JH-IIRU Hosts Regional Collaborators Meetings in Malaysia and Kenya

With the valuable support of the Bloomberg Philanthropies Initiative for Global Road Safety (BIGRS), the Johns Hopkins International Injury Research Unit (JH-IIRU) organized two Regional Collaborators Meetings in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and Mombasa, Kenya.  

One of the key objectives of each meeting was to share learnings across cities and countries in each region to enhance data collection approaches and processes, as well as data use and uptake to inform policies and programs. Areas of opportunity were also discussed, with participants being able to brainstorm and explore priority areas within road safety in their respective regions. 

As part of this meeting, JH-IIRU's staff hosted a training session on effective communication  for the attendees. Through hands-on exercises, group work, and didactic sessions, the training focused on understanding audiences, key message development, media engagement, and making impactful presentations, among other key topics.  

The meeting in Kuala Lumpur was held from October 2 – 3 and included 17 participants representing JH-IIRU collaborators from Bangladesh, India, Vietnam, and Malaysia. Likewise, 11 collaborators from Uganda, Kenya, Ghana, and Ethiopia joined JH-IIRU for the meeting in Mombasa from October 16 – 17. 

“I learned from the discussion that road safety issues are an agenda for everyone without borders, but providing adequate information is a key part of the solution,” shared one of our attendees from the Addis Ababa University. 

The JH-IIRU team looks forward to more in-person interactions with our partners and colleagues to stimulate liaisons, encourage collaboration, and provide opportunities for learning exchanges.