Children, transport and mobility in sub-Saharan Africa: developing a child-centred evidence base to improve policy and change thinking across Africa
Lead Research Organisation:
Durham University
Department Name: Anthropology
Abstract
Abstracts are not currently available in GtR for all funded research. This is normally because the abstract was not required at the time of proposal submission, but may be because it included sensitive information such as personal details.
Publications
Gina Porter (author)
(2010)
Youth transport, mobility and security in sub-Saharan Africa : the gendered journey to school
in World transport policy and practice
Gina Porter (Author)
(2011)
Mobility, surveillance and control of children and young people in the everyday : perspectives from sub-Saharan Africa
in Surveillance & society
Grieco, Margaret; Urry, John
(2011)
Mobilities: New Perspectives on Transport and Society
Hampshire K
(2012)
Taking the long view: temporal considerations in the ethics of children's research activity and knowledge production
in Children's Geographies
Hampshire K
(2015)
CONTEXT MATTERS: FOSTERING, ORPHANHOOD AND SCHOOLING IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA.
in Journal of biosocial science
Hampshire K
(2011)
Proposing love on the way to school: mobility, sexuality and youth transitions in South Africa.
in Culture, health & sexuality
Hampshire KR
(2011)
Out of the reach of children? Young people's health-seeking practices and agency in Africa's newly-emerging therapeutic landscapes.
in Social science & medicine (1982)
| Description | This was the first extensive cross-country study in Africa to examine children's mobility and associated access to school, services and livelihoods: it examined children's mobility in 24 research sites [urban and rural] across Ghana, Malawi and South Africa. It utilised a novel peer research approach whereby 70 young people aged 9-19 years were trained as co-researchers to provide preliminary key insights and questions for the academic team to then pursue further. |
| Exploitation Route | The outcomes are being taken forward by others - for instance the peer research approach is now being utilised by research teams in Nigeria and Tunisia on our current GCRF project . An Oxford Transport Studies research team is employing our approach in a study in Istanbul [GP sits on their advisory group]. UCL DPU have recently approached the PI and Ghana team about working with us in some comparative studies that would take the work forward. |
| Sectors | Digital/Communication/Information Technologies (including Software),Education,Healthcare,Transport |
| URL | https://www.dur.ac.uk/child.mobility/ |
| Description | Findings from this project have continued to have some influence on approaches taken in the DFID funded AFCAP and RECAP projects, in HelpAge International, and have been incorporated in the PI's advisory contributions [training and guidelines] to gender mainstreaming in the African Development Bank [including November 2018 invited presentations in Tunis to engineers and gender/social development specialists at the African Development Bank and the Islamic Development Bank]. The PI subsequently prepared literature reviews on children's and young people' s mobility and transport for the DFID-funded High Volume transport programme which draw substantially on our work and should help to shape future work in the area by that programme. Many findings have been taken forward through our subsequent ESRC DFID phones project and ongoing GCRF Skills project, so that it is not always easy to distinguish impacts between the projects. We are building further on these findings in the current GCRF Education and Skills research. |
| First Year Of Impact | 2016 |
| Sector | Digital/Communication/Information Technologies (including Software),Education,Energy,Healthcare,Transport |
| Impact Types | Cultural,Societal |
| Description | Advisory role [G. Porter, Transport Services Advisor] in DFID Africa Community Access Programme, 2012-14 |
| Geographic Reach | Africa |
| Policy Influence Type | Influenced training of practitioners or researchers |
| URL | https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/249276/AFCAP_RU_case_study... |
| Description | Contracted advisory support role [G.Porter] to NGOs researching gender issues in the transport sector in a DFID funded programme RECAP [ongoing] |
| Geographic Reach | Multiple continents/international |
| Policy Influence Type | Influenced training of practitioners or researchers |
| URL | http://research4cap.org/Recap-news/Lists/Posts/Post.aspx?ID=40 |
| Description | Evaluation panel member, Establishment of a Centre for sub-Saharan African transport leadership [for Cardno/DFID] |
| Geographic Reach | Africa |
| Policy Influence Type | Membership of a guideline committee |
| Description | Mainstreaming gender in the transport/communications sector of the African Development Bank [ongoing] |
| Geographic Reach | Africa |
| Policy Influence Type | Influenced training of practitioners or researchers |
| URL | https://www.afdb.org/en/news-and-events/article/women-in-transportation-bank-holds-two-day-capacity-... |
| Description | Training on working with community peer researchers at ITDP Mobilize virtual summit interactive training workshop |
| Geographic Reach | Multiple continents/international |
| Policy Influence Type | Influenced training of practitioners or researchers |
| URL | https://mobilizesummit.org/ |
| Description | Tunis engagement with transport/gender practitioners |
| Geographic Reach | Multiple continents/international |
| Policy Influence Type | Influenced training of practitioners or researchers |
| Impact | Staff from the African Development Bank and Islamic Development Bank engaged with the gender mainstreaming work I have been engaged with along with the AFDB and looked at how it would shape their ongoing work in the transport sector, with specific ref to users access to public services. However, I do not have evidence that the plans they discussed have been implemented on the ground. |
| Description | UNICEF: Invited review of and contributions to UNICEF's International Ethics Charter and Guidelines |
| Geographic Reach | Multiple continents/international |
