'Ivoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, and Togo, ensuring linguistic clarity, technical accuracy, and cultural relevance. This initiative embraces a multilingual and localism approach to create context-sensitive learning experiences that reflect local public health realities and strengthen regional capacities in data science for epidemic response.

This objective includes:

  • Translating and adapting the training materials from an initial set of five units developed by Epiverse TRACE-LAC into English and French, while integrating local contexts and region-specific examples.

  • Reviewing technical terminology to ensure consistency, accuracy, and relevance to local epidemiological landscapes.

  • Adapting and producing multilingual multimedia resources that are culturally appropriate and reflective of the diverse realities across African regions.

The five units to be translated and adapted are:

  1. Introduction to Epidemic Theory

  2. General Epidemiology

  3. Introduction to Statistics and Probability

  4. Parameters

  5. Building a Deterministic Model

INSTITUTIONS

![](img/data.org.png){height =200px} 
![](img/MRC.png){width =250px}     
![](img/javeriana.png){height =250px}

Contact information

  • Zulma M. Cucunubá. Principal Investigator (zulma.cucunuba@javeriana.edu.co)
  • Laura Gómez-Bermeo. Training Coordinator (gomezblaura@javeriana.edu.co)
  • Proyecto TRACE-LAC tracelac@javeriana.edu.co