Capacity Building Efforts Research Articles

Community Engagement Alliance (CEAL) Against COVID-19 Disparities: Academic-community partnership to support workforce capacity building among Arizona community health workers.

The COVID-19 pandemic has both highlighted and worsened existing health inequities among communities of color and structurally vulnerable populations. Community Health Workers, inclusive of Community Health Representatives (CHW/Rs) have entered the spotlight as essential to COVID-19 prevention and control. To learn about community experiences and perspectives related to COVID-19 and inform CHW/R workforce capacity building efforts, a series of focus groups were conducted with CHW/Rs throughout Arizona at two time points in 2021. Throughout the data collection and analysis process, researchers and community partners engaged in ongoing and open dialogue about what CHW/Rs on the ground were reporting as priority community concerns, needs, and challenges. Thus, CHW/Rs informed the development of culturally and linguistically relevant health education messages, materials, and training for CHW/Rs. In this community case study, we detail the efforts of partnership between a statewide CHW professional association and an academic research team that facilitated rapid decision-making and knowledge sharing to create community-grounded tools and resources supportive of CHW/R workforce capacity building in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Value Added of Incorporating Qualitative Approaches into Malaria Surveillance, Monitoring, and Evaluation.

Progress toward malaria elimination and improvements in the performance of national malaria control programs (NMCPs) have stalled in recent years. The current COVID-19 pandemic further threatens building on previous gains. Surveillance, monitoring, and evaluation (SME) are critical for the continued success of NMCPs because they provide the information necessary for effective program planning and management. Interventions aimed at strengthening NMCPs focus on both the target population and the program provider. Qualitative approaches are often used to understand the target population and barriers to intervention success. Although there is growing emphasis on qualitative approaches in provider-focused SME, metrics of success tend to focus on quantitative measures. The integration of qualitative approaches offers added value because they provide additional data points to facilitate the understanding of barriers that impede sustaining the gains made from provider-focused capacity-building efforts. Qualitative approaches focus on understanding program implementation and interventions, but the systematic integration of qualitative data is limited. Qualitative approaches provide avenues to strengthen SME efforts, can lead to subsequent improvement for NMCPs, and fuel progress toward malaria elimination.

Trends in evidence synthesis publishing across disciplines in Africa: A bibliometric study

The production of evidence syntheses, such as systematic and scoping reviews, is vital to supporting evidence-based policy- and decision-making, and to inform work toward achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. The conduct of high-quality evidence synthesis requires specialized knowledge and methods. Many initiatives have been implemented to increase capacity for evidence synthesis production globally, including targeted regional efforts in Africa. The current study uses bibliometric methods to analyze trends in evidence synthesis production by Africa-based authors across disciplines, providing a baseline for future research and evaluation of capacity-building efforts. We find that evidence synthesis production in Africa has grown rapidly in the past ten years, particularly for systematic reviews in the health and medical disciplines. Other evidence synthesis methods, mainly scoping reviews, are also applied and non-health disciplines are increasingly using evidence synthesis methods to assess current knowledge. We also discuss interesting country- and discipline-specific trends.

Incorporating multiple data sources to assess changes in organizational capacity in child welfare systems

Three federally funded Child Welfare Capacity Building Centers provide services to build the organizational capacity of public child welfare agencies to help meet federal requirements, improve practice, and improve outcomes for children and families. The aim of this study was to explore capacity outcomes in five dimensions – resources, infrastructure, knowledge and skills, culture and climate, and engagement and partnership – achieved by child welfare jurisdictions who received Center services. Analyses describe the capacities targeted for improvement and the amount and type of services provided by Centers; assess the relationship between services and capacity increase; and explore whether that relationship differs depending on the jurisdiction’s level of foundational capacity. Data collected through surveys and a service delivery tracking system reflect the perspectives of service recipients and service providers. Results reveal jurisdictions typically targeted capacity outcomes in the dimensions of knowledge and skills and infrastructure and received an average of 28 hours of direct services to support their capacity-building efforts. Dosage of service was positively associated with achievement of capacity outcomes, though no interaction was found between service dosage and foundational capacity in the effect on outcomes. Methodological lessons learned and implications for future evaluations of organizational capacity building efforts are offered.

