In addition to informing policies and health interventions, the WHO Multi-country Study on Women’s Health and Domestic Violence against Women presents a model for research that is methodologically rigorous and yields information that can be directly applied to violence-prevention activities. To help others undertake similar research, PATH and WHO produced an additional resource, Researching Violence Against Women: A Practical Guide for Researchers and Activists, in 2005.

PATH is now working on making this invaluable tool as widely available as possible. A Spanish language edition was finalized in 2008, and PATH has also developed a training package and stand-alone workshops, based on the guide, for activists and health providers.

Each course is adapted to take into account ongoing local research as well as the specific training needs of local partners. The course is designed to enable groups to monitor their own programs and to collect evidence to support local advocacy efforts. PATH also partners with local research institutions so that future courses can be organized and replicated with local resources and institutions. To date, the course has been a critical tool in developing the capacity of a number of strong research partners in both Eastern Africa and Central America.