Impact case study database

By challenging poorly designed rural development intervention projects [3.1, 3.3, 3.4], Gibson’s research has transformed development policies and practice in the UK and Ethiopia. Significant impact has occurred in three ways: 1) shifting the development policy agenda of UN agencies, UK government and NGOs; 2) improving access to existing family planning services and improving the nature of sexual reproductive health services for local communities in Ethiopia; and 3) building increased skills capacity for development stakeholders in Ethiopia.

1. Shifting development policy and practice of government and NGO policymakers

Gibson’s research has led to the following key policy changes:

1. Development interventions which impact on women’s energy levels should routinely include access to culturally appropriate reproductive services.

2. All interventions in low resource contexts should include an assessment of the unmet need for family planning.

3. Small-scale, community-based schemes, which consider the cross-section of communities’ needs, are likely to be more effective than single-focus, top-down intervention.

4. Investment is needed in comprehensive monitoring and evaluation of the long-term impact of aid.

UK Government

Gibson was invited to present to the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Population Development and Reproductive Health at the UK Houses of Parliament in November 2018. The meeting was attended by the then Shadow Foreign Minister, and member of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee, six peers on various APPGs, as well as Oxfam and representatives of other NGO advocacy groups. Following the meeting, the Shadow Foreign Minister commented that the research presented will 'help inform [government] discussions on women’s health’ [5.1]. Further feedback from policymakers identified how the research would be used, specifically by highlighting how ‘meeting unmet need [for family planning] is vital with far-reaching and beneficial consequences’ [5.1]; and to argue for community-based, multisectoral rather than single-focussed intervention in UK-funded aid projects. Further, Gibson’s research is being used to improve longer-term monitoring and evaluation of development intervention [5.2, 5.3, 5.6].

Non-Government Organisations

Gibson’s research identifying the need for more evidence-based intervention [3.1-3.3] and possible blind-spots in development programming attracted the attention of Ethiopian NGO For-Ethiopia ( https://for-ethiopia.com/) resulting in successful ESRC-IAA funding bids (totalling over GBP25,000) for founder and trustee of the NGO, Dr Tigist Grieve, to undertake a Knowledge Exchange Secondment to the University of Bristol (2016-2018). This collaboration led to a commitment from the NGO to refocus on multisectoral community-based projects shifting the focus of their development work in their 5-year strategy, which targets over 30 schools in 27 rural sub-districts and three peri-urban settings in South-Central Ethiopia. Furthermore, Gibson’s research promoted to Grieve to ‘[ensure] all [our] future programmes considered women’s and girl’s reproductive health and hygiene needs’ [5.3]. Gibson’s research on the unforeseen consequences of poorly designed rural development and intervention gave For-Ethiopia the confidence, knowledge and authority to campaign for evidence-based but community-led development. Gibson’s support has already led them to secure further funding (GBP25,000) from the Africa Foundation for Development. [5.3]

The research has led to closer engagement between other development practitioners and academia in Ethiopia following a series of development stakeholder engagement workshops co-organised by Gibson, Grieve and For-Ethiopia in Addis Ababa in 2016 and 2017. This led directly to the establishment of Ethiopia’s first Development Stakeholder Forum in 2018 for benefit of Ethiopian academics and development practitioners. This discussion forum and linked workshops co-organised by Gibson and For-Ethiopia have been described by the Chair of For-Ethiopia as leading to ‘a paradigm shift in the way that Ethiopian academics and development practitioners work together’ [5.3]. By promoting and enabling regular engagement and continuous discussion between academics, NGO and government stakeholders this has allowed closer, equitable partnerships and a re-focus towards active evidence-led development [5.5]. At a meeting in January 2018, commitments were made by the Addis Ababa University Vice President of Research and CCRDA (an umbrella organisation for NGOs in Ethiopia) to support the forum. This forum now meets regularly, to share resources, and promote the value of research in the development sector, engaging with policy makers and influencing policies [5.5]. The Oromia Regional Government described the partnership between University of Bristol and Addis Ababa University as a clear example of how a true partnership between research, policy makers and implementers can result in programmes that actually make a difference in taking care of women and children’s lives. The research has been used to evaluate “the Growth and Transformation Plans implemented in the region during Phase I (2011-2015) and Phase II (2015-2020) and developing the newly adopted Ten Years Perspective Plan (2021-2030)” [5.8].