Advancing One Health: Updated core competencies

Abstract One Health recognises the interdependence between the health of humans, animals, plants and the environment. With the increasing inclusion of One Health in multiple global health strategies, the One Health workforce must be prepared to protect and sustain the health and well-being of life on the planet. In this paper, a review of past and currently accepted One Health core competencies was conducted, with competence gaps identified. Here, the Network for Ecohealth and One Health (NEOH) propose updated core competencies designed to simplify what can be a complex area, grouping competencies into three main areas of: Skills; Values and Attitudes; and Knowledge and Awareness; with several layers underlying each. These are intentionally applicable to stakeholders from various sectors and across all levels to support capacity-building efforts within the One Health workforce. The updated competencies from NEOH can be used to evaluate and enhance current curricula, create new ones, or inform professional training programs at all levels, including students, university teaching staff, or government officials as well as continual professional development for frontline health practitioners and policy makers. The competencies are aligned with the new definition of One Health developed by the One Health High-Level Expert Panel (OHHLEP), and when supported by subjectspecific expertise, will deliver the transformation needed to prevent and respond to complex global challenges. One Health Impact Statement Within a rapidly changing global environment, the need for practitioners competent in integrated approaches to health has increased substantially. Narrow approaches may not only limit opportunities for global and local solutions but, initiatives that do not consider other disciplines or social, economic and cultural contexts, may result in unforeseen and detrimental consequences. In keeping with principles of One Health, the Network for Ecohealth and One Health (NEOH) competencies entail a collaborative effort between multiple disciplines and sectors. They focus on enabling practitioners, from any background, at any level or scale of involvement, to promote and support a transformation to integrated health approaches. The updated competencies can be layered with existing disciplinary competencies and used to evaluate and enhance current education curricula, create new ones, or inform professional training programs at all levels-including for students, teachers and government officials as well as continual professional development for frontline health practitioners and policymakers. The competencies outlined here are applicable to all professionals and disciplines who may contribute to One Health, and are complimentary to, not a replacement for, any discipline-specific competencies. We believe the NEOH competencies meet the need outlined by the Quadripartite’s (Food and Agriculture Organisation, United Nations Environment Programme, World Health Organisation, World Organisation for Animal Health) Joint Plan of Action on One Health which calls for cross-sectoral competencies.

Integrating a focus on health equity in implementation science: Case examples from the national cancer institute's implementation science in cancer control centers (ISC3) network.

A Health Equity Task Force (HETF) of members from seven Centers funded by the National Cancer Institute's (NCI) Implementation Science in Cancer Control Centers (ISC3) network sought to identify case examples of how Centers were applying a focus on health equity in implementation science to inform future research and capacity-building efforts. HETF members at each ISC3 collected information on how health equity was conceptualized, operationalized, and addressed in initial research and capacity-building efforts across the seven ISC3 Centers funded in 2019-2020. Each Center completed a questionnaire assessing five health equity domains central to implementation science (e.g., community engagement; implementation science theories, models, and frameworks (TMFs); and engaging underrepresented scholars). Data generated illustrative examples from these five domains. Centers reported a range of approaches focusing on health equity in implementation research and capacity-building efforts, including (1) engaging diverse community partners/settings in making decisions about research priorities and projects; (2) applying health equity within a single TMF applied across projects or various TMFs used in specific projects; (3) evaluating health equity in operationalizing and measuring health and implementation outcomes; (4) building capacity for health equity-focused implementation science among trainees, early career scholars, and partnering organizations; and (5) leveraging varying levels of institutional resources and efforts to engage, include, and support underrepresented scholars. Examples of approaches to integrating health equity across the ISC3 network can inform other investigators and centers' efforts to build capacity and infrastructure to support growth and expansion of health equity-focused implementation science.

