The Norpart Erasmus Capacity building project led by Prof Natasha Potgieter, the Executive Dean of the Faculty of Science, Engineering and Agriculture, recently held a successful two-week 2023 summer school for postgraduate Master and Doctoral students. Facilitators were from Norway, Mali, Ghana, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, and Ethiopia. A total of 30 delegates were part of the summer school for the 2 weeks, while the 4 students from Norway stayed until 20 July to work further with the ONE HEALTH research group in the Faculty of Science, Engineering and Agriculture.

Group photo of the whole delegation

Norway delegation who stayed for 3 weeks to work with the UNIVEN students in the field

This project has one Master student from Ghana who will spend three months as part of the capacity building and she will be working under the mentorship of Prof Traore and Prof Potgieter. Beatrice Addai-Yeboah is a results-oriented engineer with over nine years of experience working on Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH Projects), Environmental and Social Impact Assessments, and other engineering assignments. She has experience working as a Water Treatment Engineer and Environmental, Health, and Safety Engineer with an Independent Power Producer in the energy sector and has developed Standard Operating Procedures for several industries in the sector. She is multidisciplinary and has functioned excellently in other sectors such as the social sector. She has efficiently worked on several Socio-economic Baseline Studies, Social Impact Assignments, Resettlement Action Plans, and Gender and Poverty Assessments among others for several national projects.

Beatrice works as a Research Assistant with Social and Engineering Professionals Limited (SnE) in Accra, Ghana. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology and is currently pursuing a Master of Science degree in Water Supply and Environmental Sanitation. She has taken advanced courses in water treatment, and wastewater management among other courses which has deepened her understanding of the challenges and complexities of providing clean water and adequate sanitation. She is currently researching the “Impact of pollution on urban surface water quality in the Kumasi Metropolis – A Case Study of the Aboabo River.” Aside from being a career woman and student, Beatrice is a wife and mother of two.

Masters student from Ghana, who will be working on a project for 3 months at UNIVEN

The theme of the 2023 summer school in South Africa was “Achieving social inclusion through water quality management”. The first day started with a GENDER IN WASH WORKSHOP and during the remaining two weeks, the delegates spent time working in groups doing theory, practical sessions in the Microbiology laboratories and going out to the field where they were put into teams to assess water quality and investigate WASH activities around the water sources and water storage practices. They also visited a water treatment plant and had time to learn more about the Venda culture.

Delegates in the lab learning how to assess water quality

Mashamba potters visit