Case Study One: UNICEF KAP Survey in Somalia

Background

The objective of the assignment from the UNICEF WASH Department in Kenya was to establish the existing WASH related Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices (KAP) of communities in sampled villages from Somaliland, Puntland and South Central Somalia.

Assignment

The aim was to obtain baseline information for subsequent evidence-based planning and to serve as a benchmark for future project monitoring and evaluation. This study was in many ways seminal since WASH related data has been non-existent in Somalia for a long time.

A key challenge was to design the research instruments, conduct the training and complete the field work (1,500 household surveys, 40 Key Informant Interviews, and 20 Focus Group Discussion) within the allotted time frame and before the commencement of Ramadan on 17 July 2015.

Implementation

Farsight’s research team worked closely with UNICEF to develop comprehensive research instruments that would adhere to the MICS standards. All instruments were written in English and translated into Somali and then back translated to ensure their accuracy. Moreover, the instruments were pre-tested at the end of the training workshop and final revisions were made.

• Engaging government stakeholders early on in the project was also vital for its success. Federal and local Ministries of Health and Ministries of Water were apprised about the benefits of the project and in South Central an inter-organizational taskforce was formed prior to the fieldwork.
• Employing enumerators from the districts to be surveyed was also very important since they had easier access and were familiar with local conditions. Conducting separate training workshops in each zone also proved very effective and a total of 45 enumerators and supervisors were trained within two days.
• Finally, Farsight was able to enforce high standards of quality assurance during the data collection and the data entry phase which increased the efficacy of the work and ensured tight deadlines were met.