Abstract IA021: The All of Us Research Hub: A dataset for all of us

Abstract The All of Us Research Program is building one of the nation’s largest most diverse research platforms that is transforming the future of health by providing researchers expansive, integrated, diverse health data including populations historically underrepresented in biomedical research (UBR). The All of Us dataset is available through the All of Us Research Hub, a centralized, secure, cloud-based platform examining biological, behavioral, and environmental factors that influence health and a broad range of diseases and conditions, including cancer. Participant data includes biological samples, health and social determinant surveys, electronic health records (EHR) and wearable data. Data is available through a private and secure tiered system, with anonymized aggregate data on an open-access public tier, and curated, individual-level, and genomic data on registered and controlled tiers. As of August 2022, the dataset includes over 518,000 participants, 80% UBR and 50% racial and ethnic minorities. Of the 227,000 participants who share EHR, over 42,000 indicate at least one form of cancer diagnosis and nearly 200 different cancer types. More than 2,800 researchers on the All of Us Researcher Workbench study this data, 21% of whom are underrepresented in the biomedical workforce (UBW) by race and ethnicity, from 393 institutions across 47 states. The diversity of research powered by All of Us data matches the diversity of its participants and researchers, as more than 150 projects have “cancer” in the project title and over 240 in the scientific question being studied. To date, there are five cancer-focused publications using the data—demonstrating the program’s early impact in cancer research. The program is intentional in ensuring data access to a diverse researcher community. These efforts include investing in the researcher pipeline and building capacity—from K-12 including educators, undergraduate and graduate students, post-docs and early stage investigators, seasoned researchers, and community and citizen scientists. At the collegiate level, one example is the Research Scholar Program (RSP), an annual offering of professional development workshops and curriculum, providing mentorship and training to support students in a research project utilizing All of Us data. RSP students present at the annual Minority Student Research Symposium, where in 2022, 27 UBW research scholars presented their findings to more than 300 attendees. For early-career investigators, the Baylor College of Medicine UBR Faculty Summit provides training on the Researcher Workbench and year-long support for attendees to continue research in teams utilizing All of Us data. Another capacity building effort is one with engagement partners RTI and the Community Campus Partnerships for Health to provide support for faculty, post-doctoral fellows, and students in six HBCUs to participate in an All of Us Researcher Academy that will provide training, technical assistance, and network-building for researchers and their mentors. Citation Format: Karriem S. Watson. The All of Us Research Hub: A dataset for all of us [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 15th AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2022 Sep 16-19; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2022;31(1 Suppl):Abstract nr IA021.

THE ROLE OF LEADERSHIP AND SOFT-SKILLS COMPETENCIES OF THE PERFORMANCE AT THE FACILITY AND CONSTRUCTION UNIT INDONESIAN ARMED FORCES

<p>One of the work units under the Indonesian Armed Forces Headquarters Detachment (<em>Detasemen Markas Besar</em> <em>Tentara Nasional Indonesia </em>or Denma Mabes TNI) organization is the Facility and Construction Unit of Indonesian Armed Forces known as the Facility and Construction of Indonesian Armed Forces. The Facility and Construction of the Indonesian Armed Force shipment of construction materials have been delayed as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak. Furthermore, the working-from-home (WFH) implementation affects the restrictions on collaboration and communication between leaders and participants. The existence of a leadership role supported by good soft-skills competencies, and career development, is expected to improve the performance of Indonesian Armed Force members. This study aims to determine the actual impact of leadership, soft-skills competencies, and career development on the performance of TNI members at the Facility and Construction of the Indonesian Armed Force. The study's findings revealed that soft-skills competencies and leadership characteristics directly impacted member performance. Additionally, a strong direct impact on professional development and soft-skills competencies on career development was discovered. It is well-organized that the leadership variable's influence on performance during career growth is insignificant in the indirect effect. On the other hand, the soft-skills competencies variable has a major impact on performance across career growth. This study concludes that organizational members' career growth and performance can be influenced by leadership and soft-skills competencies in the facility Construction of the Indonesian Armed Forces while leadership characteristics have no substantial impact on performance, career development as an intervening variable has a considerable impact on soft-skills competencies. Organizational performance improvement policies can be achieved through the career development of Indonesian Armed Forces (TNI) members. Capacity-building efforts can focus on leadership and soft-skills competencies. </p>

Authorship Diversity in General Surgery Related Cochrane Systematic Reviews

Background
 This study sought to determine the gender and country diversity in authorship representation in the authorship of Cochrane systematic reviews related to General Surgery.
 