| Policy Influence Type | Citation in other policy documents |
| URL | http://www.unicef-irc.org/publications/pdf/eric-compendium-approved-digital-web.pdf |
| Description | •UNHabitat: contributionS to Global Report on Human Settlements 2013: Sustainable Urban Transport - includes reference to and case study from the child mobility study |
| Geographic Reach | Multiple continents/international |
| Policy Influence Type | Citation in other policy documents |
| URL | http://mirror.unhabitat.org/pmss/listItemDetails.aspx?publicationID=3503 |
| Description | ESRC DFID |
| Amount | £466,000 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | ES/J018082/1 |
| Organisation | Economic and Social Research Council |
| Department | ESRC-DFID Joint Fund |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 08/2012 |
| End | 12/2015 |
| Description | Economic and Social Research Council |
| Amount | £858,936 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | ES/S005099/1 |
| Organisation | Economic and Social Research Council |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 12/2018 |
| End | 02/2021 |
| Title | Co-investigation |
| Description | Young people trained as peer researchers, then contribute through this work to question design in subsequent phases of qualitative and survey research. Also applied in researching older people's mobility. Details in G. Porter, Qualitative Research, 2016. Currently being applied again in the GCRF Education and Skills project 2018-21, this time with young unemployed women and peer researchers in peripheral urban low income neighbourhoods in Nigeria, Tunisia and South Africa. |
| Type Of Material | Model of mechanisms or symptoms - human |
| Year Produced | 2020 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | Many of the 70 young people trained in the child mobility project 2006-10 have themselves gained substantially from their work as peer researchers. Some went on to university or to jobs in the NGO sector (using the certificates provided by the project). Some continued 2012-15 to build their skills under the follow-on phones project. Impacts have been substantial re focusing our attention on key questions in the academic research component. The approach has subsequently been used with older people in a HelpAge International research project in Tanzania. Various relevant project publications e.g. Robson et al. 2009, Porter et al. 2010; Hampshire et al. 2012; latest comparative published review of approach across projects and age groups, extending info provided, in Qualitative Research 2016. Presentation of this method requested by the DLR Institute of Transport Research at a Workshop on Research Methods for Urban Informal Transport, Berlin Sept. 2016, and for the DEVEX webinar, Sept 2016. Subsequently utilised with unemployed women as peer researchers in the Education and Skills GCRF project and show-cased at international meetings in 2019 in Berlin, Fortaleza and Addis Ababa. Basis for a training programme for ITDP Mobilize virtual summit in October 2020. Refinement of the method is ongoing as experience builds through the projects. |
| URL | https://transportandyouthemploymentinafrica.com/ |
| Title | SPSS CHILD MOBILITY DATA SET |
| Description | SPSS DATA SET [SUBMITTED TO ESDS 2012] |
| Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
| Year Produced | 2012 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | Many papers from our research group, including some prepared by local collaborators. |
| Description | GCRF NETWORK ON URBAN TRANSPORT FOR VULNERABLE POPULATIONS |
| Organisation | University of Leeds |
| Department | Institute of Transport Studies |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | University of Cape Coast, a project partner on the child mobility and phones studies is a member of the GCRF network, along with Durham University. We ran a workshop in May 2017 built from our project for researchers from UK, Nigeria, Uganda and Bangladesh who are members of the network and we have participated in subsequent network meetings in Nigeria, Bangladesh and Kampala. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Organised the Cape Coast workshop including field studies re participatory work with children and young people. |
| Impact | Workshop at Cape Coast, participation in other network workshops. Multi disciplinary collaboration - geography, anthropology, transport studies |
| Start Year | 2017 |
| Description | CAS@50 conference, Edinburgh University, June 2012. |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other academic audiences (collaborators, peers etc.) |
| Results and Impact | paper presented, Gender, mobility and technologies of connectivity in sub-Saharan Africa, 1910-2010. Raised diverse issues and encouraged plans for future research. Proposal plans for current ESRC DFID project encouraged. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2012 |
| Description | Intalink International network on transport and accessibility for vulnerable urban populations, Oxford University, keynote (May 2018) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | GP Keynote in network dissemination event at end of Intalinc project - 'Future priorities for meeting the transport and accessibility needs of low income communities in developing urban contexts' [May 18] Participants from overseas partner institutions, transport practitioners, industry, academics. Various links which have assisted with development of new research project and with impact on phones and child transport projects. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| Description | Invited keynote, Plenary of RGS/IBG transport research group, Sept 2015 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Type Of Presentation | keynote/invited speaker |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Much discussion afterwards, including both academic and practitioner participants. Requests to attend energy discussions/workshop at Loughborough University |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
| URL | http://conference.rgs.org/Conference/Sessions/SearchResults.aspx?conference=AC2015&rg=TGRG |
