Showcasing Target Malaria’s approach to stakeholder engagement

Target Malaria is an international research consortium working to develop an innovative technology to reduce malaria transmission. Stakeholder engagement is a key pillar of the project’s approach to responsible research. As part of its work, Target Malaria engages stakeholders at different levels, from local communities where research activities take place, to national authorities that oversee the project’s work, to regional and international organisations with an interest in the research and its outcome for malaria control.

Emerging Ag recently led the creative and conceptual development of a series of animated videos designed to explain Target Malaria’s stakeholder engagement approach and activities and make these more accessible to the project’s external audiences. The animations make use of visual storytelling to present these topics in a compelling and accessible way.

The series includes three videos, which tell a progressive story of the organisation’s commitment to share information about its work and ensure communities affected by its research activities can make informed decisions. The objective of the first video is to offer a short and easy to understand overview of the project’s overall approach to engagement and its different levels of focus. It emphasises the project’s commitment to responsible science, co-development and open dialogue with stakeholders.

The second video delves deeper into engagement activities, by explaining Target Malaria’s approach to seeking agreement from local stakeholders who are affected by its research activities. It highlights the difference between individual consent and community agreement and describes the process through which these are sought.

The final video concludes the series with an overview of Target Malaria’s new community agreement model, developed in preparation for the project’s new phase of work on genetically modified mosquitoes. The animation explores the agreement model’s objectives, key characteristics, and operationalisation on the ground. 

The series was developed in collaboration with Ryan Carter Images and his talented team of animators and designers. As well as coordinating the creative development and production of the videos, Emerging worked to develop the scripts in both English and French and supported voiceover recording by Target Malaria representatives who are directly involved in stakeholder engagement activities. You can access the full series, including a few additional videos explaining Target Malaria’s Community agreement model here. To learn more about Target Malaria’s work and activities, visit their website or follow them on X.