 Methods
 We searched and extracted data from the Cochrane Library on 3 September 2022 using ‘keyword:General surgery’, and included published reviews, protocols, and withdrawn publications. We extracted authors’ details and searched online to determine their gender, attempting to capture at least one webpage demonstrating it. Authors whose gender could not be ascertained were excluded from gender-based analyses. For graphical representation, we used a choropleth-style map. We treated a collaborative author group belonging to a single country, e.g., MRC Clinical Trials Unit (UK), as a single author. A second author independently cross-verified the extracted data.
 
 Result
 Two hundred and fifty publications with a total of 1420 authors were included in the current study. Four authors had affiliation to two countries. The leading five represented nations (Figure 1A) in authorship were United Kingdom (n=562, 39.4%), China (n=163, 11.5%), Italy (n=144, 10.1%), Canada (n=91, 6.4%), and United States of America (n=89, 6.2%). 
 Syria is the only country among all the low-income countries which had authorship representation and constituted 0.34% (n=5) of all the authors. India (n=8, 0.6%) and Nigeria (n=2, 0.1%) were the only countries from lower-middle income groups who had representation.
 Male (n=957) to female (n=453) ratio in this study was 2.11:1 (Figure 1B). Sex data for ten authors couldn’t be retreived and were categorized as ‘unknown’ group. There were 169 (67.3%) male and 82 (32.6%) female first authors (sex ratio 2.06:1). One study had designated two authors as co-first authors. Women (n= 81) constituted 32.4% of all the corresponding authors (sex ratio 2.06:1). One article didn’t have any designated corresponding author. One hundred and fifty (60%) studies didn’t have any female representation in any lead author (corresponding or first author) position. Fifty-eight (23.2%) studies didn’t have any female authors at all, whereas in contrast there were only eight studies (3.2%) which did not have any male authors.
 
 Conclusion
 Authors from high-income countries continue to be the largest contributors to Cochrane systematic reviews in General Surgery, source of one of the highest quality evidence. There is extremely poor representation of female authors and authors from low and low-middle-income countries. Active capacity-building efforts are needed in several countries for advancing authorship diversity.

Cattle Marketing System in Bena-Tsemay District of South Omo, South-Western Ethiopia

The absence of information on cattle marketing systems is a major challenge for cattle producers and policymakers in Ethiopia. Therefore, this study was conducted in the Bena-Tsemay district with the aim of assessing the cattle marketing system. The household survey involved the interviewing of 150 households of eight Kebeles, which were purposefully selected from the three cattle production systems. The qualitative parameters, such as cattle market infrastructures, cattle transportation facilities, cattle market information, cattle marketing channels, cattle market actors, and the extent of extension service in the cattle marketing system, were analyzed using non-parametric methods, while the means of the quantitative parameters, such as cattle price and a number of cattle supplies, were analyzed using a one-way ANOVA of SPSS, version 20. The results revealed that the majority (73.2%) of the cattle keepers in three production systems sold their cattle; while very few (24.8%) did not. Approximately 58.33% of respondents said they bought and sold cattle at the local market using eyeball estimation, while only 12.2% used a bartering system. The majority of cattle keepers (69.30%) have access to cattle market information, while a few of them (30.7%) do not have access to cattle market information. The prices of selling and purchasing cattle were determined via peaceful negotiations between cattle sellers and traders (66.7%), while a small percentage (33.3%) was determined only by the cattle seller’s decision. The lack of cattle market and transportation facilities, the lack of cattle market price promotion centers, the lack of credit services, and the lack of capacity buildings were the major cattle marketing constraints. Thus, based on the results, the authors concluded that capacity-building and development efforts should be designed for cattle market transport facilities, legal cattle market promotion centers, credit services, and cattle feeding and health improvement strategies.

