Global Engagement Funds Case Study: Africa & Middle East

Dr Jenevieve Mannell went to Rwanda to develop a research project to prevent gender-based violence.

Dr Jenevieve Mannell

Lecturer in Global Health, UCL Institute for Global Health

“I travelled to Kigali in Rwanda to develop a grant proposal with colleagues at the University of Rwanda School of Public Health for a joint mixed methods research study on the prevention of gender-based violence. Rwanda has a unique community-based policy aimed at tackling violence in over 14,000 villages across the country.

The 2015 Demographic and Health Survey reported a 22% decrease in the number of women since 2010 who have experienced physical violence from their partner or husband.

I had previously conducted research there and made contact with colleagues at the University who expressed a keen interest in participating as co-investigators on this project.

I met with the Dean about our shared research interests and opportunities for increasing collaboration between UCL and the University of Rwanda. I also had a meeting with DFID about a current randomised control trial of one of their gender-based violence prevention programmes being undertaken in collaboration with the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

As part of the trip, I gave a seminar on gender-based violence prevention, which was an excellent opportunity to gain local input from scholars based at the University about the research study and to make contacts for the future.

This funding was integral to supporting the development of the relationship. Email was sufficient to get things started in terms of sharing research ideas, but the face-to-face discussions I had while in Rwanda were essential to exploring shared interests and building a relationship for the future.”

Following the visit we submitted joint grant proposals to two different funders and I delivered a lunch-time seminar for UCL staff and students on the potential for collaboration with the University of Rwanda.