Knowledge is power: Lessons from sharing research with communities in northern Kenya

What we know: Communities and local institutions play a critical role in addressing child wasting through providing food security, appropriate maternal support and childcare, and public health practices. There is a lack of evidence on the drivers of persistently high rates of wasting in Africa’s drylands, which creates challenges for developing locally tailored, sustainable solutions. Sharing research findings with affected communities fosters local agency, allowing them to explore the implications of those findings and to act on them.

What this adds: In the USAID Nawiri programme, community-level dissemination events promoted a shared understanding of malnutrition drivers by engaging study participants and local leaders in a participatory process. Visual aids and culturally sensitive materials helped convey complex research findings in an accessible manner, fostering inclusivity and dialogue. This article highlights how collaborative dissemination enhances research uptake and fosters a more equitable and sustainable approach to understanding and addressing drivers of malnutrition. 

In Isiolo and Marsabit counties in Kenya, longitudinal research partners of the USAID Nawiri programme organised and implemented community dissemination of study findings from the first year of our study. The study included six rounds of data collection. Events engaged local leaders, study participants, and other community members (Gargule, 2024). Dissemination events shared the first 12 months of longitudinal data collection with participating communities, local leaders, and other stakeholders in three sentinel sites in both counties.

Communities and their local institutions play a vital role in mitigating child acute malnutrition by ensuring food security, appropriate child feeding and care practices, environmental sanitation, and public health (Young et al, 2023). We refer to acute malnutrition when discussing prevalence rates (for example, global acute malnutrition), or in relation to wider programme or policy implications. In our study, acute malnutrition and child wasting are almost synonymous as only seven cases of nutritional oedema were found in two years.

The approach to disseminating the longitudinal study findings emphasised the importance of engaging community members and local institutions with diverse interests in, and influence on, child nutrition. Providing communities with access to research findings on child malnutrition rates and their drivers is critical. It allows those most affected by persistent global acute malnutrition (P-GAM) to explore the implications of these findings, many of whom also have local agency. Over the past decade, there has been growing interest in identifying effective responses to the lack of evidence and poor understanding of P-GAM drivers in the African drylands. This interest has been accompanied by efforts to develop local, context-specific, and sustainable solutions to the complex development problems in these contexts (Young, 2020).

The approach to community dissemination that we utilised across the three sentinel sites may help researchers and policymakers to re-imagine meaningful ways of including study participants, local leaders, and institutions in relevant research and development agendas. We recommend promoting inclusive knowledge creation and application processes in future research and disseminating research findings in the African drylands and other similar contexts. This is crucial for recognising and targeting local actors' interests and expertise when planning and implementing research and disseminating findings. The shared knowledge that emerges from these processes can become the foundation for debate between local development actors and communities. It can support local priority-setting, implementation, and monitoring of programmes for addressing the root causes of malnutrition and strategies for sustainably reducing persistently high rates of global acute malnutrition. 

What did the community dissemination entail?

Informed by a conceptual framework that was adapted to Africa’s drylands (Young, 2020), our dissemination events sought to engage with study participants and their local institutions to understand the drivers of global acute malnutrition. The dissemination events were designed to promote a deeper and shared understanding of the issues by drawing out the multi-faceted knowledge and experiences of the research participants through a participatory process. We highlight three examples of how USAID Nawiri partners utilised participatory processes in the planning and delivery of dissemination events for reflection and learning.

Mapping of community-level stakeholders

In Kenya’s arid and semi-arid lands (ASALs), informal social systems play an essential role in determining livelihoods, food security, and nutritional status. These systems, including informal institutions (customary governance, social norms and values) and formal institutions (civic, political, and economic), facilitate information transfer. This, in turn, impacts the identification, prioritisation, and shaping of strategies to address P-GAM (Birch, 2021).

Our first challenge was identifying and engaging key individuals and local informal institutions deeply rooted in the communities. At the project start-up, we conducted a stakeholder survey at county level and above but did not include those at ward level and below, although local stakeholders were consulted and information shared prior to the study. Before the Year One dissemination, we expanded our mapping to include local community leaders, healthcare providers and educators with influence over child nutrition. These local stakeholders became essential conduits for information dissemination and drivers of grassroot change.