One health zoonotic disease prioritization and systems mapping: An integration of two One Health tools.

One Health is a collaborative approach that requires synergies between human, animal and environmental health sectors, other key sectors, and partners supporting these capacity-building efforts. Multiple One Health capacity-building tools are available that can be used independently or together. Two tools that have been used in sequence to inform each other include the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's One Health Zoonotic Disease Prioritization (OHZDP) Process and University of Minnesota/US Department of Agriculture's One Health Systems Mapping and Analysis Resource Toolkit™ (OH-SMART). In August 2017, a workshop was held in Islamabad, Pakistan, that integrated these two tools for the first time. In this integrated workshop, we used the OHZDP to develop a list of priority zoonotic diseases for Pakistan and OH-SMART™ to conduct a partner assessment and disease-specific gap analysis. Both tools were used to identify areas for One Health collaboration for the priority zoonotic diseases. Additionally, we trained 11 in-country facilitators representing the human and animal health sectors on both tools. This manuscript describes the integration of these two tools-using the Pakistan workshop as a process case study-to inform future efforts to implement One Health tools synergistically. Implementation of the technical and logistical aspects of the integrated workshop was detailed: (1) workshop preparation, (2) facilitator training, (3) workshop implementation and (4) workshop outcomes. Sixteen months after the workshop, we conducted an in-country facilitator survey to follow-up on the utility of both tools and the training for facilitators. We evaluated facilitator survey results using a qualitative analysis software Atlas.ti. Using the OHZDP Process and OH-SMART™ together achieved continuity between the two processes and provided a professional development opportunity for in-country facilitators. Based on the success of this integrated workshop, partners developing and implementing One Health tools should recognize the importance of collaboration to maximize outcomes.

Thinking Outside the Self-Report: Using Evaluation Plans to Assess Evaluation Capacity Building

In this study, we investigated the impact of the evaluation capacity building (ECB) efforts of an organization by examining the evaluation plans included in funding proposals over a 14-year period. Specifically, we sought to determine the degree to which and how evaluation plans in proposals to one National Science Foundation (NSF) program changed over time and the extent to which the organization dedicated to ECB in that program may have influenced those changes. Independent raters used rubrics to assess the presence of six essential evaluation plan elements. Statistically significant correlations indicate that proposal evaluation plans improved over time, with noticeable differences before and after ECB efforts were integrated into the program. The study adds to the limited literature on using artifacts of evaluation practice rather than self-reports to assess ECB impact.

Health professionals' readiness to implement electronic medical recording system and associated factors in public general hospitals of Sidama region, Ethiopia.

Electronic medical recording system is one of the information technologies that has a proven benefit to improve the quality of health service. Readiness assessment is one of the recommended steps to be taken prior to implementing electronic medical recording system to reduce the probability of failure. To determine the level of health professional readiness to implement Electronic medical recording system and associated factors in public general hospitals of Sidama region, 2022. A cross-sectional study design complemented with qualitative study was employed at three public general hospitals in Sidama region on a sample of 306 participants. A pretested self-administered questionnaire was used to collect quantitative data and in-depth interview was used for the qualitative study. Bivariate and multivariate Binary logistics regression was performed to determine predictors of readiness at α = 0.05, using an odds ratio and 95% confidence interval. Thematic analysis was done for qualitative data collected through in-depth interview. The overall readiness for health professionals was 36.5%. Of the study participants, 201 (73.4%) were computer literate, 176(64.23%) had good knowledge, and 204 (74.45%) had favorable attitude towards EMR. Only 31 participants had previous training (11.3%), while 64 (23%) had previous experience. EMR knowledge (AOR = 3.332; 95%CI: (1.662, 6.682)) and attitude towards electronic medical recording (AOR = 2.432; 95%CI: (1.146, 5.159)) were statistically significant predictors of readiness to implement electronic medical recording. Qualitative analysis has revealed lack of training, ease of use concerns, information security concerns, and perceived inadequacy of infrastructures including internet connectivity and electricity as common barriers for health professional readiness to implement EMR. Health professionals' readiness in this study was low. Capacity building efforts to increase the awareness and skills of health professionals should be done before implementing the system.

