Africa’s Voices Foundation (AVF) in collaboration with the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data (GPSDD) with funding from Wellcome Trust, will be implementing a project in the counties of Kilifi, Bungoma and Kiambu, from February – April 2021, that aims at understanding the general public’s knowledge, attitudes and practices on antimicrobial resistance.
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is prevalent in Kenya. It’s a situation that occurs when viruses, fungi, parasites and bacteria do not respond to the medications, making illness harder to treat hence escalating the risk of severe illness, disease spread and death. Various factors like overuse of drugs, such as antibiotics, by human beings, agriculture and livestock as well as poor access to water and sanitation, have led to an increase in the threat of AMR in Kenya.
The project will use a citizen-generated data (CGD) approach through AVF’s interactive radio methodology, which combines the broadcast of radio discussion programmes with citizen feedback via SMS. A total of eight radio shows will be aired across 3 target locations (and three radio stations one for each location) making a total of 24 radio shows.
Citizen feedback sent during the radio shows via SMS will be analysed using a mixed methods approach to understand the prevalence of themes across demographic groups.
AVF will facilitate presenter-led discussions via radio inviting communities to share their thoughts and opinions via SMS on various antimicrobial resistance issues. Wider engagement will also be enabled with harder to reach communities, healthcare providers, the research community and decision-makers via co-design workshops, listening groups and dissemination activities.
AVF’s core capabilities (media engagement, data and technology, and social sciences research) will enable the feedback from citizens to be analysed qualitatively and quantitatively offering rigour, immediacy and scale. This will allow the sharing of the data with relevant research, health and policy-making communities in a prompt, effective and ethical manner.
Citizens’ insights gathered in the three counties will inform policy-makers in the respective counties on barriers and pathways to address the problem of antimicrobial resistance.
AVF banks on its track record of delivering health services engagement and CGD in Kenya and beyond to execute this project.
Previously, we have worked across different regions and counties in Kenya, including Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu, Siaya, Turkana, Garrisa, Wajir, Kitui, Makueni and Nyeri. Our recent work covering COVID-19 related issues has reached up to 44 counties in Kenya, from over 10,000 people who have sent 27700 SMS.
Photo: A medical consultant going through records at Nairobi West Prison Clinic/Photo by Elphas Ngugi-GPSDD.
Excellent idea to raise awareness of this urgent public health issue and generate data that will inform how to tackle the issue, because all of us have a role in fighting antimicrobial resistance. Look forward to the results.