Knowledge Exchange with the Next Generation — Succession Mentoring

At CHF, every project is an opportunity for exchanging knowledge.

We Strengthen Capacity

We develop and strengthen the capacity for future research

CHF’s Legacy in Nigerian Health Education

CHF’s Legacy in Nigerian Health Education

In 1997, we commissioned a training programme at the Federal University of Technology, Yola, that grew from a Diploma into Nigeria’s first Bachelor of Science degree in tropical health and community disease control. Thousands of community health workers — peripheral, often overlooked, always essential — received formal recognition for the knowledge and skills they had always held.

This was not a training project. This was institution-building.

Story

When CHF Trained Nigeria’s Traditional Healers

Taraba

Training 170 Traditional Healers

In communities across Taraba State, traditional healers are often the first — and sometimes the only — healthcare provider people see. Rather than dismissing this reality, CHF worked with it.

We trained 170 traditional healers in evidence-based practices for managing malaria, lymphatic filariasis, and other community-level health challenges. We met people where they were — in the healing frameworks their communities already trusted — and built on that foundation.

This is what community-centred capacity building looks like in practice.

Internships

Global Internship Programme

Global Internship Programme

Since 2001, CHF has welcomed researchers from around the world to learn what no classroom teaches: how to build trust in communities, conduct research that communities own, and produce evidence that changes things.

Our interns have come from Emory University, Johns Hopkins University, Harvard School of Public Health, and universities across Nigeria. They leave with skills, publications, and a perspective that stays with them throughout their careers.

If you are a student or researcher who wants to understand development research from the ground up — this is where you start.

Apply for an Internship →