Integrating climate information into decision making for building resilience: A case study on farming communities in Bihar, India

Effective utilization of available weather and climate information is important to develop efficient and sustainable agricultural production systems. National meteorological agencies supported by global and regional centers are trying to generate climate forecasts tailored to sector-specific operational applications for a wide range of potential users. However, the big challenge is to develop a mechanism that will effectively communicate the information in a language that could be easily understood at different levels to obtain the maximum benefits from the information they receive.The International Research and Applications Project (IRAP) was a research experiment aimed at improving the livelihoods of rural farmers in Bihar, India, by producing and providing them with tailored weather and climate information. Forecast Application for Risk Management in Agriculture (FARM) schools were conducted to improve the awareness of farmers about the need for climate information and climate adaptation interventions which was applied for Kharif crops in summer monsoon 2018. A communication mechanism was established with the support of local partners to disseminate the tailored forecast and advisories to farmers. Assessment results revealed that the climate information is strongly valued by farmers if provided through a mechanism that they trust. More vulnerable farmers have limited access and ability to use the information, thus capacity building efforts like FARM schools are immensely helpful. Farmers recognize the critical role of climate variability in determining livelihood outcomes and actively seek out information to manage variability. This intervention helped trained farmers to better adjust their farming decisions through enhanced uptake of weather and climate information.

Building a ‘Virtual Library’: continuing a global collaboration to strengthen research capacity within Nepal and other low- and middle-income countries

ABSTRACT To fill the gap in health research capacity-building efforts, we created the ‘Virtual Library’ (VL) – a web-based repository of context-relevant resources for health researchers in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). This paper describes the participatory process used to systematically develop the VL, and describes how our interprofessional team – representing both an LMIC (Nepal) and a high-income country (HIC) (USA, US) – engaged in shared meaning-making. A team of researchers and clinicians representing a range of subdisciplines from Nepal and the US created a replicable search strategy and standardized Resource Screening Guide (RSG) to systematically assess resources to be included within the VL. Descriptive methods were used to summarize findings from the RSG and lessons learned from the collaborative process. Collectively, 14 team members reviewed 564 potential resources (mean = 40, SD = 22.7). Mean RSG score was 7.02/10 (SD = 2). More than 76% of resources met each of the four quality criteria (relevant; reputable, accessible; understandable). Within the published VL, 298 resources were included, organized by 15 topics and 45 sub-topics. Of these, 223 resources were evaluated by the RSG; 75 were identified by team member expertise. The collaborative process involved regular meetings, iterative document revisions, and peer review. Resource quality was better than expected, perhaps because best practices/principles related to health research are universally relevant, regardless of context. While the RSG was essential to systematize our search and ensure reproducibility, team member expertise was valuable. Pairing team members during peer-review led to bi-directional knowledge sharing and was particularly successful. This work reflects a highly collaborative global partnership and offers a model for future health research capacity-building efforts. We invite engagement with the Virtual Library <https://lmicresearch.org> as one supportive pillar of infrastructure to develop individual and institutional research capacity.