One striking aspect of this process was the realisation that understanding local nuances and dynamics was paramount. Chiefs, elected leaders, customary institutions, community elders, religious leaders, and women's groups emerged as key influencers whose perspectives were indispensable in crafting effective strategies. The mapping exercise sought to locate influencers, foster authentic connections, and build trust within the community.

Developing dissemination materials

With a comprehensive understanding of our community, we next focused on translating complex research findings into accessible, culturally sensitive materials. Recognising the varied literacy levels, we prioritised visual aids that represented nutrition data and local livelihoods, fostering community ownership. We used site-specific photos to make locations recognisable. Silhouettes of moderately and severely malnourished children were intended to convey their nutritional status. The age of children was shown by their relative height and stage of development (posture). Different ways of visualising the findings were explored with the designer, and then shared with Caritas and Catholic Relief Services teams working with the communities for comment prior to finalising the materials. This process involved several rounds of exchange, and careful review and editing, but these images will now be made available for local use by others. Funding for such work is an issue, and this needs to be resourced as part of a comprehensive research uptake strategy. 

In partnership with USAID Nawiri, we printed and shared these visual aids and presentation materials with participants and local institutions. The centrepiece was a double-sided A4 handout summarising key findings, including child wasting prevalence, age-based visualisations, and protective drivers of malnutrition. The A3 posters (Figure 1) were laminated to enhance their durability and to allow community members to retain and share them with friends and neighbours, fostering ongoing discussions. 

Figure 1: An community dissemination poster

“With this [pointing to the A4 handout], I can explain everything you taught us here today to someone who was not in this meeting.” – Community Leader in Laisamis Ward, Marsabit County

Facilitating a shared understanding of research findings

We designed the dissemination events to be more akin to a dialogue. We organised half-day events in each sentinel site. Recognising the importance of local insights, our researchers and local facilitators offered information on the research findings and actively sought feedback from study participants, their local institutions, and local government representatives. We encouraged the communities to ask clarifying questions. We led the discussions in local languages (Rendille/Samburu in Laisamis, Turkana in Ngaremara, and Boran in Garbatula) to encourage the exchange of ideas and a shared understanding of research findings. Guided by the thoughtfully designed presentation materials, the research team and our local facilitators led discussions of key findings in a manner that was informative, engaging, participatory, and deeply rooted in the cultural context of our study participants.

Through these dialogues, we learned about nuanced factors, such as cultural practices, seasonal challenges, and water quality issues, that were critical in shaping the nutritional patterns of children of different ages. For example, we learned about the cultural significance of mothers-in-law (grandmothers) taking responsibility for childcare and supporting the mothers, who leave their home communities to join their husbands. An example of a seasonal challenge included the longer-distance migration of livestock herds during the extended dry season, which meant women and children in the villages had limited access to milk. The shared understanding that emerged became the foundation for debate between local development actors and communities in local priority-setting, implementation, and monitoring of programmes for addressing the root causes of malnutrition in the future.

As stakeholders in the ambitious venture of disseminating our longitudinal study on the drivers of P-GAM in Isiolo and Marsabit counties in Kenya, our journey has been marked by profound lessons that extend beyond the confines of research findings. Here, we share what we learned from our series of community disseminations.

Establish a network of local government and community leaders early in the research process

Our engagement with local leaders and government officials notably impacted the research process and outcomes. These individuals and institutions emerged as key influencers and trustworthy partners in the quest for communicating and disseminating critical research findings on the drivers and seasonality of P-GAM. Their intimate knowledge of community dynamics and ability to navigate cultural barriers and bureaucratic channels facilitated both seamless communication of research findings and the generation of discussion and feedback from study participants. By fostering collaboration with these leaders, we strengthened the sustainability of our efforts and ignited a spark of collective responsibility for sustainably addressing P-GAM. Building relationships with local stakeholders requires time and should begin before the study, ensuring researchers address stakeholder interests. A dedicated research coordinator and regular visits by the co-investigators aided mutual understanding and local support.

