Engaging School Communities with Health Research and Science in Kilifi District, Kenya: Extension Award. (360G-Wellcome-086249_Z_08_A)

Community engagement and forming collaborative partnerships between researchers and communities are widely recognised as core principles of ethical research [1]. We propose to pilot an innovative schools engagement initiative to strengthen the partnership between researchers, the education sector, and the local communities who participate in research. The proposed initiative will be conducted by the KEMRI-Wellcome programme in Kilifi. Programme researchers are drawn from all over Kenya and East Africa, and research results are utilised throughout Africa. Nevertheless, knowledge of science and research in Kilifi district itself is limited, in part due to poor access to educational and health resources. The schools engagement initiative will be conducted using a participatory action research approach in order to maximize stakeholder buy-in, sustainability and potential effectiveness. Three district secondary schools will be selected for pilot interventions aimed at improving the understanding of science and health research, and at stimulating young people to question their own attitudes towards science. Activities will include: teacher workshops; student centred activities such as competitions, dramas, journal clubs etc.; and interactions with researchers such as school visits, career talks, inspirational lectures. Effectiveness of the process and activities will be evaluated through pre and post intervention surveys, focus group discussions, in-depth