| Description | Sheffield University, invited paper. Exploring childhood in the rural South: Africa in focus, May 2012. |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other academic audiences (collaborators, peers etc.) |
| Results and Impact | Invited paper presented: Researching the daily mobilities of children and young people in Africa: some reflections on theory, methods and ethics. Linked to work of 3 other invited speakers, and formed base for day's workshop discussion. Contribution to various discussions on ethics of research with children. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2012 |
| Description | A moving issue : children and young people's transport and mobility constraints in Africa |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Children and young people are rarely at the forefront of transport studies, despite the fact that their ability to access health and educational facilities is crucial to the achievement of many of the Millennium Development Goals. The project explored the travel challenges faced by girl and boy children through their own eyes alongside traditional adult-led research methods. It looked at their access to health, education and other services, at the lack of direct information on how mobility constraints impact on children's current and future livelihood opportunities, and at the lack of available guidelines on how to tackle them. In this issue of Forum News we highlight the key findings of the project, share relevant resources and ask where do we go from here? This led to informal requests for information from newsletter readers as far afield as Peru and Indonesia. The newsletter raised the profile of child mobility issues among transport practitioners and policy makers across the South. The need to address child moibility issues is now specifically mentioned, for instance, The Tanzania Draft National Transport Policy Framework. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2010 |
| URL | http://ifrtd.gn.apc.org/files/uploads/ForumNews_15_1_english_colour.pdf |
| Description | African Development Bank 2-day training session and guideline development on gender mainstreaming in transport |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | afdb |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| Description | African Development Bank 2-day training session and guideline development on gender mainstreaming in transport |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Response to African Development Bank request for support on gender mainstreaming in the transport sector. Preparation of guidelines [incl. link to phones research], 2 day training session for Bank staff and associated projects [Abidjan with skype to other Bank offices across Africa], participation in Bank mid-term review Nigeria, presentation and participation in AFDB session streams at NEPAD Johannesburg infrastructure meeting, May 2016. . |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| Description | ESRC FESTIVAL OF SOCIAL SCIENCE EVENT IDS |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Spoke at a workshop organised by the Impact Initiative on Women's Life Choices at IDS- this drew on findings from both projects |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| Description | Impact initiative child poverty conference Addis Ababa |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Third sector organisations |
| Results and Impact | Participation in child poverty workshop including writing a blog beforehand, giving a paper, interviewing key participants [World Bank, Save the Children] for Impact Initiative dissemination. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| URL | http://www.esrc.ac.uk/news-events-and-publications/news/news-items/putting-children-first-event-call... |
| Description | International workshop on headloading, Accra, Ghana, 27 Mar 2013. |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Type Of Presentation | workshop facilitator |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Presentation of findings on headloading to an invited audience of c. 50 policy makers, practitioners and academics. Preparations towards an ESRC proposal. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2013 |
| Description | Interview US National Public radio re girls and mobile phones |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | Interview re girls and phones, linking to a report just out from the NGO GirlEffect with funds from Vodafone Foundation. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| Description | Invited keynote Ist International conference on Geographies of Migration and Mobility iMigMob, Loughborough university |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | A mixed audience with academics as well as other groups listed above. Raised attention to migration within sub-Saharan Africa and role of mobile phones in supporting migrant and home household linkages. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| URL | http://www.lboro.ac.uk/departments/geography/news/events/imigmob.html |
| Description | Invited speaker in Devex Webinar 'Research to Practice: Engaging local communities in the future of transportation' sponsored by RECAP |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | One of 3 invited speakers [other two presenters were practitioners] in a webinar on Research into Practice prepared by Devex and sponsored by RECAP [a DFID-funded programme run by Cardno]. Participants from Tanzania, Germany, etc. put questions on diverse issues following our presentations. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| URL | https://pages.devex.com/research-to-practice-registration.html |
| Description | Mobilize conference, Fortaleza, Brazil [sponsored by ITDP/VREF], June 2019. |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | International review of mobility issues and study methods including value of participatory research methods. with communities. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| URL | https://www.itdp.org/event/mobilize-fortaleza/ |
| Description | Oxford transport studies unit leadership summer school |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Wideranging discussion on recent changes in mobilities in Africa and implications for policy and practice following paper presented: Infrastructure, development and finance: user perspectives from rural sub-Saharan Africa Requests for papers and further information eg.from Indian participant. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