United Nations & Global Policymakers

Gibson’s research revealing how campaigns which focus on raising awareness may result in hidden FGM/C practice [3.4] is currently leading to a shift in international policy debates regarding the most effective forms of intervention to end FGM/C throughout Africa and beyond. It is refocussing efforts towards improving FGM/C data quality and monitoring and evaluation efforts, and away from campaigns which are based exclusively on increasing education or legislation [3.4]. In March 2019, Gibson was invited by the UK Director of the UNFPA (The United Nations Population Fund) to present these findings to the UNFPA-UNICEF joint programme on the Elimination of Female Genital Mutilation. This webinar attracted over 40 technical specialists and programme officers in UNICEF/UNFPA offices across 10 countries. Dr Nafissatou Diof, Coordinator of the UN Joint Programme, commented on how the innovative research and methods were ‘helpful to the joint [UNFPA/UNICEF] programme’s technical teams in the field, especially those working in monitoring and evaluation… [It shows us] how FGM may be increasingly misrepresented using [our] traditional survey methods’ [5.6]. The value of Gibson’s research is also highlighted in a UNFPA and Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) background paper for an expert meeting on FGM organised by UN Human Rights Council [5.2].

In May 2019, two UK-based not-for-profit organisations – 28 Too Many ( https://www.28toomany.org/) and the Orchid Project ( https://www.orchidproject.org/) – approached Gibson for advice on their anti-FGM/C campaigns. They identified the importance of Gibson’s research, which questions global FGM/C data quality and anti FGM/C policy focussing exclusively on raising awareness. The Operations Manager for 28 Too Many stated that ‘efforts to stop the practice are being frustrated by lack of accurate data. Dr Gibson’s research has provided us with an opportunity to close some of the data gap’ [5.4]. The research is enabling development practitioners to improve and accelerate these international campaigns to end FGM/C throughout Africa and beyond [3.4].

1. Improving access to family planning and the nature of reproductive health services in Ethiopia

Gibson’s research has documented increasing local interest in contraception in rural South-Central Ethiopia, where local people struggle to access culturally appropriate forms of family planning and family sizes are growing [3.3, 3.1]. This study site includes 8 villages and around 8,000 people. Local people report that these findings have been used to highlight the sexual and reproductive needs of the community and to provide leverage for their demand for improved access to reproductive health services and family planning from the central government. Please note, Gibson was due to travel to Ethiopia in March 2020 to obtain interviews with local communities regarding how they have benefited from improved access to family planning. However, due to COVID-19 travel restrictions, it has not been possible to obtain these interviews.

The regional government have confirmed that Gibson’s research has been an important influence in revising programmes and strategies to address unmet women’s needs by revealing existing ‘gaps in [the] protect[ion of] the well-being of women and children’ in Oromia [which is the largest and most populous region in Ethiopia with over 35 million people] [5.8]. The regional government also identifies that the research has offered recommendations for improving rural development that are ‘very practical and workable’ [5.8]; for example, the routine assessment of women’s needs in any intervention (particularly their sexual and reproductive health needs) [5.8].

