The Building Positive Futures project was a pilot study that sought to test a range of quantitative and qualitative research tools for use in leaving care studies in Africa, including a peer research approach. As there have been few previous African studies on care leaving, the research team hoped to develop their understanding of how best to conduct cross-country care leaver studies in Africa and to offer insights to other researchers planning care leaving studies that may incorporate a peer research approach in Africa and beyond.
The research team included academics from Queen’s University Belfast in the UK, University of Johannesburg in South Africa, University of Ghana and Makerere University in Uganda who worked in partnership with SOS Children’s Villages (SOS CV) who facilitated and supported the study. The study was funded by the UK Government’s, Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) and Queen’s University Belfast and undertaken in Ghana, South Africa, Uganda and Zimbabwe.
This report outlines the peer research approach adopted and summarises the findings of the pilot of the peer research methodology. It has been co-written with the careexperienced peer researchers who worked alongside the academic research team on the project.
