Comboni College Of Science And Technology

 News

18^th July 2017: The journey of Palliative Care in Sudan in a book

It has just been published the book entitled, Palliative Care: Perspectives, Practices and Impact on Quality of Life. A Global View, Volume 1. The editor, Michael Silberman, collects the practice of palliative care worldwide. All five continents are represented in this book by global leaders in this relatively new subspecialty. The chapters in the book re-emphasize the fact that in the 21st century, most patients in the world still lack this elementary tool to alleviate suffering – physical, and even more so, emotional and spiritual – which are so critical to people, especially when patients conditions become fatal. An issue that comes up again and again from almost all parts of the world, regardless of religion and traditional backgrounds, ethnicities, beliefs or faith, refers to the critical lack of basic and advanced training for physicians, nurses, volunteers and the public at large. Healthcare professionals are currently not equipped with the principles of communication with both the patient and his/her relatives.
Chapter 14 of this book has been written by the directress of the Courses of Palliative Care at CCST, Dr. Nahla Gafer, along with Dr. Mohja Kha’ir Allah and Sr. Halima Ali. This chapter reports the journey of Palliative Care in Sudan including the contribution of CCST. The chapter is entitled:: “Palliative Care in Sudan: A Protracted Journey to Reduce Suffering and Improve Quality of Life”.

26^th May 2017: Presentation of INSO Project at IRISS headquarters

INSO project was presented in the headquarters of the head of the project, IRISS, at Naples on Friday 26^th May and in the Ateneo Palace of the University of the Studies Aldo Moro of Bari, partner in the project, on Monday 29^th May. The press conference at the site of the Institute of Research on Innovation and Services for Development (IRISS) was moderated by the well-known journalist Marco Demarco and involved Prof. Alfonso Morvillo, Director of IRISS, Francesca Tolve, from the office of International Relations of IRISS, and the Director of the Office of International Relations of the Ministry of Interior of the Republic of Italy, Dr. Carmelita F. Ammendola, who shared her input through video-conference. Dr. Sabrina Greco, scientific director of the project, and Fr. Jorge Naranjo, director of the project for Comboni College of Science and Technology presented the project with detail. The conference had the presence of
a numerous group of researchers of IRISS, some of whom are involved in the training activities of the project, and some journalists of Naples. The conference at Bari instead was attended by the General Director of the University, Dr. Federico Gallo, and several representatives of local TV channels. The scientific director of the project for the Long Life Formation center of Bari university (CAP), Prof. Alberto Fornasari, Dr. Sabrina Greco and Fr. Jorge Naranjo presented the project.

18-20^th May 2017: CCST at the 15^th World Congress of the European Association of Palliative Care

CCST was present in the 15^th World Congress of the European Association for Palliative Care that took place in Madrid from 18^th - 20^th May 2017. The Congress
was entitled “Progressing Palliative Care” and shaped the global palliative care landscape in terms of research, education and clinical practice. CCST is also part of
this landscape with its courses and the activities of its Research and Resource Centre.
Two of the research papers supervised by Dr. Nahla Gafer were presented in the Congress: “Analysis of cancer survivals receiving palliative care” by Dr. Manal Mahjoub Khojali; and “Patients on radiotherapy: do they have palliative care needs” by Dr. Fathi Abdel Hadi Abdel Wahid in the section of posters. The whole Sudanese delegation to the Congress was composed by Dr. Nahla Gafer, Director of
the Courses of Palliative Care and the Research Center of CCST, Dr. Mohja Khair Allah, lecturer of the above mentioned courses, Dr. Shayma’ As-Siddeeq and Dr. Manal Mahjoub Khojali from RICK and Fr. Jorge Naranjo, General Administrator of CCST. During the Congress, the “APCA Atlas of Palliative Care in Africa” and the “Atlas of Palliative Care in the Eastern Mediterranean Region” were presented. Dr. Nahla Gafer and Dr. Shayma’ As-Siddeeq contributed to the part concerning with palliative services in Sudan.

11^th May 2017: Internal Tourism in Sudan

In the context of the first anniversary of the Comboni Italian Center (CIC), SYNC productions screened the documentary film “Internal Tourism in Sudan” at CCST. This Sudanese film will compete in the international contest organized by MBC television for documentary films. It was screened, for the first time in public, at the hall of the College that hosted 200 persons. Capital Radio covered and supported the event and interviewed the General Administrator of the College in the morning, who spoke about the main achievements of CIC in its first year: the two sessions of CELI exams of Perugia University, the different football tournaments, the Acqua Gym for ladies, the 4,000
likes of the Facebook page, the different films screened. The evening ended with the performance of the Sudanese singer Opera. The screening was in tune with the closing day of the workshops for the students of the INSO Project who had also dealt with the importance of caring the image of the country to foster development in Sudan.

(Click here to follow CIC Page).

8^th May 2017: Training workshop for lecturers of English language

CCST organized a training workshop for the teaching staff of the BA Honours in English Language and Literature open to teachers of the Short Courses of English Language
and some lecturers from other universities. The training dealt with topics like teaching
to different levels, testing and evaluation, motivating learners and course design.
The course will end on 20^th May and last 16 hours.

24^th April 2017: INSO Project inauguration

On 24^th April INSO Project activities were officially inaugurated at the exam hall of CCST with the presence of the Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research
of the Republic of Sudan, Dr. Sumeya Abu Kashawa, the Ambassador of Italy to Sudan, H.E. Fabrizio Lobasso, the Scientific Director of the project and fellow researcher of IRISS, Dr. Sabrina Greco and Prof. Abdel Rahman Al-Khangi, dean of the College, along with some journalists, the members of the CCST and MOHE team involved in
the project, Prof. Jean Baptiste Meyer from the French Institute of Research on Development and first facilitator, and the 140 students selected for the project.

(Click here to follow).

7^th to 25^th March 2017: Selection exams for INSO Project

The project “Innovation in society (INSO): Training and enhancement of human capital
in the Sudan is made up of the collaboration among the Institute for Research on Innovation and Services for Development (IRISS) of the National Research Council of Italy (CNR), the Ongoing Formation Center of the University of the Studies of Bari (CAP), Comboni College of Science and Technology (CCST), and the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research of the Republic of Sudan (MOHE)”.
The project is addressed to 140 semi-finalist students from Information Technology and Computer Science, to university lecturers and to staff of MOHE. The project aims at contributing to the socio-economic development of Sudan through the empowerment
of university students in their search and start of professional projects and through the creation of professional orientation departments in Sudanese universities that link universities with private and public institutions.
From 7^th to 25^th March, more than two hundred students were tested in their level in English in order to assess their adequancy for the formative program that will start on
24^th April.

13^th February 2017: Inauguration of LEC (Lengua Española en Comboni)

The Ambassador of Spain to Sudan, H.E. Juan José Rubio Urquía, inaugurated, LEC,
the new space dedicated to Spanish language at the site of the College at Manshia.
The center is made of two classrooms and one computer lab that bear the names of
three important personalities of Spanish culture: Cervantes, Velazquez and Gaudi.
With the occasion of the inauguration, the Ambassador handed out the Gustavo Adolfo Bequer Awards in the two categories of poetry and legends. Mohammed Muzzamil won the prize in the category of poetry and Jihan Elias in the category of poetry. Both students receive a set of books. There was also a special mention for the first Sudanese student who got a B1 level DELE certificate.

3^rd February 2017: Great results for our DELE students

Twelve students sat for the official exams of Spanish Language of Cervantes Institute (DELE) at CCST last 25-26^th November 2016. The results were published. The only student who tried B1 level succeeded. Four students passed A2 level and three passed and two students passed A1 level and two failed. Therefore 58.3 % of the students passed their respective DELE exam.

31^st January 2017: Promotion of teaching staff

The Committee for the Promotion of Teaching Staff met to examine the request of promotion presented by Dr. Asim Ahmed, Head of Department of Physics and Dr. Hassan Hamadallah, head of Department of Education. The Committee approved both requests and raised the application to become Associated Professor to the respective Committee of the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research.

22^nd to 26^th January: Sudan Independent Film Festival at CCST

Sudan Independent Film Festival is one of the greatest cultural events in Sudan. Eighty films from fifty different countries where screened from 22^nd to 26^th January. CCST
was of the sites for the projection of films. The closing ceremony of the Festival took place at the Pimary Section of Comboni College Khartoum and was attended by 800 people. The “Black Elephant” to the best Sudanese film was for “Nyerkuk”, a film directed by Mohamed Kordofani.

17^th January: APCA membership to CCST

The African Palliative Care Association (APCA) granted a free membership to CCST
for its contribution to this medical field in Sudan. This membership aims at building a community of palliative care experts, careers and policy makers in Africa. APCA was established after a meeting in Cape Town in 2002 of 28 palliative care trainers from across Africa. The group produced the Cape Town Declaration, which holds palliative care and pain and symptom control as a human right for every adult and child with life-limiting illnesses. Thanks to Uganda's pioneering record in palliative care on the continent, APCA's head office was established in 2005 in the country's capital, Kampala, where several centres of palliative care expertise exist.

