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Rage & Fora, Marsabit
COHI: a new way to do research
“COHI is my first experience with participatory epidemiology, and it has completely changed the way I think about research. It is about sitting with communities, listening to their experiences, learning from their knowledge, and understanding human, livestock and environmental health challenges from their perspective. Some of the most valuable knowledge in research is already within the community; sometimes, you just have to listen!”
The Marsabit team finished the COHI training workshop at Umoja Lodge and received their certificates, with Godwin Erupe co-facilitating alongside Evan Griffith. They learned the foundations of One Health and participatory epidemiology, and how to run COHI data collection as facilitators: an open-ended question is a powerful way to build knowledge together.
The team now spends two weeks in the field collecting data and working with communities to find home-grown solutions. Thanks to the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University, the Marsabit County Government and the communities who take part.
“I took this photo in Kangikukas, Loima Sub-County, where families rely on saline water for both people and livestock. Community members shared concerns about its effects on their health and animals. This moment stayed with me: access to water is not enough. Water quality matters. Through COHI, we listen to communities and let their lived experiences help define the priorities.”
In Lokiriama and Loima the COHI team ran separate women’s and men’s focus groups. People used stones to show how many girls are in school, and how many adults and animals were sick or healthy in the past year, then ranked the reasons.
Photos: Ava Van Gelder, Evan Griffith, Clara Goltz, Diana Muta
To learn how to use COHI in the field, we headed to Natoot Village and practised leading focus groups, key informant interviews, transect walks and the rCSI nutrition survey. We received such a warm welcome.
Held by Dr. Evan Griffith and sponsored by Tufts University, PAIR and the Turkana County One Health Unit: classroom instruction, a day of fieldwork and a certification ceremony. “I think COHI could be applied in so many global settings and I am excited to brainstorm more!”
What a privilege to spend time with Elder Lokir and the Arumrum members in Komio. We learned a lot about cross-border dynamics and what life is like for those in the ere.
Evan Griffith returns to Lokiriama with Tufts students and local researchers to validate COHI, and finds that the women left behind in the ere during the dry season are among the people most easily overlooked.
The launch was graced by John Erus, Deputy Governor of Turkana County, with senior county and national government officials, and received by our co-founder Kelvin Shingles.
