The 13-16th March marked the Inaugural PROTEA (Partnerships for Children with Heart Disease in Africa ) workshop hosted by The Children’s Heart Disease Research Unit and the Western Cape Paediatric Cardiology Service. A first in Africa, this workshop combined four events: first a basic echocardiography workshop with hands-on sessions and a thorough introduction to basic paediatric echocardiography, followed by two days of advanced echo which included didactic lectures, practical sessions, a hilarious and very useful echo quiz and a CHD research think-tank. Featured speakers were from the department, but also colleagues from the rest of South Africa, Uganda, Namibia, Malawi, as well as featured international guest and ex-South Africa Prof Will Border, with Prof Nigel Wilson and Prof Craig Sable from New Zealand and Washington. Alongside the echo workshop,  ran a Rheumatic Heart Disease Research think-tank in preparation for a major grant application featuring luminaries for the RHD world, such as Jonathan Carapetis and Ana-Olga Mocumbi. There was also a data management and research methods workshop for program managers involved in Cape Town studies which will be extending to Namibia, Zambia and Botswana and finally a patient and family event on the Saturday which hosted over 50 heart patient families.