The Phoenix Project

The Phoenix Project is part of Cardiff University's Transforming Communities programme, launched in the Senedd by First Minister Carwyn Jones 4 years ago to improve health and reduce poverty in Namibia.

The project is led by the tireless Professor Judith Hall, a professor of Anaesthetics, Intensive Care and Pain Medicine, and involves a committed group of people with specialist skills from across Cardiff University, as well as other organisations including the Welsh NHS and Cardiff Metropolitan University. They have worked across international boundaries to achieve outcomes that are having a substantial impact on Namibia.

The project covers 3 broad areas, namely women, children and infectious diseases; science, and communication. It is one of Cardiff University’s flagship engagement projects, working with communities in Cardiff, Wales and beyond in health, education and poverty reduction. Since the project’s launch, Cardiff University and UNAM staff and students have created over 30 major work packages, with external funding of over £1m secured. The collaboration between the universities has strengthened teaching capacity and specialist expertise within UNAM, resulting in a more professional and qualified workforce. Examples of Phoenix Project successes include:

• transforming anaesthesia in Namibia by training its first ever professional anaesthetists
• launching very major and successful road safety initiatives in Namibia, a country with the worst road safety statistics in the world
• development of a Python Namibia Software writing community, making the country sustainable in this field
• valuing and developing Namibian multilingual communities, something hugely important for a Welsh project.