Applying community-based participatory research to better understand and improve kinship care practices: insights from DRC, Nigeria and Sierra Leone

Oge Chukwudozie, Clare Feinstein, Celina Jensen, Claire O’kane, Silvia Pina, Morten Skovdal, and Rebecca Smith - Family and Community Health

Abstract

While the principles behind community-based participatory research (CBPR) are firmly established the process of taking CBPR with children and youth to scale and integrating it into the programming of non-governmental organizations has been scarcely documented. This paper reflects on the experiences of Save the Children in implementing a multi-country CBPR program to increase understanding of kinship care in DRC, Nigeria and Sierra Leone. The paper discusses challenges faced, lessons learned and highlights how the research process enabled action and advocacy initiatives at different levels – leading to an increase in support and policy attention for children living in kinship care.

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