Maria‬†Lima‬†Fernandes‬†is‬†a‬†Global‬†Health‬†Scholar‬†and‬†Bachelor‬†of‬†Arts‬†student‬†pursuing‬†a‬†Joint‬ Honours‬†degree‬†in‬†International‬†Development‬†Studies‬†and‬†Political‬†Science,‬†as‬†well‬†as‬†a‬†Minor in‬†Gender,‬†Sexuality,‬†Feminist‬†and‬†Social‬†Justice‬†Studies.‬†Through‬†the‬†support‬†of‬†the‬†Frances Aboud‬†&‬†Charles‬†Larson‬†Global‬†Health‬†Fund,‬†and‬†under‬†the‬†guidance‬†of‬†Professor‬†Grace‬†Marquis, Maria‬†used qualitative‬†methods‬†to‬†develop,‬†collect‬†and‬†analyse‬†data‬†on‬†dietary‬†and‬ sexual/reproductive health beliefs and practices of adolescents in rural Kenya.‬
“The‬†project‬†I‬†had‬†the‬†opportunity‬†to‬†work‬†on‬†is‬†part‬†of‬†an‬†initiative‬†called‬†REACTS-IN: Realizing‬†Gender‬†Equality,‬†Attitudinal‬†Change‬†and‬†Transformative‬†Systems‬†in‬†Nutrition,‬†which‬ brings‬†together‬†governmental,‬†civil‬†society‬†and‬†academic‬†institutions,‬†namely‬†McGill‬†University,‬†World Vision, the Government of Canada, Nutrition International, and HarvestPlus.‬
My‬†participation‬†focused‬†on‬†Kenya’s‬†Elgeyo-Marakwet‬†County,‬†where‬†my‬†primary‬†role‬†was‬†to‬ conduct‬†focus‬†group‬†discussions‬†(FGDs)‬†with‬†teens‬†between‬†the‬†ages‬†of‬†15‬†and‬†19‬†across‬ secondary‬†schools‬†in‬†the‬†County.‬†In‬†preparation‬†for‬†my‬†field‬†work,‬†I‬†researched‬†adolescent‬ nutrition‬†and‬†sexual‬†&‬†reproductive‬†health‬†(SRH)‬†in‬†rural‬†Kenya,‬†developed‬†the‬†FGD‬†questions‬ and guide, and met with partners in Canada and Kenya alike.‬â€
Alongside‬†my‬†research‬†partner,‬†Camila‬†Franco‬†Suárez,‬†I‬†spent‬†one‬†month‬†in‬†Elgeyo-Marakwet County‬†not‬†only‬†conducting‬†the‬†FGDs,‬†but‬†also‬†engaging‬†with‬†local‬†populations‬†and‬ stakeholders,‬†attending‬†meetings‬†and‬†trainings,‬†and‬†visiting‬†spaces‬†relevant‬†to‬†the‬†research‬†topic,‬ such‬†as‬†the Iten‬†County‬†Referral‬†Hospital.‬†These‬†experiences‬†allowed‬†me‬†to‬†better‬†understand‬†how‬ societal‬†norms‬†shape‬†beliefs‬†and‬†practices‬†around‬†nutrition,‬†sexuality,‬†and‬†reproduction,‬†as‬†well‬ as‬†contextualise‬†the‬†challenges‬†and‬†strengths‬†that‬†teens‬†experience‬†when‬†it‬†comes‬†to‬†their‬†dietary‬ and sexual & reproductive health.‬
†It‬†is‬†hard‬†to‬†choose‬†one‬†moment‬†that‬†embodies‬†my‬†experience‬†in‬†Elgeyo-Marakwet,‬†but‬†if‬†I‬†had‬ to‬†pick‬†one,‬†it‬†would‬†be‬†participating‬†in‬†a‬†Care‬†Group‬†meeting‬†with‬†the‬†Morop‬†women‬†from‬†Keiyo‬†South‬†Sub-County.‬†Care‬†Groups‬†are‬†a‬†community-based‬†behaviour‬†change‬†strategy,‬†which‬Ěýtend‬†to‬†focus‬†on‬†health‬†education.‬†During‬†my‬†visit‬†to‬†the‬†Morop‬†community,‬†I‬†got‬†to‬†hear‬†from‬†the‬†local‬†women‬†about‬†their‬†own‬†experiences,‬†concerns,‬†challenges,‬†and‬†suggestions‬†for‬†improving‬†their‬†community’s‬†wellbeing.‬†Despite‬†spending‬†hours‬†talking‬†about‬†malnutrition,‬†gender‬†inequality‬†and‬†violence,‬†misinformation‬†regarding‬†SRH,‬†challenges‬†to‬†accessing‬ healthcare,‬†and‬†struggles‬†with‬†keeping‬†crops‬†alive,‬†the‬†women‬†decided‬†to‬†end‬†the‬†meeting‬†by‬ performing‬†a‬†song‬†accompanied‬†by‬†lots‬†of‬†dance‬†and‬†laughter.‬†This‬†encounter‬†showed‬†me‬†the‬ importance‬†of‬†resilience,‬†community‬†and‬†mutual‬†aid‬†-†it‬†perfectly‬†illustrated‬†exactly‬†what‬†global‬ health needs.‬
This‬†was‬†my‬†first‬†opportunity‬†to‬†conduct‬†field‬†work,‬†let‬†alone‬†abroad!‬†I‬†learned‬†a‬†great‬†deal‬ about‬†qualitative‬†research‬†methods,‬†built‬†problem-solving‬†skills,‬†experienced‬†intercultural‬ communication‬†through‬†immersion,‬†and‬†expanded‬†my‬†knowledge‬†on‬†governmental‬†and‬†civil‬ society‬†initiatives.‬†I‬†extend‬†my‬†deepest‬†gratitude‬†to‬†McGill‬†Global‬†Health‬†Programs,‬†the‬†Frances‬ĚýAboud‬†&‬†Charles‬†Larson‬†Global‬†Health‬†Fund,‬†the‬†REACTS-IN‬†Team,‬†my‬†supervisors,‬†research‬ partner, and the Elgeyo-Marakwet community.”‬
Learn more about the 51łÔąĎÍřGlobal Health Scholars Undergraduate Program.
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