Gender considerations for inclusive CEI

This is the second episode of our series, Spotlight on community engagement and involvement (CEI): Leaving no one behind. 

Heidi Surridge, NIHR Senior Research Manager for CEI, hosts this episode and is joined by Prince Tommy Williams, Executive Director of Lifeline Nehemiah Projects, Mangenda Kamara, Co-founder of 2YoungLives, and Sanjog Thakuri, Consultant on Child Participation, Governance and Professional and Organisational Development. 

The guests discuss what is meant by leaving no one behind, challenges of engaging gender groups in their research, the impact of their research on communities and provide tips for leaving no one behind in CEI. 

Prince and Mangenda are affiliated with the NIHR Global Health Research Group: Implementation of simple solutions to reduce maternal and neonatal mortality and build research capacity in Sierra Leone.

Get to know our speakers

Prince Tommy Williams has over 20 years of experience in CEI. His impactful leadership during the 2014 to 2015 Ebola outbreak in Sierra Leone saw him coordinate a vital response for the Kuntorloh, Wellington community, saving 20,000 lives providing messaging and essential support to 18,000 individuals in quarantine homes. Under his guidance, projects funded by Big Lottery, Comic Relief, Lifeline Network International and NIHR have successfully reached marginalised groups in deprived communities. Prince's unwavering commitment to improving lives, leaving no one behind, continues to inspire and empower those in need.

Mangenda Kamara is a research assistant for 2yL, a community engagement expert, a gender expert and a PhD student in the Department of Sociology and Social Work. With extensive experience in community engagement, Mangenda  specializes in guiding, coaching and mentoring people in the community, especially women, to drive positive change. Her work fosters inclusive educational environments and empowering local communities. 

In Mangenda's PhD research, she explored adolescent pregnancy in Sierra Leone through a womanist lens, focusing on the Tombo and Mattru Jong communities. This research strengthens her commitment to advocating for gender equity, youth empowerment and educational access. Her engagement spans policy advisory roles, grassroots initiatives and partnerships that create sustainable community-driven solutions. 

Sanjog Thakuri is an intersectional feminist with a special focus on Boyhood, Masculinity, and MenEngage. He has worked with and for the community for over 2 decades by engaging the community for the advocacy and transformation of harmful social norms. Sanjog's policy support for government and advocacy programming for and with development partners and UN agencies is mostly focused on empowering the community and listening to them. 

Heidi Surridge is a Senior Research Manager at the NIHR - Global Health Research, CEI and Research Inclusion. She has a nursing background, before gaining a BA (Hons) in Social Sciences and a Masters in Sociological Research in Health Care, then working as a health researcher in the UK.

Heidi has worked for the NIHR for 16 years, facilitating, supporting and advocating public and community involvement in research and the management of research funding. She is dedicated to enabling communities to have ethical, relevant and mutually beneficial involvement in health research worldwide, from research priority setting through to policy and service provider uptake.

This episode was recorded in late 2024. The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the host and guests and do not necessarily reflect those of the NIHR or the Department of Health and Social Care.