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At our site sustaining relationship with stakeholders has been an ongoing commitment, maybe because we have trials after trials, as a result that connectivity is not broken because we touch base with participants from the data base and we use past participants as role models or spokes people in community. We have had non-research related incidences of fire, riots where we help with feeding and get donations for clothes to help victims as a result we are known in the community. Big Community events with other NGO’s through network or partnership on WAD, Heritage Day, Womens Day, Valentine Day etc. we team up.
Thank you for the sample community engagement plan, it has given me better insight of how the flow of the plan must be.
Hi Anne,
First before you conduct the study in any site, you have to have your community knowledge through the Stakeholders you have selected to work with to just run a simple but easy survey about the acceptability of the MSM group in the community. After that you will now plan who to involve to protect the group recruited, like educating the community why you have chosen that particular study, how vulnerable and high risk. Invite human rights organisations, the politicians, gender violence groups. Organise community events to educate the communities.
I agree with Nokulunga, before the protocol is finalised, it is indeed the responsibility of the research team to show the draft to the stakeholders in order to come to the agreements with the input of the community, changes are acceptable and made to adapt the site and the people who live in it. Only after the stakeholders have been consulted and agreed, then a go ahead to finalise will be done.
I totally agree with Erica that the mistake was made from the beginning of the trail, the stakeholder engagement plan was supposed to include all the necessary services to prevent shortcomings like these. Depending on the country, certain laws are relaxed like drug use, but in other countries, it is very difficult to get help, the stigma, discrimination just don’t allow people to exercise their rights.
At our site, the stakeholders are not involved in the IC development, it is done by the funders. The only thing that the site does is the language translations of the community. But the study information is given to the CAB to review and make comments especially with social cultural issues and community beliefs. CAB are given the chance to review the protocol before it is finalized for use
At our site, we have never had media reports about the trials we are doing. We have a communication channel to the media with people who are trained to answer any questions about the trials and site. We have had in the past some community rumours of selling blood, infecting participants with HIV. But this was at the beginning, now we are known especially that CAB and participants are our advocate. Although some community members still know our organisation as working with HIV positive people on ARVs because it started on such programmes and still continues with prevention and care of HIV/TB.
This lesson gave me more insight to evaluate the stakeholders involvement at my site and their involvement. I now know and see the gaps which will need me to relook and have a better plan
Hi Friends Stakeholders should be involved where active or not so that a bigger group is aware of the research trials in the community. On-going engagement with them in education about research, reason of involving them and what role they play in being involved of what is happening can easy the tension as research trials are identified. Less resistance and good understanding will develop. Even future studies would be acceptable. Recruitment of participants would be easier. Network purposes as well, as different people with skills and expertise would be identified.
But with other responsibilities that naturally adults are involved in, we need continuous training through workshops to remind them of what is expected of the.
Hilda Ntjana
Hi This is very interesting about the stakeholder responsibilities in our different research sites, this group can influence the community understanding as long as they are involved throughout the trial. I have leant that educating them about the research to be done and involving them with getting information of what the community say, think and know about research matters. Without involving them can mean not education the community in whatever you want to research. Remember that you will work with the same community.
