Global nursing partnerships

Abstract

Two nursing faculty from the United States and one from South Africa established a partnership to address a mandate of the University of Johannesburg calling for the integration of service-learning and community engagement into all programs at the university, including those in the nursing department. In descriptions of the faculty partnership and 2012 Service-Learning Conference, this article highlights the challenges that emerged when developing an undergraduate nursing service-learning and community engagement program for a vastly diverse culture with extensive obstacles to communication and collaboration. The outcomes of the Conference allowed for the exchange of knowledge and skills in service-learning pedagogy to advance the civic, personal, and social development of nursing faculty and students in South Africa’s diverse culture and to foster collaboration on improving healthcare for vulnerable populations.