Children, transport and
mobility in
sub-Saharan Africa
A perspective on our ESRC/DFID
award
Gina Porter
www.dur.ac.uk/child.mobility
Child Mobility Project Team
• Lead Institution: Durham University, UK [Anthropology]
• Collaborating Institutions:
– Centre for Social Research, University of Malawi
[Anthropology, Geography]
– Centre for Scientific and Industrial Research, South Africa
[Transport Engineering, Planning]
– University of Cape Coast, Ghana [Geography, Education]
– International Forum for Rural Transport & Development
[Communication, Dissemination]
• Collaborators:
Gina Porter, Kate Hampshire, Albert Abane, Alister Munthali, Elsbeth
Robson, Mac Mashiri, Michael Bourdillon
+ over 20 RAs + 70 ‘child’ researchers
Background: the research project
• 3-country child mobility and transport
study: Ghana, Malawi, South Africa
• Focus principally on daily physical
mobility of 9-18 year-olds
• 24 research sites [2 regions per
country]
• Adult and child researcher strands:
mixed methods
• 70 ‘child’ researchers: findings feed
into and help shape adult research
design
Building research partnerships and
capacity: experience in the child
mobility project
•
Advantage of long-established relationships with individuals
and institutions
•
Building links among partners
– Inception meeting with all research collaborators (finalise
research plans, detailed design, discuss output plans)
– Continuing joint discussion among partners
– Face-to-face meetings when possible
– Final review workshop
•
Joint field pilots and field reviews with collaborators and RAs
[exploring key issues, trialling new methods, i.e. promoting
collaboration, interdisciplinarity]
•
Value of residential field work for promoting research
partnerships and capacity building
•
Teaching inputs and joint writing for publication
Approaches to maximising impact
in the child mobility project
• Country Consultative Groups from
inception onwards
• Collaboration with IFRTD
• Website and website links
• Young researchers’ own booklet
[AFCAP funds: 4000 copies to
ministries, schools, communities,
etc. ]
• Academic papers and publications
in diverse disciplinary outlets
Country Consultative Groups
• Membership: relevant ministries and NGOs, other
civil society groups, project collaborators, young
researchers, teachers, other local stakeholders
• Meetings c. every 6 months
• Advantages:
– Advice and support
– Avoid duplication
– Debate/analysis/interpretation of findings as they
emerge
– Dissemination of information/outputs
– Avoid/counter misinformation
– Build contacts and extend networks for further
advice/dissemination/support