Changemaker

Earlier this year I had a fortunate travel opportunity to Kenya. I worked alongside Changemaker partners, spent time exploring the intervention site, and participated in some data collection activities.

Arriving in Nairobi, I got to experience the busy hub bub of Kenya’s capital city. I worked closely with a team at the Technical University of Kenya (TUK) and visited with other Changemaker team members at the Aga Khan University (AKU) as well as the Food Security for Peace and Nutrition (FSPN). In addition to preparing for data collection and working with the teams on the ground, I basked in some much-needed sun, ate yummy mangos, and explored the national museum.

Then I was off to Kisumu! Kisumu is a city along Lake Victoria in the southwest of Kenya. There I worked closely with the Kisumu County – Department of Livestock, Agriculture, and Fisheries (DALF) team. I engaged with schools, adolescents, and got to know the city better! I immediately jumped right into the Changemaker happenings by participating in the parent sensitization meetings and visiting a rural sub county.  Beyond getting the chance to work with the teams in-person and familiarizing myself with the settings, I collected data as part of the co-design formative phase alongside the TUK and DALF teams.

We did a photo-voice exercise working with the adolescents to get a glimpse of how they perceive their food environment. School-going adolescents were given camera phones for two days and some guidance on going out and taking pictures of where, when, with whom, and what they normally eat and drink. After the two days, we met with the adolescents in small groups and got to hear from them about the photos they took. We then guided the adolescents to draw maps of the various places where they frequently get food. It was such a valuable and rewarding experience to meet directly with the adolescents and spend time in the intervention school. I got a chance to chat with students in grade 9 and entertained their insightful questions. I even attended “Sports Day” and participated in an informal race, of course, I got totally beat by the students!

Alongside all the hard work, there was some time for fun and exploration. Esther, Edward, and Donvan were kind enough to spend time showing me around and helping me get to know Kisumu! I started to feel more like a Kenyan by learning to use M-Pesa, and commuting by boda bodas, tuk tuks, and matatus. Being by the lake meant there were lovely opportunities to have walks and see the sunset, eat fresh wet fried tilapia fish, and take a boat ride. After exploring the food environment myself, I also learned how to make my own omena (sardine fish dish) and ugali (maize-based starch)!

Elisa Gobbo