Research Communication Matters in Rural Communities TOO

 

As a communication professional, I am curious about many things, because communication is an essential part of daily life and more importantly of development work. Recently, I enrolled in a Research Communication Program, which equips researchers, faculty, practitioners and advocates with the skills and strategies needed to communicate research findings effectively to different audiences, including academic peers, policymakers and the general public.

When I first came across the program, one question immediately stood out to me: how are research findings communicated to people in rural communities? What happens to the beneficiaries of development projects and programs in villages? What about the rural man, woman, or youth who participates in research but never truly understands the findings? In many cases, research results are either not communicated at all or are shared in language that is too technical and difficult for community members to understand.

This question took me back to an experience I had while managing a research team in Zomba District, Malawi in 2014. An organization had recruited our team to conduct field research and we entered the rural communities of Zomba with excitement and high expectations. The study was promising and we anticipated meaningful findings.

I remember approaching one household where a woman welcomed us warmly. We explained who we were, why we were there and the purpose of the research. She willingly agreed to be interviewed. The questionnaire was designed to take about twenty minutes or slightly more.

About five minutes into the interview, her husband arrived. He asked who we were and what we were doing. Almost immediately, he became angry and shouted at us, saying, “You NGO people just come here to disturb us and waste our time. You never come back to communicate the results and our lives remain the same. Leave my house immediately.” He then reached for a panga knife and I remember my colleague and I ran as fast as we could for our lives.

That moment stayed with me. It highlighted the deep frustration and mistrust that many rural communities feel toward research and development work that does not close the communication loop. People give their time, knowledge and lived experiences, yet they rarely receive feedback or see how the research benefits them.

This experience is one of the main reasons I am deeply interested in the Research Communication Program. I am a person who believes in impact and results. I believe in empowerment that is practical and grounded in people’s realities. Through my experience and passion, I hope to empower rural women by strengthening their economic and social power through practical, community-driven evidence.

For many years, community development and empowerment programs have been shaped largely by NGOs and other development actors. Yet many rural communities, especially women, have had little say in identifying their needs or defining what success looks like. I believe that through clear communication and collaborative research, I can contribute to policies and programs that expand women’s choices and reflect their lived realities.

Communication is not a minor component of research. It directly influences trust, impact and outcomes. When research speaks clearly and respectfully to the people it is meant to serve, it has the power to create real and lasting change. This takes me back to my course on why Media Matters for Development by the University of East Anglia, where I learnt the role and power of media and communication in driving social change and Development as a whole.