A journey of learning, research and implementation
Glory Agho is a manager at CBC Health Services, Liliane Fonds’ partner in Cameroon, associated with the Breaking down Barriers learning pathway. She was a guest speaker at the Breaking down Barriers conference on 26 September in The Hague.
How are you connected to Breaking down Barriers?
‘As a manager at CBC Health Services, I facilitate collaboration with research partners in Cameroon. I coordinate a nationwide network of 20 “grassroots” development organisations that implement interventions for children with disabilities, developed in part through Breaking down Barriers.’
What added value does Breaking down Barriers offer?
‘The philosophy of “pracademics”: the project partners who implement the outcomes in practice are also part of the academic research team. This way findings do not remain shelved but are directly applicable in real life.’
Why is that?
‘Because the research also focuses on actual existing challenges and issues from practice. Our research lets us better understand those issues and ensures that our we can solidly substantiate our methods and interventions.’
Can you give an example of exactly how that works in practice?
‘Certainly. We discovered, for example, that all schools had their own approaches, because a unified model for inclusive education was lacking. This is why we connected schools offering inclusive education. Teachers saw what other schools were doing and learned from each other. That produced a huge leap in quality for education.’
What is planned for Breaking down Barriers, after the conference?
‘In the next round, I would like to increasingly and continuously deepen our knowledge and understanding through a community of practice. To achieve an interesting, educational journey of continuous mutual together, implementing, researching, learning, and so on.’
What will be your role during the Breaking down Barriers conference and what do you expect from it?
‘I will explain the research team’s findings with some examples from everyday practice. I expect the conference to further strengthen the vital link between researchers and practicing professionals and enable us to make visible the need to continue investing in evidence-based initiatives.’
Note: Registration for this event is no longer available, as the conference took place on September 26, 2024.