Use simple, easy-to-understand dissemination materials that reflect local context

In the diverse mosaic of Kenya’s ASALs, where literacy levels vary and cultural nuances abound, the power of simple visual aids becomes evident. Through vibrant and easily comprehensible materials, we aimed to transcend linguistic and educational barriers, and to ensure that our message resonated with every member of the community. These visual aids, tailored to reflect the local reality, became more than tools for dissemination: they became catalysts for dialogue and symbols of inclusivity and cultural respect. The decision to focus on protective factors rather than drivers of wasting was intended to generate positive messaging and prompt discussion on what the community can do to address P-GAM. Also, the use of symbols based on people in familiar local dress (a healthy mother and child, a traditional leader) or undertaking specific livelihood tasks, helped to ensure participants recognised the context and the respectful way their situation was presented.

The journey taught us that the impact of information comes not just from its content but also from its accessibility to all, especially to local actors whose engagement and leadership are crucial to overcoming P-GAM (Young et al, 2021).

Dissemination is also a learning opportunity for all

Perhaps the most important lesson from our events is the value of recognising that research dissemination is a two-way street, a continuous cycle of learning and growth. The process of sharing research findings with the community became an invaluable opportunity for the research team and community members alike to deepen their understanding of child nutrition issues. Through interactive sessions, discussions, and feedback loops, we witnessed a collective enlightenment that transcended traditional research boundaries. This reciprocal learning enriched our perspectives as researchers, challenging preconceived notions and fostering a more nuanced understanding of the complex factors driving P-GAM in Kenya’s ASALs. Preconceived notions about pastoralism include beliefs that caregivers sell animal-source foods and feed their children sweetened beverages, whereas, culturally, milk is prioritised as the best food for infants and young children.

Our journey in the USAID Nawiri longitudinal study in Isiolo and Marsabit counties has been more than a mission to generate knowledge: it has been a shared exploration of possibilities and a celebration of resilience. Our approach was centred on recognising that communicating research findings to ASAL communities begins with acknowledging and targeting local actors' multi-faceted and diverse interests and influence over child nutrition. By utilising innovative approaches to learning with and from the expertise of the local communities, we recognised that we could foster a more equitable and sustainable approach to addressing P-GAM. Disseminating research findings to participating communities is a core responsibility of researchers. Lessons from our USAID Nawiri project underscore that a collaborative model using stakeholder analysis, simple graphics, and participatory learning improves research learning and uptake outcomes. It also promotes a more inclusive knowledge creation and application process. This is illustrated by the following feedback from community members, who thanked the team for the clear messages. 

“The dissemination event proves that community opinion and feedback are valued” – Elder, Ngaremara Ward, Isiolo County

“Your presence here today gives us hope that this is a different project, unlike the other projects promising good things but never to be seen again” – Elder, Laisamis Ward, Marsabit County.

“Today, we have the answers to the questions we have pursued for two years. We agree with you 100% about these findings – because these children are our own” – Chief, Kombola Location, Garbatula Ward, Isiolo County

Community dissemination deepened ways of thinking about P-GAM by sharing knowledge and reviewing evidence, while also enabling community participation, and promoting local ownership, co-responsibility, and accountability from local and county leadership.

For more information, please contact Helen Young at helen.young@tufts.edu

Birch I (2021) USAID Nawiri Desk Study: Natural Resource Management and Nutrition. Feinstein International Centre, Tufts University.

Gargule A (2024) Community dissemination on the drivers of child acute malnutrition in Marsabit and Isiolo Counties – Year 1 USAID Nawiri project longitudinal study. Feinstein International Centre, Tufts University.

Young H (2020) Nutrition in Africa’s drylands: A conceptual framework for addressing acute malnutrition. Feinstein International Centre, Tufts University.

Young H, Gargule A, Stites E et al (2023) Vulnerability, risk and resilience: The implications for the drivers of malnutrition in Isiolo and Marsabit Counties, Kenya. USAID Nawiri Longitudinal Study Learning Brief 3. Feinstein International Centre.

Young H, Osman A, Radday A et al (2021) Improving the way we address acute malnutrition in Africa’s drylands. Field Exchange, 65, 14-17. https://www.ennonline.net/fex/65/acutemalnutritionafricadrylands