SEEPD Program trains Staff on Research Methodology
Henceforth, research will be embedded in all the stages of the project management cycle: situation analysis, design, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of the Socio Economic Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (SEEPD) Program. This was disclosed by the SEEPD Program Manager, Awa Jacques Chirac at the start of a 2-day workshop on research methodology that took place recently at the Baptist Center Nkwen Bamenda.
The workshop, which was attended by 20 staff of the SEEPD Program was organized by the Comprehensive Program for Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities and Inclusive Access to Basic Services of Health and Education in the Northwest Region of Cameroon.
Speaking at the opening of the workshop, the Program Manager explained that after having a closed discussion with the Chair of the Internal Review Board (IRB), Dr. Mboh Khan Eveline, he understood how much the program has lost in the past years as a result of not factoring research in project activities. Mr. Awa expressed that if the program had worked closely with the research department 10 years ago, they could have had a plethora of different studies published in reputable journals. The workshop was thus, part of strategies to catch up with missed opportunities and map a way forward given that research is a fundamental pillar for achieving CBID strategy which is a strategy used by the Program. “It is important for everyone to come on board and be part of the research activity, it should not just be for a few categories of staff but it should be a collective effort,” the manager stated.
Highlighting the objective of the workshop, the lead facilitator, Dr. Mboh Khan Eveline disclosed that the objective of IRB is to promote internally generated research within CBC Health Services. She said many SEEPD Program activities entail getting them translated into research protocol that can be approved by IRB and at the end; the results can be disseminated and published in peer review journals. She stated that the workshop was intended to give SEEPD Program staff orientation and capacity on research methodology so that they can research key program activities that are researchable.
Other facilitators included Dr. Nicokle Ekoue a Senior Research Officer and Dr. Ayima Charlotte Research Officer of the CBC Health Services. In different presentations, the three facilitators drilled participants on developing research protocols, research methods, research designs, and data analysis amongst others.
The Program Manager, Awa Jacques Chirac, for his part, schooled participants on Community Based Participatory Research (CBPR). He stated that it is not about getting into the community to find research topics and research subjects; it is about getting the community engaged in the whole research process so that the research is designed and implemented by and for the community. He encouraged staff to use CBPR as an approach to work.
During the workshop, participants were assigned to work on individual research topics using the knowledge acquired from different presentations. The individual assignments were presented in a plenary session during which the facilitators made inputs and encouraged staff to further refine the research topics so that further research can be done on them.
On behalf of the participants, Ndintek Kennedy appreciated the Program Management for organizing such a timely workshop. “We thank the management for organizing the workshop to give us the capacity that we need to support the work of SPD/CBC Health Services so that in 3 to 5 years the outcome of our work will be different from the previous years,” Kennedy noted.
At the end of the workshop, the facilitators appreciated the participants for the research ideas, and for actively participating in the workshop. They encouraged staff to develop more research ideas given that the Program Manager is committed to supporting those research ideas.
The workshop was organized with support from CBM.