Written by Dominic Hosack
There are a number of positive outcomes of our planning trip to Ethiopia. We got some
great pictures for Instagram, witnessed a beautiful procession celebrating
Ethiopian Timkat (Epiphany), and ate delicious spicy tibs and shiro entirely
with our hands.
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However, for a first year doctoral student, one of the most important parts of the trip for me was the opportunity to conduct community-based research. The various meetings and discussions we had during our trip with a variety of Debre Berhan University affiliates and community members led us collectively decide on conducting an intervention addressing child nutrition and food security using vegetable gardens at two primary schools in the community.
One school that we visited has an expansive garden run by students in an after school program. Students who work in the garden take produce home to their families, and many also use their knowledge to grow additional vegetables at home. Another school has a smaller garden and is excited to expand. Both schools welcome teacher training, parent engagement, and integrated nutrition education using the garden.
The project, which will include curriculum and survey development, community engagement, and school capacity building, presents a broad range of opportunities for data collection, evaluation, and dissemination of new knowledge and best practices. Debre Berhan University stressed their desire to conduct research and publish with foreign university collaborators and expand their outreach to the community, and this unique opportunity fosters collaboration for such a purpose.
As a doctoral student and graduate student mentor for PHWB, I plan to actively engage in the writing process and data management for the Ethiopia project. It is my hope that PHWB can begin a long commitment to collecting and disseminating evidence-based research to support each project being conducted.
One school that we visited has an expansive garden run by students in an after school program. Students who work in the garden take produce home to their families, and many also use their knowledge to grow additional vegetables at home. Another school has a smaller garden and is excited to expand. Both schools welcome teacher training, parent engagement, and integrated nutrition education using the garden.
The project, which will include curriculum and survey development, community engagement, and school capacity building, presents a broad range of opportunities for data collection, evaluation, and dissemination of new knowledge and best practices. Debre Berhan University stressed their desire to conduct research and publish with foreign university collaborators and expand their outreach to the community, and this unique opportunity fosters collaboration for such a purpose.
As a doctoral student and graduate student mentor for PHWB, I plan to actively engage in the writing process and data management for the Ethiopia project. It is my hope that PHWB can begin a long commitment to collecting and disseminating evidence-based research to support each project being conducted.
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