1. Skills capacity building in Ethiopia

Gibson’s research has led to significant capacity building at Addis Ababa University (Ethiopia) through training the next generation of academics and development practitioners. Between 2016 and 2018 Gibson provided advanced methodological training and analytical computer software training (NVivo and MlwiN) to staff and graduate students, who have subsequently incorporated it into their teaching curriculum; exchanges for staff and PGRs, the development of Ethiopia’s first PhD programme in Population Sciences launched in 2020 [5.7] and the creation of over 43 posts and training programs for field staff and technicians employed at the University. This capacity building and skills development is important to Ethiopia, as high-income country researchers dominate the academic discourse on population health issues. However, it is crucial to population health efforts in Africa that these technologies and skills be shared with, and developed by, African researchers, as they have the greatest understanding of the local contexts in which development occurs [5.7] . The University stated: ‘[Gibson]’s contribution in such ways is believed to make a significant difference given the shortage of senior and qualified staff in the field of population studies and anthropology in Ethiopia… the research on the unexpected effect of education on youth migration from rural areas paved the way for redesigning a rural development program that gives due attention to job creation in rural areas for educated household members in conserving soil and forest, breeding high milk yield cows, renting and maintenance of agricultural machineries, and formation of cooperatives to engage in commercial farming’ [5.7].

Saunders’ research has had a profound impact on museums, creative practitioners, and members of the public through transforming how previously neglected conflict-related objects and artworks are perceived and valued.

From storage to display: Changing museum practice and preservation of cultural heritage

Prior to his research, UK and international museums showed no interest in displaying conflict-related objects and trench art, regarding them as possessing little or no public interest. Despite their significance during and after the First World War for soldiers and civilians, this significance was obscured through the ‘forgetting’ of objects which possessed intense emotional resonance for many families. Saunders’ research methodology changed museum practice in relation to curating conflict, from a traditional approach focused on historical facts and literary memory, to one incorporating empathy, family experiences, and the multidimensional (and often volatile) biographies of these objects. His research led to a radical shift in understanding the cultural phenomenon of trench art and opened a new space for understanding and engaging with conflict and material culture. He demonstrated trench art’s social and cultural dimensions and, through the collaborations described below, inspired museum professionals across the world to interpret, conserve, and display these objects in public exhibitions.

Imperial War Museum

Following a long-standing collaboration with the Imperial War Museum (IWM), Saunders helped curators understand and interpret their own trench art collections and embed a new approach to material culture. He helped introduce them to a new interdisciplinary methodology; to be more curious and uncover the stories behind their objects and not to rely on typology. It is this approach that helped inform the restructure of their curatorial teams in 2016. IWM’s Assistant Director of Narrative and Content states ‘I can’t think of anybody before [Saunders] who had quite as much influence on what we are doing. … [Saunders] helped us to look at our collections differently …. the whole discipline of material culture has really made a mark on the way that we explore and investigate our collections. … [Saunders] has added value to our collection by giving objects much greater impact’ [5.1]. Saunders’ approach to material culture led IWM to reimagine how they exhibited objects. The Senior Curator at IWM noted ‘Using the material culture approach towards our exhibitions has given us more freedom to communicate objects and experience in exhibitions … having this academic perspective has elevated the value of those collections and public perceptions of our contents by doing so’ [5.1]. IWM’s Assistant Director of Narrative and Content described Saunders as a ‘pioneer’ in shaping the way IWM collaborated with academics. IWM have since launched the IWM Institute in 2018 and have subsequently collaborated with numerous academics [5.1].

