“The digital platform is unlocking the lockdown” – this is how one Tanzanian hospital partner described the “Virtual Dinner”, an event that brought together 20 Tanzanian and German hospital partners on 2 December 2020. The digital exchange format, to which all hospital partners from Tanzanian-German hospital partnerships were invited, was arranged as a casual dinner meeting with a three-course menu as an agenda: greetings from the ‘chef de cuisine’ as a starter, exchange on recipes for successful partnerships and storytelling on successes as main courses and a personal take away as a dessert.
The dinner group started to mingle in the virtual ‘dining room’ at around 5.15 pm (CET) / 7.15 pm (EAT), where the dinner guests were welcomed by the hospital partnerships team and the two moderators Brigitta Villaronga and Tina Meckel-Wille.
Dr. Anselm Schneider, head of the Hospital Partnerships programme, started off the Virtual Dinner by emphasizing the relevance of hospital partnerships as a vehicle for sharing knowledge and finding solutions together. He also pointed out the challenges that COVID-19-induced travel restrictions create for partnerships which are under normal circumstances built around face-to-face exchange.
Afterwards, dinner guests introduced themselves before the ‘main course’ was served in smaller virtual rooms to foster smooth conversations. While hospital partners exchanged their ‘recipes’ for successful partnerships, which include trust and shared objectives, one hospital partner reflected upon his partnership that "there is a level of trust that is growing over time, that helps when there are problems". Furthermore, partners agreed that ‘recipes’ need to be adapted to the respective context.
"Bringing partners from distant places together virtually and opening a room that facilitates a very personal exchange is helpful in sharing experiences and connecting partners with one another” says Jan Ostrowski, advisor in the Hospital Partnerships programme, who organized the Virtual Dinner. The dinner guests considered the virtual evening a helpful exchange format which they would like to join again in the future. A date for the next virtual exchange round will be announced in 2021.
