Developing partnerships at the community level to promote equity: Community based research in poor urban Lilongwe

This paper highlights the processes of conducting community-based participatory research within an operational research project in Lilongwe under the title of Extending Services to Communities (ESC). The project involves developing partnerships with community leaders, storekeepers and community members to enhance knowledge and effective referral for TB and malaria. These challenges need further discussion and debate on decentralizing services and developing partnerships with providers close to communities to enhance the poor\'s access to services. Participatory and community-based research approaches are integral to these partnerships.