Adopt-a-Delegate Project

It would be impossible to host a conference on Emergency Medicine in the Developing World without including delegates from the developing world. Still, the stark reality for many prospective delegates from a developing world background is such that their financial means would be insufficient to enable attendance. The Emergency Medicine Society of South Africa (EMSSA) has therefore taken the initiative to improve developing world attendance through an adoption scheme.

Through the Adopt-a-Delegate project, prospective delegates from a developed world setting would be able to "adopt" (finance the conference and accommodation fees) of a peer from the developing world. To encourage co-ownership of the project, "adopted" delegates will finance their own travel expense between the conference venue and their domicile.

Correspondence between the partnered delegates is encouraged following the matching process. Undoubtedly such a partnership can provide valuable insight into the difficulties facing emergency medicine in the developing world.

Please contact me on adoptadelegate@emssa2009.co.za if you have any further queries or require any more information.

Stevan Bruijns
Adopt-a-Delegate Project coordinator