Art Gallery of South Australia

Saunders collaborated with the Art Gallery of South Australia (AGSA), Adelaide, to launch ‘ Sappers and Shrapnel: Contemporary Art and the Art of the Trenches’ exhibition (11 November 2016 – 29 January 2017). The exhibition comprised 187 artworks and included trench art from the Australian War Memorial collection. The curator said, ‘Nick made an enormous contribution … [and] the myriad visitors had the epiphany of recognition when they viewed the objects - motivating them to ‘dig out’ their own collections’. ‘The exhibition was seen by national and local visitors, school children and educators, veterans and current service men and women’ [5.2]. The exhibition attracted 32,534 visitors, representing an average of 382 visitors per day, including 2,350 students and educators [5.3]. The AGSA offered a range of events and programming free of charge for those looking for a deeper understanding of the exhibition. In total, 23 events programmed around the exhibition attracted 6,049 attendees. The exhibition generated a significant online reach with 119,000 impressions on Twitter and 3,300 followers; Facebook reached over 23,000 likes; and Instagram reached 17,400 people. The editorial value of media coverage was in excess of AUD3.5 million. During the exhibition, 342 copies of the Sappers & Shrapnel exhibition publication were sold; 62 publications were sold as part of a Gallery membership drive; and a further 150 were ordered by Thames and Hudson to distribute nationally and into New Zealand [5.3].

Inspired by the success of the exhibition, AGSA later acquired several pieces of trench art that enriched their subsequent war-themed displays (particularly those held on ANZAC Day). Furthermore, Saunders connected the museum’s Assistant Director to new collectors, some of whom have since gifted to the collection, and to new audiences for art [5.2].

In Flanders Fields Museum, Ypres, Belgium

Saunders’ collaborated with In Flanders Fields Museum (IFFM), Belgium, to embed a deeper understanding of trench art and IFFM have since rooted trench art into all their exhibitions. Saunders brokered relationships between private collectors and the museum. A Senior Researcher at IFFM states ‘if it wasn’t for [Saunders], I don’t think we could have established such excellent ties with so many private collectors and have been able to use these guys, not only for obtaining exhibits for loan, but also learning from them and working with them’ [5.4]. One such example came in January 2019, when Saunders facilitated the donation of 27 shell casings engraved by Chinese soldiers during the First World War to IFFM. As a result, the museum has the largest collection in the world of Chinese trench art from the First World War. These shell casings were the focal point of IFFM exhibition Dragons on the Western Front, launched in July 2019 (ongoing). The museum anticipates this exhibition will increase their reach with Chinese tourists (data unknown due to Covid-19) [5.4].

Newark Museum

Artefacts excavated during Saunders’ Great Arab Revolt Project (GARP) [3.5] were the inspiration for the UK’s first exhibition on Lawrence of Arabia Shifting Sands: Lawrence of Arabia and the Great Arab Revolt at the National Civil War Centre, Newark Museum. Launched in October 2016, the exhibition was originally planned to run for six months but due to overwhelming public interest was extended to March 2018. Saunders also helped the museum to secure additional objects for the exhibition, including an elaborate bronze name plate from one of the Hejaz Railway trains belonging to Lawrence himself. These incredibly rare name plates were taken as souvenirs of British-Arab blowing up of Turkish trains.

Newark Museum’s curator states that the ‘reach of the museum increased because of the Shifting Sands exhibition’ [5.5]. During the 18-month period a total of 3,106 people visited, generating tickets sales over GBP16,000. One visitor described it as the ‘best temporary exhibition yet’ [5.5]. The success of the exhibition led members of the public to uncover their own artefacts. One woman found a silver-gilt dagger gifted to her grandfather by Lawrence. These objects were donated to the museum and later became part of the exhibition itself [5.5].

Other museum collaborations

During the centenary, many UK regional and regimental museums included trench art displays (physical and online), which were directly or indirectly influenced by Saunders’ research. These included the Museum of Freemasonry London’s English Freemasonry and the First World War exhibition, 15 September 2014 - 15 May 2015. The Curator states that ‘a lot of the work we did with [Saunders] was revisited for an exhibition on Freemasonry in the First World War… the materiality of it and the Trench Art aspect and generally the material culture side of the war, it was much more comprehensively covered and if we had not maintained contact with [Saunders] then it would have been very different.’ [5.10].

