Our team is prepared to support the implementation of global and regional studies by using desk-based research and field research. Thanks to the work IWORDS has carried out over the past few years, we are ready to conduct these studies in the most participatory way, involving co-researchers from key target populations. For example, youth co-researchers have collaborated with us in the implementation of studies on girls organizing and the funding landscape.
In 2019, the Norwegian Red Cross (NorCross) commissioned our team to carry out a desk research study to conceptualize Health in the Last Mile and what it refers to in different humanitarian settings. We developed a comprehensive and in-depth study based on a wide-ranging literature review, inputs from key informants, and an online survey. With the information gathered, our team was able to develop a definition of the last mile; identify 18 populations on the verge of the last mile in humanitarian crises settings; develop the first-ever Health in the Last Mile Country Index (HLMCI), which is a data-informed projection of countries that are likely to be closer to/in the last mile in 2030; develop four in-depth case studies at the country/context level; and detail health in the last mile challenges in those particular humanitarian contexts. The report was launched by NorCross in June 2020 with the participation of different health experts.