15^th January: Results of CELI exams

Perugia University for Foreigners announced the results of the sessions of exams of Italian language (CELI) hold on 21^st November 2016. Comboni College of Science & Technology and its Italian language center (Comboni Italian Center – CIC) presented 20 candidates. Five students passed the A1 level exam, three passed the A2 level exam and four passed the B1 level exam. Just five candidates were not able to pass both the oral and written parts of the exam.

15^th January: Celebration of Graduation

Twenty three graduates of the second batch of the BA in English Language and Literature, twenty three of the tenth batch of the Diploma in Information Technology-Accounting, twenty-three of the Diploma in Information Technology-Management and twenty three from the twelfth batch of the BSc in Computer Science celebrated their graduation in the courtyard of the Primary Section of the Primary School. The diplomas were distributed by the new Archbishop of Khartoum, Dr. Michael Didi, and the Dean of the College, Prof. Abdel Rahman Al-Khangi.

20^th December: Discussion Forum on GERD at CCST

Last Wednesday 20^th December 2016, Mr. Beyene Ejigu Sefera, Public Diplomacy Counsellor of the Embassy of Ethiopia to the Republic of the Sudan, analyzed the implications of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam for Sudan. The project is located along the Blue Nile close to the border with Sudan and at the end of the works; the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam will be the largest dam in Africa.
The students had the opportunity to put their questions and interact with Mr. Beyene. After the forum, the students who prepare the newsletter Comboni Puluse interviewed the Public Diplomacy Counsellor that insisted in the importance of education as a road
to serve the people.

(Click here to watch the video).

3^rd December: Spreading Palliative Care in Sudan

Eighty health professionals gathered at the exam hall of CCST to listen to two world specialists in the field: Dr. Mohammed Bushnaq, from Palestine, and Dr. Layth Yahia, from Iraq. Dr. Bushnaq is the Director of the Arab Palliative Care Academy, the Jordan Palliative Care Clinic and the Bushnaq Training & developing Center.
He is also Chairman of the Jordan Palliative Care Society and a temporary adviser on palliative care for EMRO-WHO. Dr. Yahia instead is Director of the Radiation Oncology Program at Qirga, Iraq. The workshop introduced the holistic approach to the patient on which palliative care is based and deepened the spiritual dimension in a particular way.
After the workshop, Dr. Nahla Gafer, Director of the Palliative Care Courses at CCST and Dr. Mohja Kheir Allah, lecturer of Palliative Care at CCST, accompanied Dr. Mohammed Bushnaq and Dr. Layth Yahia in the meetings with different stakeholders involved in Palliative Care and with staff of the Federal Ministry of Health.

(View more photos). Workshop in Palliative Care (Click here to watch the video).

8^th November: Made in Italy: Italian language and design, creativity in action

Prof. Fabio Caon, Dr. Valeria Tonioli and Dr. Claudia Meneghetti from University “Ca’ Foscari” of Venice presented the lecture Made in Italy: Italian language and design, creativity in action, on the promotional power of the Italian language in trade and culture. The event was part of the activities of the XVI World Week of Italian Language and was attended by the Ambassadors of Italy, France and the European Union. It took place at the Exam Hall of CCST.

(Click here to watch the video).

27^th October 2016: End of year celebration

After exams, projects of graduation and a long academic year, the College organized a party to celebrate it. It was occasion to welcome the new students who are already
doing the introductory courses (intensive English, Math’s,…) to the 2016 - 2017 academic year, to celebrate the approval of the new syllabus of the BA Honors in
English language and literature, to honor 126 students for their precious contribution to 2016 Cultural Week and to celebrate the creation of the College Chor.
This one presented several Sudanese traditional songs that delighted the students.

(Click here to watch the video).

14^th - 16^th October: CCST students transformed in actors

A group of students of CCST interested in drama and cinema participating in the shooting of the film “Faith”, directed by Mia Bittar and produced by Sudan Film Factory.
Some scenes were shooted at the premises of CCST, CCK - Secondary Section and the Comboni Playground.

13^th October: SAMA Festival at CCST

SAMA International Music Festival held one of his events at CCST. It was a workshop with the Ugandan artist Daniel Okiror. The festival was organized by Goethe Institut. As-Shoroug TV broadcast part of his performance at CCST on the following day.

(Click here to watch the video).

8^th October: Inauguration of Research and Resource Centre in Palliative Care