O11 Building the foundation for genetics education in a low-resource setting: a pilot study in Somaliland

Introduction In Somaliland, where no genetic services exist, addressing the gap in genetic literacy is a critical public health need. This workshop aimed to provide foundational genetics education to healthcare professionals, that was both culturally sensitive and specifically tailored to the local context and resource constraints. Methods A participatory workshop was designed for low-resource settings, emphasising practical, resource-neutral tools. 110 participants (4 cities, 5 hospitals), including midwives, doctors, nurses, and students, engaged in two core activities: Constructing pedigrees and visualising inheritance patterns Identifying clinical red flags for inherited conditions Results Participants displayed strong foundational awareness but highlighted significant gaps in formal genetics training and misconceptions of genetics. Discussions revealed frequent encounters with congenital abnormalities, though limited diagnostic capacity hinders data. Family history taking also emerged as a powerful, no-cost risk identification tool for healthcare professionals. The workshop received positive feedback (4.31/5), confirming the effectiveness of its tailored approach. Discussion The workshops showed community-engaged approaches are essential for inclusive genetic education. Findings emphasised the need for sustainable, localised genetics education aligned with sociocultural contexts and existing health infrastructures, to reduce disparities. This approach is promising in improving engagement within underserved populations and in low-resource settings.