Recap — Collaborative Action Research for Community-Centered Emergency Health Response in Latin America, with Jeannie Samuel

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Published on January 8, 2025

On November 27, Dahdaleh faculty fellow Jeannie Samuel presented an ongoing project in Guatemala. This initiative, conducted in partnership with the civil society organizations CEGSS, RED-C Salud, and Laboratorio de Datos in Guatemala and York University, focuses on improving emergency response systems in rural Guatemala through participatory research and advocacy. Samuel provided a brief overview of the project’s progress, emphasizing the importance of community driven solutions and the critical role of relationships in PAR.

The project emerged from communities’ concerns about the state’s inadequate emergency response infrastructure, particularly during extreme weather events. Rural areas are often left to manage crises independently, with minimal support from government systems. The research team collaborated with communities to define pressing issues, identify needs and strategize solutions.

The project also involved analyzing the state’s emergency response architecture, including budget allocations, to pinpoint bottlenecks and discrepancies between policy and practice. This analysis is now being shared by partners with communities through plain language visuals and workshops, fostering an understanding of systemic shortcomings and working with residents to advocate for change.

Moving forward, the team plans to use Phase I findings for multilevel advocacy, expand research to the health sector and connect this work with a parallel maternal and mental health initiative in the same communities.

Connect with Jeannie Samuel.

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