Increasing public participation and interest in commemoration of the First World War centenary

In the lead up to the First World War centenary, Saunders’ led an English Heritage pilot project [3.7], which aimed to engage members of the public in their local heritage environment in two regions of England. The project trained volunteers of all ages to record data from local heritage sites and archaeological traces of the First World War. This methodology of community participation in Saunders’ pilot led to the commissioning of a four-year Council for British Archaeology (CBA) Homefront Legacy project, where the public were trained and actively engaged in recording the physical remains of the First World War. Since its launch in 2014, 5,660 sites across the UK have been recorded by volunteers, many of which were significant new additions to the archaeological record. Furthermore, Saunders’ pilot project resulted in the modification of, or creation of, new categories included in the National Heritage List (NHL) of heritage assets in England to reflect how places, spaces and buildings were constructed, used or affected by the First World War [5.7]. An archaeologist at Historic England explained that Saunders’ pilot project also contributed towards the CBA Archaeological Handbook of the First World War [5.6].

Volunteers involved in the pilot project were inspired to continue volunteering in future projects using the skills gained. One volunteer described the project as giving her the skills and confidence to volunteer on the ‘Battle of Barnet’ project and ‘Eighth in the East’, a project in late 2013 recording the arrival, effect and sites used by the American Air Force in WW2.

Inspiring the production of new creative performances

Jan Woolf was a writer in residence on Saunders’ Great Arab Revolt Project, taking part in a dig in Jordan in 2013. She began writing a new play about TE Lawrence while helping to excavate bits of wrecked railway, soldiers’ buttons, cartridges, and bullets. ‘I literally dug a play out of the desert, turning the detritus of war and human devastation into dialogue’, she said. Through conversations with Saunders she gained inspiration to produce her play The Man with the Gold, which was launched at the Cockpit Theatre, London, in January 2016 and was funded by the TE Lawrence Society. Three further readings took place at St John’s College, Oxford (September 2016), Newark Civil War Museum (January 2017), and Christ's Hospital School (November 2019) with a total audience of over 200 people. A full-length centenary play was scheduled for October 2020. ‘The play is terrific: witty, unusual, and timely and it’s going to be very watchable’ described one reviewer [5.8]. Woolf explains that Saunders gave her work ‘intellectual credibility’ and her experiences on Saunders’ project gave her the confidence to become a writer in residence on another trip in Rishikesh in India two years later, where she wrote The Dog Barked in India which was published in India. She credits Saunders with making her a better playwright and has subsequently been inspired to write two further plays [5.8].

Saunders’ research on Chinese trench art [3.4] led to a relationship with the UK’s Chinese community, and inspired actor and theatre director Daniel York Loh’s play on the Chinese Labour Corps, Forgotten. The play is about the little-known story of the 140,000 Chinese Labour Corps who left everything and travelled halfway around the world to work for Britain and its Allies behind the front lines during the First World War. Loh’s play described as a ‘research-based’ drama, was shown at Plymouth Theatre Royal (17-20 October 2018) and Arcola Theatre London (23 October - 17 November 2018), as well as being made available online. Loh said ‘Nick’s work did have an influence, because I listened to his talks and for me it made a massive difference ... I felt empowered and confident enough to go and write the story’. As a Chinese descendent, Loh described seeing Chinese people in the audience as ‘extraordinary’ [5.8].

Saunders’ research on trench art flower designs led to his public-oriented book, “The Poppy: A Cultural History from Ancient Egypt to Flanders Fields to Afghanistan” (2014) tracing the flower’s cultural and social history. This provided composer Cheryl Frances-Hoad and librettist Tamsin Collison with a framework for the narrative for Last Man Standing, a BBC Radio 3 commissioned 28-minute work for baritone and orchestra to commemorate the Armistice, which was premiered at the Barbican by Marcus Farnsworth and the BBC Symphony Orchestra conducted by Martyn Brabbins in November 2018. The librettist said ‘I read it cover-to-cover on New Year’s Day, making copious notes. I could not put it down – it was a fascinating and inspiring read. I suggested we turn our song cycle into a Biography of the Poppy…’ [5.9].