RESEARCH INTERNSHIP OPPORTUNITIES Posted on 06/04/2023 (22/05/2023) by lillian osano CAREERS GET INVOLVED // CAREERS RESEARCH INTERNSHIP OPPORTUNITIES Deadline: April 14, 2023 Closed Job The African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC) is a premier research-to-policy institution that generates evidence, strengthens research and related capacity in the African research and Development (R&D) ecosystem and engages policy to inform action on health and development. The Center has internship opportunities listed below housed in its Research and Related Capacity Strengthening Division for a period of 3-6months starting May 2023. Project one Title: Improving parenting young women’s contraceptive use and continuation through home and mobile-based counseling in Korogocho: A pilot study Unit: Research: SRMNCAH This project will test the acceptability and effectiveness of individualized contraception counseling by Community Health Volunteers (CHVs) through home visits and mobile SMS in improving the uptake and continuation of contraception among parenting adolescent and young women (ages 15-24) in Nairobi slums. The project team will generate evidence demonstrating the implementation and effectiveness of the CHV community intervention in two slums in Nairobi – one with the intervention package that includes CHVs providing counselling and follow up support, and the other comparison slum will only receive the normal health facility service. To determine the effects of the intervention the team will conduct a quasi-experimental evaluation and track, monitor, and evaluate the project using key indicators of contraceptive uptake, method and continuation of use. 400 parenting adolescents and young women will be recruited – 200 from the intervention site of Korogocho slum and 200 from a comparison site in Viwandani slum. In both sites, baseline and endline surveys will be conducted to measure knowledge and attitudes towards contraception, current use and method mix, and continuation of use. The project team will use a quasi-experimental design with a pre-intervention (T1) and post-intervention (T2) measurement of the key indicators to demonstrate changes in key outcomes. What a student might expect during their placement The student will be expected to participate and or contribute to the following: Quantitative data analysis of the baseline survey. Site visits to supervise intervention activities. Report and manuscript writing. Engagement with stakeholders. Assist with planning for the endline survey. Keywords: Contraception, counseling, adolescents, young women, community health volunteers Project Two Title: Strengthening the capacity for play-based learning: Evidence from Kenya Study Protocol Unit: Human Development (HD) Theme The proposed research tests and adapts innovations to support capacity building for teachers, parents, and other key stakeholders in how to implement Learning through Play (LtP) approaches by building on existing positive and playful practices in pre-primary schools. The research is anchored on the “Tayari Preschool Program”. The research uses a mixed-methods approach and takes an integrated approach to scale up. The integrated approach involves holistic thinking by bringing together different parts, contexts, and stakeholders to co-create and better understand how LtP can improve school readiness. Thus, the design is informed by stakeholder involvement. The research will illustrate promising approaches that promote LTP, smooth transition to primary school and inclusive ECE that addresses inequalities related to gender, disability, and other factors of disadvantage. The research findings will be disseminated through national, regional, continental, and global platforms to add to the national, regional, and global knowledge base. What a student might expect during their placement The intern will be involved in the following activities: Field data collection e.g. participate in training of field team, supervision of data collection etc. Qualitative and quantitative data review workshop including reviewing of qualitative transcripts, do files etc. Development and testing learning through play model. Report writing. Dissemination of findings of policy briefs, paper writing and blogs. Keywords: Capacity building, learning through play, early childhood education, preschool, teachers Project Three Title: Empowering women through provision of quality childcare services and strengthening their capacities to engage in paid labor opportunities (GrOW ll project). Unit: Human Development (ECD) This project is being implemented in selected wards in Nakuru Town West sub-County in Nakuru County. Its overall purpose is to evaluate the effectiveness of the Kidogo model which aims at empowering women economically through provision of quality childcare. This goal is based on the evidence that women spend disproportionately more time on unpaid work such as childcare and household chores compared to men. The overall aim of the project is to evaluate how the Kidogo model can be scaled to enhance economic productivity and increase labor outcomes of women living in low-income communities in Kenya. Kidogo is a social enterprise organization that works to improve the quality of childcare centers. The specific objectives for this project are: To determine the effectiveness of the Kidogo model on women’s (mothers and daycare providers) labor outcomes such as labor-force participation, economic productivity and economic empowerment; To identify what works within the Kidogo Program, which aspects could be scaled up and what modifications can be made. What a student might expect during their placement Support project management activities. These include data quality checks, reading transcripts and analyzing qualitative data Support policy engagement activities. These include supporting facilitation of meetings and writing feedback reports Under the leadership of the research team, support in writing, editing and reviewing blogs and other publication outputs Keywords: Project management, policy engagement, publication outputs Project Four Title: PROMOTE – Action to empower adolescent mothers in Burkina Faso and Malawi to improve their sexual and reproductive health Unit: SRMNCAH The PROMOTE project aims to pilot a randomized controlled trial in Blantyre (Malawi) and Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso) to estimate the incremental effect of three interventions aimed at facilitating adolescent mothers’ (re)entry into school or vocation training. We will also examine the effect of the intervention on sexual and reproductive health (SRH) outcomes and mental health. The three interventions we will assess are a cash transfer conditioned on (re)enrolment into school or vocational training; subsidized child care; and life skills training offered by community health workers that will cover nurturing childcare, SRH, mental health, and financial literacy. As part of the process monitoring of the project, we are applying an ethnographic approach (including observation, repeat IDIs and KIIs) to: 1) document their living conditions, and how power relationships; the financial status, social and gender norms around premarital child bearing and parents/community attitudes towards parenting adolescents affect these conditions, including their mental and reproductive health and return to school; 2) Capture the changes in attitudes and practices over time and by exposure to the program activities. For instance, we will assess how the cash transfer improves their economic conditions, dependency to their relatives and partners, and how this autonomy improves their interactions with their relatives and people surrounding them (i.e. power balance, reduced stigma and violence). Likewise, how does the changes of norms in the community improve support toward parenting adolescents (support in childcare), reduction of stigma in school. What a student might expect during their placement The student is expected to support the ethnographic process evaluation. In doing so, the student will gain the following skills: Qualitative/ethnographic data management and analysis (including development of code book, coding using software, grouping of themes and pulling out key findings and learnings) Scientific writing (report, manuscript) Research project implementation Keywords: Adolescent mothers, intervention, school re-entry, SRHR, ethnography, Burkina Faso, Malawi Project Five Title: Supporting the writing of manuscripts documenting the impact of APHRC short course trainings. Unit: Individual Capacity Strengthening The Training Unit continues to conduct short course training in a number of areas. Each time a training workshop is conducted, we administer an Immediate Post-Training Evaluation survey (IPTES) to assess how participants experience the training. In addition, about six months post-training, we administer a follow-up evaluation survey (FES) to assess the impact of the training. The Intern will follow-up with those who have not completed the FES; clean and merge both IPTES and FES data; support data analysis and manuscript writing; and arrange for all meeting with co-authors. If time allows, the Intern will be requested to begin analysis of ADDRF data so as to support preparation of a paper documenting the impact of ADDRF. What a student might expect during their placement The Intern will acquire data management and analysis skills; skills in scientific writing; quantitative analytical skills (e.g., using Stata, R, or SAS); qualitative analytical skills (e.g., using Nvivo). Keywords: data analysis; scientific writing Project Six Title: Promoting holistic health and wellbeing of pregnant and parenting adolescents and their children in Africa – a life course model Unit: SRMNCAH The proposed project seeks to Understand the lived experiences of pregnant and parenting adolescents in Africa Design and evaluate multi-sector interventions to improve health and wellbeing outcomes for pregnant and parenting adolescents and their children Develop or adapt a conceptual framework to guide future research and programming on pregnant and parenting adolescents Strategically communicate findings to critical policy actors to inform policies and programs that improve the health and wellbeing of pregnant and parenting adolescents and their children The interns on the project will work on a scoping review on interventions that have been implemented to support pregnant and parenting adolescents in Africa What a student might expect during their placement Hands-on experience developing a scoping review protocol, literature searching, extraction of data, and synthesis. They will also get hands-on experience writing a scoping review manuscript for submission to a peer-review journal. Keywords: Adolescents, sexual and reproductive health, scoping reviews Project Seven Title: Long-Term Impact Evaluation of PEPFAR’s DREAMS Interventions to Prevent HIV among Adolescent Girls and Young Women in Nairobi Informal Settlements Unit: SRMNCAH The DREAMS interventions have been implemented since 2015 in 15 countries in sub-Saharan Africa including Kenya with an aim to reduce the risk of new HIV infections among AGYW aged 10-24 years. The African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC) conductd an impact evaluation of the DREAMS program in informal settlements of Nairobi (APHRC DSS sites in Korogocho and Viwandani) between 2017 and 2020. Results showed that larger proportions of AGYW had tested for HIV and knew their HIV status but there was no evidence of DREAMS impact on social norms that may contribute to HIV risk among AGYW. This new evaluation study aims to generate longer-term evidence of DREAMS impact on biological, behavioral, social protection, and social norms outcomes among AGYW after six years of implementation in Korogocho and Viwandani. This project seeks to recruit two interns to support analysis and manuscript writing of the quantitative data to be engaged in coding, analysis and manuscript writing utilizing the qualitative data. What a student might expect during their placement Actively participate in data cleaning and analysis Participate in manuscript writing – literature review, methods, drafting of result and discussion Participate in preparation of abstracts, posters or powerpoint presentations for dissemination activities for local and international audiences. Attend meetings, take minutes and write activity and progress reports where appropriate. Keywords: Data analysis, Manuscript writing and Scientific abstracts APHRC is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to the protection of vulnerable persons.