Political homophobia and the effect on GBMSM programmes in Kenya: The significance of a community-led rapid agency assessment

Walimbwa, Jeffrey; Macharia, Pascal; Wambua, Solomon; Lazarus, Lisa; Lorway, Robert

doi:10.1080/17441692.2023.2271989

Cited by 4 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 7 publications

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“…It will also require extensive time and work to build relationships, increase capacity and share power. Where this has already happened, it has resulted in positive outcomes, such as better health outcomes (including treatment adherence), reduced stigma, increased agency for key populations, and built community‐led organizations and responses [ 10 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This may be challenging for service providers [and the UN, INGOs, NGOs, Bilateral Programmes, Governments, and the Global Fund] who are more accustomed to establishing the parameters within which services are provided, and prescribing how relationships or partnerships are to be conducted. As sex workers and sex worker organizations become more empowered, there will be greater expectations of power-sharing and power-shifting [9]." Transparent processes for decision-making include time for community consultation with comprehensive information made available in a timely manner and in the languages spoken by the key population communities in the country (including migrants).…”

Section: Barriers To Be Overcome For Meaningful Involvement Of Commun...mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Community contexts and knowledge: accountability, leadership and meaningful involvement of communities in Programme Science

Thomas,

Spieldenner,

Castellanos

et al. 2024

J Int AIDS Soc.

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IntroductionA Programme Science approach that prioritizes populations who will benefit most and ensuring resources are allocated to programmes that meet the needs of those populations will bring an equity focus to research. Gay men and other men who have sex with men, people who use drugs, sex workers of all genders, and trans and gender‐diverse people, defined by the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (Global Fund) as key populations, have been disproportionately impacted since the start of the HIV pandemic. Through documenting community experiences from global key population‐led networks, the authors explore the potential value and impact of community‐led organizations and service delivery as critical components in effective HIV and Sexually Transmitted infections (STI) programmes.DiscussionThrough advocacy and research interventions, global key population networks have identified barriers against scaling up interventions for criminalized and marginalized communities, as well as highlighted solutions. The authors examine some of the current barriers to meaningful involvement of communities and the scaling up of community‐led programmes that need to be addressed if Programme Science is to maintain an equity lens and the needs of key populations are to be met and highlight the need to make visible community engagement and participation in embedded research and Programme Science.ConclusionsThe Programme Science approach provides an important opportunity to understand practical issues that will increase effective coverage in the implementation of public health and other interventions, which will require the prioritizing of key populations and their priorities in HIV and STI programmes. It will require extensive time and work to build relationships, increase capacity and share power. Where this has already happened, it has resulted in positive outcomes, including better health outcomes, reduced stigma, increased agency for key populations, and built community‐led organizations and responses.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Barriers To Be Overcome For Meaningful Involvement Of Commun...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Community contexts and knowledge: accountability, leadership and meaningful involvement of communities in Programme Science

Thomas,

Spieldenner,

Castellanos

et al. 2024

J Int AIDS Soc.

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Toward improving anal health care among GBMSM in Kenya: Lessons from a patient’s illness, treatment and recovery journey

Anyula Gorigo,

Owek,

Mwangangi

et al. 2024

Global Public Health

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From community as data providers to community as data users: developing a community-led research platform using program data in HIV/STI Program Science in Kenya

Tahmo,

Noah,

Odhiambo

et al. 2024

Preprint

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Background: Community-based organizations (CBOs) are critical in providing trusted and targeted HIV/STI services to gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (GBMSM). Despite significant strides in CBOs’ involvement in HIV/STI research, there remain gaps in meaningful engagement, especially in quantitative research. This paper explores the development of HEKA, a community-led research platform where community-based organizations build capacity and leverage routinely collected program data to design research that aims to improve HIV/STI programs. We share a collective reflection on the lessons learned in the process, the challenges that emerged, and recommendations for facilitating community-based program science. Methodology: Through a collaborative process, seven CBOs serving GBMSM in Kenya created the HEKA Research Initiative and designed a framework of collaboration, through which we assessed the technical gaps in quantitative research among staff, applied for funding, co-designed capacity-building workshops with academic partners, and developed a research agenda. We established a monthly meeting frequency and through collective reflection, documented the lessons and challenges in the process. Outcomes: With our successful grant, we organized an in-person workshop on quantitative research methods and R programming. The team identified research questions and completed data cleaning/harmonization of program data. HEKA was successful because we emphasized a co-leadership framework (research direction evolved through shared/delegated leadership), and peer-to-peer mentorship. Major challenges included: obtaining sustained funding for engagement; ensuring the learning pace allows all individuals to be on the same page; confronting the socio-political climate; long commutes between counties for in-person meetings; and the limitation in using Excel files as primary tools for data capture. Conclusions: HEKA demonstrates the potential for community-based and led research in the HIV/STI field. The model we present can serve as a blueprint for other community-based organizations aiming to lead collaborative or independent research and build capacity.

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Political homophobia and the effect on GBMSM programmes in Kenya: The significance of a community-led rapid agency assessment

Cited by 4 publications

References 7 publications

Community contexts and knowledge: accountability, leadership and meaningful involvement of communities in Programme Science

Community contexts and knowledge: accountability, leadership and meaningful involvement of communities in Programme Science

Toward improving anal health care among GBMSM in Kenya: Lessons from a patient’s illness, treatment and recovery journey

From community as data providers to community as data users: developing a community-led research platform using program data in HIV/STI Program Science in Kenya

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