| Description | Presentation at Mobilities congress, Berlin [sponsored by Friedrich Ebert Stiftung], May 2019. |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Third sector organisations |
| Results and Impact | Invitation to present and join panel discussions at a major mobility congress that attracted a large and diverse audience. Subsequently I have been contacted by Futurium Berlin re adivice on a planned exhibition around African mobilities [+invitation to other meetings e.g. from GiZ] |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| URL | https://www.fes-skopje.org/e/mobility-congress-in-berlin/ |
| Description | Presentation at UN Commission on the status of women NGO forum presentation, New York (March 2018) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Third sector organisations |
| Results and Impact | Presentation at a session organised by the Impact Initiative at the UN Commission on the status of women NGO forum, New York (March 2018) Much discussion and some continued engagement with third sector organisations after this meeting |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| Description | Presentation to African Development Bank and Islamic Development Bank, Tunis |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Meeting to present draft Guidelines on gender mainstreaming in the transport sector [including ICT-transport linkages], I had prepared with/for the African Development Bank drawing on both the phones and child mobility research. AfDB invited their engineers and social development staff from across Africa - participants came from South Africa, Ghana, Sudan, Tunisia, Ivory Coast, Guinea, Kenya Islamic Development Bank invited engineers and gender specialists from Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Nigeria GiZ and DFID High VolumeTransport Programme staff also attended. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| Description | Presentations y research team at Women in Transport conference, Addis Ababa, Dec 2019, organised by Flone Initiative and WRI. |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Third sector organisations |
| Results and Impact | Presentation of the community peer research approach I have promoted across the 3 projects I am reporting on in researchfish. Interest in potentially adopting this approach from donors and 3rd sector organisations. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| URL | https://womenandtransportafrica.org/ |
| Description | UCC Ghana Institute of Education workshop |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | A workshop involving the University of Cape Coast (UCC) Institute of Education, the Ghana Education Service (GES) Directorate and teacher training college staff from across Ghana [about 65 participants in total] focused on discussing our research that showed that transport difficulties affect pupil punctuality, children's performance in the classroom, and safety and security on the journey to school. As a result of the workshop, Ghana's UCC and the GES Directorate have committed [albeit not yet formally], to curriculum interventions to reduce harsh school punishments for pupil lateness. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2013 |
| Description | Urban mobilities conference, Addis Ababa, including to present my first draft of a position paper on User needs [commissioned by the Volvo Education and Research Foundation, Sept 2019, funded by VREF and GiZ.] |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Presentation and discussion re my first draft of a position paper on Transport User needs [commissioned by the Volvo Education and Research Foundation, Sept 2019, funded by VREF and GiZ.] Interest and follow up by diverse individual organisations - 3rd sector + consultancy practices. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| URL | https://www.transformative-mobility.org/news/tumi-mac-shift-addis-ababa |
| Description | Volvo Research and Education Foundation Cape Town meeting and related interactions re development of new programme for transport research/education in African cities, 2015 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Panel convened in Cape Town made preliminary recommendations towards a new research programme for transport in urban Africa - followed by subsequent interactions and review of recommendations. Enabled opportunity to draw attention to the importance of ICT -including mobile phones- in new transport organisation. Followed by second meeting in Nairobi and led to VRF's development of a new research programme to support research and teaching in African universities and linkages with other key transport-focused bodies |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
| Description | paper on project at Development Studies Association Annual Conference, London, Nov. 12. |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Type Of Presentation | paper presentation |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Third sector organisations |
| Results and Impact | Paper given with Prof Abane [UCC Ghana] Reflections on the UK-Ghana partnership in a Child Mobility project funded under the ESRC-DFID Joint Scheme - led to discussion on the role of Country Consultative Groups etc. Further consolidated partnership with UCC collaborators. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2012 |
| Description | presentation at DFID Gender and Transport seminar, London, 19 June 2013 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Presentation - Gender and pedestrian load-carrying in Africa: implications for education, health, and livelihoods - videod to DFID staff in c. 8 countries, in addition to UK. Request to review social impact of transport study at DFID. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2013 |
| Description | talk at methods for intergenerational research workshop |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | workshop - presentation on co-investigation methods used in the phones and chiid mobility projects |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |