Welcome to the DHIS2 Online Academy “Learner Voices” series! We interviewed the most active learners from the Online Academy, and asked them to share their thoughts about the courses they have taken, and how they have used their knowledge to build capacity, support their organizational goals, and grow their own careers.
In this post, you will hear from Arnold Marowa @arnold , a DHIS2 implementer and server support person for HISP Zimbabwe.
To learn more about the Online Academy, click here.
Arnold Marowa, HISP Zimbabwe
Q: Please introduce yourself, saying your name, your role and your organization.
My name is Arnold Marowa. I’m from Zimbabwe. I’m working with HISP Zimbabwe as a DHIS2 implementer and server support person.
Q: When did you first start taking courses on the DHIS2 Online Academy?
Actually, I started to know about DHIS2 in 2022, around May or June. So I started to do some courses. I think it was around June when I did my first course, the Introduction to DHIS2. That’s where I started to learn about DHIS2.
Q: What motivated you to continue taking these courses?
Actually, from the beginning, what drove me to learn DHIS2 was my organization. Before joining HISP Zimbabwe, I was working as a database officer. There were some projects where we were using DHIS2, but I was not involved in those projects. My company used to hire a consultant to come and support work on DHIS2. That’s where I got the motivation to learn.
When I started to learn about DHIS2, I kept on going. I kept on learning, I kept on having the hunger to know more. I remember in June, I connected with several people via LinkedIn. Some of them responded to me and some of them didn’t. But the person who was really impactful in my learning was Dr. Ranga Avi. He responded to me in a nice way, he was very willing to help me, and he guided me through. That motivated me to keep going with DHIS2.
Q: When you were taking these courses, what kept you motivated to continue learning?
What kept me motivated was the drive to know more about DHIS2, because I saw from my workplace there was a strong need for someone with DHIS2 knowledge. We were working with the EPI program, which was a Tracker program. I kept on learning more about events, and that drove me to keep learning, because I wanted to assist my company and save costs instead of hiring an external consultant.
Q: The courses have videos, certificates, and exercises. Were any of those things helpful for keeping you on track?
Yes, they helped a lot. You get a certificate at the end of the course, which proves that you did the course and know about that area. The exercises also really helped me because they were practical. You could get feedback on the training instances we were using. The exercises were very helpful because I could learn and then practice what I learned.
Q: Do you have any advice for people who struggle to complete online courses?
I think it’s a challenge for many people. But I believe it comes down to setting proper goals—attainable goals—and knowing what you want to achieve. If you know your “why” and set goals, it’s easier to finish the courses. Many people just start without knowing why. In my case, I discovered a need in my organization, and that need drove me to keep learning because I wanted to know more about DHIS2. So I think setting realistic goals and knowing why you want to take the course will help you succeed and complete it.
Q: Tell us about the sector you’re working in, the DHIS2 system you’re using, and how it supports programs.
I moved from the initial company where I started learning DHIS2—an NGO called Crown Agents—to HISP Zimbabwe at the end of 2023. Currently, I’m involved in projects on HIV and EPI. I work on implementation, support, server management, installation, and maintaining the servers.
Q: Are you working primarily with the Ministry of Health, or with different clients?
We support both. We support the Ministry of Health with their servers and with the EPI program. We also support local NGOs and other companies like the National AIDS Council of Zimbabwe, where we implement HIV programs, especially with adolescents and young girls.
Q: You’ve also trained other people on DHIS2. Can you tell us how what you learned in the Academy helped you teach others?
With my experience now, I’ve been involved in two Academies—one in Botswana and one in Zimbabwe this April. What I discovered is that if you do too much theory without practical exercises, people get bored. So in our trainings, we do more group exercises so participants are involved and don’t get bored. I think exercises are the most important thing, whether in-person or online, because every session has an activity to keep people engaged.
Q: As you’ve completed more training and shared knowledge with others, how has your team at work changed?
When I joined HISP Zimbabwe, I didn’t know much about DHIS2, but I kept learning. Over time, colleagues began coming to me with questions, and that motivated them to take the online courses as well.
Q: With these new skills, how is your HISP group better able to accomplish its mission?
Now we are more efficient and able to implement almost any use case. When I joined, we were mainly using DHIS2 for health sector projects. With more trainings and experience, we can now integrate different use cases, like environmental management, education, and logistics.
The Tracker module is still a challenge, since there are very few online courses about it. Many people lack enough knowledge to implement Tracker programs. For us, in-person Academies gave us the needed experience to implement different use cases, especially with Tracker.
Q: Have these skills changed your career opportunities or responsibilities?
Yes, they have really changed my career. Before working with DHIS2, I was only managing databases—monitoring services, checking if the application was performing well. With DHIS2, I discovered there’s much more to learn. For example, implementing new projects involves data analysis and cleaning, which I didn’t do before.
I also learned how to present data using DHIS2 visualizations and dashboards. My skills have greatly improved with DHIS2.
Q: It sounds like you’ve learned not only about the software, but also about data.
Yes, not only the software. For the software to perform well, you need other skills too. For example, requirements gathering: understanding user needs, how they want to collect and see their data. Those are some of the skills I gained as a result of learning DHIS2.
Q: If you were advising a colleague about taking DHIS2 Academy courses, what would be the biggest reason to do it?
Without these trainings, it’s very difficult to implement DHIS2 projects following best practices and standards. You might know how to make something work, but not in the recommended way. For example, naming data elements or programs—there are standards you need to follow.
The courses also make your work easier because they are full of information you can’t get just by asking someone. Taking the courses enhances your skills and performance.
Q: How could the courses or platform be improved?
I don’t have many complaints. The only thing I’d like is a course that specializes in Tracker. Events fundamentals are there, but Tracker is a bit different. Adding a Tracker-focused course would help. Otherwise, the exercises and training instances are excellent.
Q: Do you have a specific memory of something from a course that was useful later in your work?
Naming conventions are something I really learned from the courses, and they have been useful.
Q: Is there anything else you’d like to share?
Nothing much, just that we are waiting for more courses. I saw two new ones have been added, which I plan to take soon. Thank you for providing us with this knowledge—we hope for more courses to come.
