Organizations: The Meros Center and the Global CHE Network
Background/Context:
Working with CHE partners in both countries and support from the Global CHE Network, Meros facilitates, trains, and sends students to assist with data collection in Guatemala and Ghana working alongside organizational leaders. Through qualitative and quantitative methods, we work to better understand the integration of faith and health through the CHE model.
Research Question:
What is the impact of spiritual beliefs of households in CHE communities on health behaviors?
Study Aims:
Compare health status, health behaviors and spiritual beliefs of households in CHE communities compared to non-CHE communities in Guatemala and Ghana.
Impact:
Higher understanding of the affects of CHE in communities.
Open Positions:
2 Field Research Assistants – We are currently looking for assistants to visit Guatemala to interview Spanish speaking communities.
Timeline: TBD
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8 Responses
August 2024 Update: We have collected survey data in both Ghana and Guatemala. Our team is working on sharing the data back with the CHE communities in Ghana who participated so that they can see the physical and spiritual impacts of CHE programs. We would still welcome a volunteer research assistant to be part of an interview team in Guatemala. The timeline for this is flexible – please contact us if you are interested!
November 2024 Update: Data has been shared back with local communities and we are now looking at other ways to share study processes and findings more broadly. The CHE Ghana study team is currently preparing a manuscript for publication. Thank you for your prayers and support for this work!
February 2025 Update: The CHE Ghana research team is nearly finished with collectively writing up our partnership experience and learnings in a “Community Engagement Portfolio” article in order to share with a wider audience. We have also had ongoing conversations with the CHE Guatemala team about a potential follow-up study this year looking at the impacts of their work on holistic transformation. We appreciate your support!
May 2025 Update: We completed phase one of a collaboration with Medical Ambassadors International (founder of the Global CHE Network) to create a rapid impact assessment tool for their community transformation work around the world. This process included literature review, assessment of past evaluation tools, and extensive interviews with field staff. We are excited to keep refining this tool using field staff and leadership feedback. Thank you for your support and encouragement!
August 2025 Update: We have now started phase two of our collaboration with MAI, which is finalization of the rapid impact assessment tool and pilot testing in 8 different communities worldwide. We are eager to continue the process of working with MAI leaders and field staff to refine both the quantitative and qualitative tools and to see how they work in the field. We hope the information gathered in these assessments will be valuable for measuring program impact over time for community members, MAI staff, donors, and more. Thank you for your ongoing support!
November 2025 Update: Our paper sharing the process and results of our work in Ghana has been accepted for publication in the Journal of Scholarly Engagement. You will be able to find it on their website (https://scholarlyengagement.com/) by the end of this month. Although our work in Ghana and Guatemala is now complete, we continue to work alongside MAI on their rapid impact assessment tool. Our team is meeting with key field staff to refine the draft tool for finalization in early 2026. Thank you for your prayers!
February 2026 Update: We will soon be finalizing the rapid impact assessment tool for pilot testing in 8 different communities March-September 2026. We are eager to see how this tool provides valuable information for program planning and implementation. We are grateful for your prayers and support!
The project is complete. We will start a new project page for the rapid impact assessment tool. Thank you for your support!