Applying Community Engagement Methods to Facilitate Global Co-Learning among Indigenous Communities

Principles and methods for community engagement in research align closely with the Global Learning for Health Equity Framework. Both concepts center around trust, respect, reciprocity, and humility; elevate the inherent wisdom of community perspectives; and emphasize opportunities for equitable, bidirectional learning and co-creation across the project’s life cycle. Our team utilized community engagement methods in a global learning initiative, engaging two Indigenous communities in Peru and Navajo Nation. In the initial year of this project, we used both cross-site and site-specific community engagement methods with the collective goal of identifying local strategies to address water insecurity and advance child health. In this viewpoint, we describe the community engagement process and reflect on challenges, lessons learned, and future directions.