Power of partnership: A mixed-method community exploration of interorganizational partnerships in a Nairobi informal settlement

Background: The impact of organizational assets in an informal settlement is likely strengthened through partnership, a dimension of community capacity. Building on a 2008 geospatial asset-mapping endeavor, this project brought together graduate students and a team of 7 young-adult community leaders in Mukuru (a Nairobi settlement) to understand the nature and significance of organizational partnerships in an informal settlement using community-driven methods. Methods: An interorganizational relationship survey was developed in collaboration with the team and administered to Mukuru organization leaders (n=56) recruited through respondent-driven sampling. The survey explored the organizations' relationships with self-identified partners and was used to generate images of the partnership network. Two participatory-learning-activity (PLA) workshops (n=30/workshop) were developed to further engage community members in dialogues around the meaning and impact of partnerships. Collaborative analysis and interpretation of network images and workshop activities followed the team's training in network and thematic analysis. Results: Community engagement through the team's execution of the project and the workshops' emphasize strengthening community capacity. Preliminary findings reveal an interconnected network of partnerships that strengthen the reach and scope of services in Mukuru while addressing challenges like corruption and competition. Prioritizing the Team's capacity for implementing the project allowed for an iterative, collaborative research process. Conclusions: In an informal settlement, organizations likely work in partnership, demonstrating the need to explore and build upon existing networks of assets when engaging with communities. Diverse methods to strengthen community research capacity and delve into community perspectives ensure a community-relevant and community-owned understanding of the power of partnerships.