How community capacity building in urban agriculture can improve food access in predominantly Black communities

ABSTRACT Black Americans face disparate health burdens of diet-related chronic diseases. Black Americans who live in communities with inadequate access to healthy foods are at an even greater risk for disparate health outcomes. Urban agriculture in communities with inadequate access to healthy food can complement the existing traditional food system and can make a difference in the accessibility of fresh fruits and vegetables and subsequently, increase fruit and vegetable consumption. However, integrating urban agriculture into a local food system can be challenging. Community capacity-building efforts have the potential to enhance organizational development and enable collaborations to enhance efforts to incorporate urban agriculture into communities with inadequate food access. This study used Chaskin’s relational framework to describe community capacity-building efforts to enhance urban agriculture in predominantly Black communities. We found that strategies for community capacity building in urban agriculture include building on existing resources, community engagement, expanding organizational capacity, identifying threats to community capacity building, and identifying ideal solutions to enhance community capacity-building efforts. Urban farmers, gardeners, and advocates identified these strategies to strengthen local control of the food environment through sustainable urban agriculture. Additional research is needed to further identify community engagement strategies that emphasize sustainability, such as workforce development efforts, building networks for new growers, and strengthening connections between farmers, gardeners, urban agriculture advocates, and community residents.

The highways and side roads of statistical capacity building

This paper proposes an approach to guide statistical capacity building in developing countries using an analysis based on components of the World Bank’s Statistical Performance Indicator on a sample of 215 countries. The approach demonstrates the importance of expanding traditional capacity-building activities to include programs to strengthen and better monitor the ability of National Statistical Systems (NSS) to respond to user data needs. Based on this analysis, the paper recommends a two-step strategy for building and enhancing the statistical capacity of national statistical systems in developing countries. The strategy creates a sustainable trajectory for developing NSSs that meets the growing demands of local and global data users. The paper emphasizes the importance of donor coordination and South-South learning initiatives for international capacity-building efforts.

Advancing Philanthropic Strategy Through Evaluative Thinking: One Foundation’s Approach

The Sisters of Charity Foundation of Cleveland supports Catholic sisters and their ministries in northeast Ohio through the grantmaking, partnership, capacitybuilding, and evaluation efforts of its Catholic Sisters Program Area. The decline of sisters actively engaged in ministry, due both to their rising median age and a decades-long decline in their overall numbers, called for a reconsideration and likely revision of the CSPA existing theory of change.

Catalyzing success in community-based conservation.

Efforts to devolve rights and engage Indigenous Peoples and local communities in conservation have increased the demand for evidence of the efficacy of community-based conservation (CBC) and insights into what enables its success. We examined the human well-being and environmental outcomes of a diverse set of 128 CBC projects. Over 80% of CBC projects had some positive human well-being or environmental outcomes, although just 32% achieved positive outcomes for both (i.e., combined success). We coded 57 total national-, community-, and project-level variables and controls from this set, performed random forest classification to identify the variables most important to combined success, and calculated accumulated local effects to describe their individual influence on the probability of achieving it. The best predictors of combined success were 17 variables suggestive of various recommendations and opportunities for conservation practitioners related to national contexts, community characteristics, and the implementation of various strategies and interventions informed by existing CBC frameworks. Specifically, CBC projects had higher probabilities of combined success when they occurred in national contexts supportive of local governance, confronted challenges to collective action, promoted economic diversification, and invested in various capacity-building efforts. Our results provide important insights into how to encourage greater success in CBC.

Capacity-Building for Big Science in the Global South: Lessons Learned from the Square Kilometer Array

Hosting a big science project, a research facility that is anchored around large and complex instruments in the billion-dollar class, presents both an opportunity and a challenge for countries from the Global South. On the one hand, big science projects may foster a host country’s local and national capacities in science and technology (S&amp;T). On the other hand, contenders need solid S&amp;T capacities to bid for a big science facility. In the Global South, and in particular on the African continent, few countries currently have such capacities. With the exception of South Africa, which is host to the Square Kilometer Array (SKA), a billion-euro radio astronomy facility, no African country hosts a big science project. This essay outlines how South Africa, which initially lacked human capital and infrastructure in radio astronomy, succeeded in building capacity for SKA. In addition, it draws two lessons from South Africa’s capacity-building efforts. These lessons could prove useful for countries from the Global South that are keen to strengthen their S&amp;T capacities for big science.