In this article I deal with extending the ethical principles of research to
include communities through the establishment of Community Advisory
Boards (CABs). The aim of the project on which this article is based
demonstrates the need for protecting communities that participate in
research in order to stimulate ethical conduct in research in Malawi. In
the article, I provide an overview on the role and functions of CABs. I
discuss the establishment of CABs in Malawi and present descriptions of
the processes and challenges involved. I conclude by sharing experiences
of some of the key lessons learnt from the establishment of CABs.