Bad Hair Day? Chikurubi Female Prison
has the fix!
Getting my hair braided is a tedious
process that I dread; however, it is an essential procedure to keep my kinky
fro under control. Armed with two
packs of braids and determination, I proceed to the Chikurubi Maximum Prison in
Harare to get my hair braided. Yes, you read right... I head to Chikurubi
Maximum Prison where all your basic hair-dressing needs can be met just outside
the women’s prison.
As part of a rehabilitation programme,
inmates at the Chikurubi Female prison are encouraged to undertake in gainful
employment. Activities vary from vegetable gardening, chicken rearing and of
course, hair styling. A group of up to 6 inmates is responsible for the
styling, braiding and general chit-chat that any woman has come to expect when
she is getting her hair done.
Beyond its publicised use in the Research Excellence Framework, James Harveyconsiders
the wider role of the case study as a research method and underlines
its often overlooked function as a tool for communicating with different
audiences and stakeholders. The case study’s versatility and scope for
reflection means the form is an accessible device for communicating research evidence to policy makers and reaching other important end-users of research findings.
The humble case study is often overlooked as a powerful tool for
analysis even though it very often forms the backbone of many of the
working papers, briefs, summaries and reviews that we encounter in our
work. Increasingly practitioners and researchers are being asked to
develop case studies that support project evaluation or, as in the case
of the Research Excellence Framework 2014 (REF),
provide traceable evidence of impact. There are many specific examples
of case studies, but at the most basic level, what exactly is the
function of a case study?
The answer to that question will be different for every discipline.
Case studies may describe a particularly interesting set of
circumstances from which lessons can be learned; they may illustrate a
particular theory or conceptual framework by reference to a specific
example; or they may be used as a device for teaching purposes and
publication of findings. In short, they are a dynamic and versatile
means of storytelling for different purposes and audiences.
We are now well into the season of mists and mellow fruitfulness here in Falmouth, while October is slowly roasting our Zimbabwe office. It has been a hectic but satisfying month here at CommsConsult. With so much going on it is a challenge to cram it all into one blog but I will give it a go!
Arriving on the 23rd of September from Sri Lanka, Argentina, Delhi and our very own Zimbabwe office, participants were treated to a fine selection of British weather throughout the week with flashes of glorious sunshine interspersed with mild alarm over the floods spreading across the rest of the country. With the participants lodged cosily in St Michael’s Hotel in Falmouth, a week of productive discussions began.
So Autumn is
here and CommsConsult reaches the end of another busy summer. Our team have
been hard at it this month with projects old and new. As we pause to catch our
breath before launching into the exciting months ahead, here is a little
roundup of what we have been up to.
Over the
last month or so, two projects have occupied most of our time. The International Food and Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) Communication
Review was the big project of July and August. A big hitter in the research
communication world, it was a pleasurable journey to explore what makes this
organisation such an effective communicator, and a challenge to find ways that
they could become even smarter. Completing key informant interviews and a
'write-shop' at the beginning of August, Megan, Farai and the team, with help
from consultant Amy Merritt, delivered a comprehensive
report on IFPRI’s communication strategies and products. Following submission
of the draft report Megan facilitated a conference call in August with Farai,
Betty, Amy and the communication team at IFPRI to finalise the details of the
review.
Earlier this year, CommsConsult team
members Andrew Clappison and I (Betty Allen) were asked to travel to Cairo,
Egypt, to work alongside GDNet
and Euforic Services as social
reporters for the Economic
Research Forum (ERF’s) 18th Annual Conference.
This is the second time the we have been
asked to perform social reporting for ERF’s annual conference, and the theme
this year was just as pertinent as the last, focusing on Corruption
and its effects on economic development. Given the current political
environment in the country, many of the speakers and participants were keen to
emphasize the importance that the debates and discussions taking place during
the conference might hold in shaping Egypt’s future.
It’s a beautiful morning in Harare; there
is a definite chill in the air heralding the advent of winter. As I sit in a
cozy cafe, indulging in a cappuccino and perusing the morning papers, I can’t
help but giggle as I read about Zimbabwean men getting in touch with their
emotions. The Musasa Project, which advocates for women’s rights and the
eradication of Gender Based Violence (GBV) has called for men to discuss their
emotions as a way for men to curb their frustrations and reduce the need to
lash out at their female counterparts.
We seem to be witnessing a social
phenomenon that could indeed come to define the kind of world we live in.
Climate Change is a real and pressing problem. However, as a global society, we
seem to be talking about it a lot, but not doing anywhere near enough to help
combat it. The impasse between science and policy seems absurd. But is it?
Should we really expect decision makers to be able to take positive steps to
tackling climate change, when intense public pressure to do so is absent?
It’s been an unbelievably busy year here at
CommsConsult and on December 14th the team invited local friends,
businesses, clients and colleagues to a local art gallery in Falmouth to give
our thanks for their support and hard work throughout the last 12 months.
Mince pies, wine and festive cheer was
enjoyed by all.Thanks to local
duo Kola for providing music for the evening.
I love workshops that
begin with people telling me that they don’t
really have the time to be there, and finish with them asking
me to ‘make it longer next time please’.
I’m on my way home from
New Delhi, where I was running another two-day
Research Communications workshop, this time for researchers
involved in one of the Global Development Network’s global research projects
looking at Public Expenditure Monitoring (PEM).
CommsConsult is, happily,
a regular provider of training
workshops for GDN’s network of southern researchers, having
delivered Policy Influence training for AERC researchers on Africa-China trade,
and Presentational training workshops for its Awards and Medals finalists
before the annual conference.
So Autumn is
here and CommsConsult reaches the end of another busy summer. Our team have
been hard at it this month with projects old and new. As we pause to catch our
breath before launching into the exciting months ahead, here is a little
roundup of what we have been up to.
It’s a beautiful morning in Harare; there
is a definite chill in the air heralding the advent of winter. As I sit in a
cozy cafe, indulging in a cappuccino and perusing the morning papers, I can’t
help but giggle as I read about Zimbabwean men getting in touch with their
emotions. The 
We seem to be witnessing a social
phenomenon that could indeed come to define the kind of world we live in.
Climate Change is a real and pressing problem. However, as a global society, we
seem to be talking about it a lot, but not doing anywhere near enough to help
combat it. The impasse between science and policy seems absurd. But is it?
Should we really expect decision makers to be able to take positive steps to
tackling climate change, when intense public pressure to do so is absent? 
I love workshops that
begin with people telling me that they 
