MLW through its Human Resource Department has announced the change of the Fieldworkers name to Field Research Assistants. The official announcement was made on 27 October 2022.

In the communication it was explained that the name change was necessary to reflect what the Field Research Assistants do on the ground, to move with time, and to give a fitting name to this cadre which assists in research at the community level.

“What will not change is the grade and all benefits which are applicable at this level. This is a job title change only,” reads part of the official communication.

Commenting on the job title change, one of the Field Research Assistants Petros Chilinga said the change of name will change people’s perception of how they view the Field Research Assistants, and this will boost their performance.

“The name ‘fieldworkers’ was very general and plain whilst this name ‘field research assistants’ is very specific. We have face-to-face interactions with the people from the community and it encompasses both Research Assistants and Clinicians,” Chilinga expressed.

Another Field Research Assistant Nancy Gong’ong’o described the new development as modern.

“With the previous name, most of the field research assistants felt underrated and this had a negative impact on our performance and self-esteem. With this new name, I believe that most of us will feel equal to the other cadres, we will also relate better with our colleagues within the organisation and have a “sense of presence,” Ching’ong’o said.

MLW started recruiting Field Research Assistants in 2008. Currently, MLW has about 200 Field Research Assistants attached to various research groups. These Field Research Assistants are highly involved in the data collection process of research at MLW.