Attachments
Executive Summary: key insights and discoveries
Research Background
The Harande project is implemented in the region of Mopti, Mali by a consortium of six NGOs with CARE as the lead: the other members are Helen Keller International (HKI), Save the Children (SC), and three Malian NGOs responsible for implementing field activities: YA-G-TU (in English ‘Organization for Women’s Promotion’), Sahel-Eco and GRAT (in English ‘Research and Technical Applications Group’). The project has a duration of five years and its main goal is to provide sustainable food, nutrition and income security for 270,000 vulnerable household members spread out in 16 communes in four districts (cercles). The area includes the districts of Youwarou, Tenenkou, Bandiagara and Douentza. HARANDE has five major intersecting purposes, aiming to enhance human capital including nutrition, WASH, family planning, literacy and life skills and to foster diversified livelihoods. The project aims to increase resilience to climate change and shocks and the ability to prevent and mitigate conflicts
Between July and August 2016 formative research was carried out by HKI with the overall scope to gather evidence about current practices in nutrition, reproductive health and WASH and identify appropriate strategies for achieving project social and behaviour change outcomes. The formative research explored behaviors, focusing on improving the health and nutritional status of pregnant and lactating women as well as children, and improving access to and utilization of WASH infrastructure.
The research findings will be used to generate a robust Social and Behavior Change Communication Strategy (SBCC) focused on several key practices. Topics explored by the research were reproductive health, children and maternal nutrition, WASH and media exposure.
Secondary data – relevant literature review – and primary data with focus on qualitative data were used to gather information. Tools used to collect data included Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) and Key Informant Interviews (KIIs). Informants invited to participate in the FGDs included pregnant and breastfeeding women of children under 2 years of age, fathers of children under the age of 2, and grandmothers of children under 2 years. For the KIIs, priority was given to religious and community leaders. Where available, community health volunteers and health staff from the local health posts or local NGOs were interviewed. Observations of handwashing and sanitation facilities were also conducted in a representative sample of households in each research site. In addition to exploring the knowledge of local communities of the fortified flour Misola, the researchers intended to investigate the marketing strategies of producers by interviewing employees of local Misola production centers.
Unfortunately, no such informants were found.
Field data collection was carried out by two teams, each comprised of three interviewers and one supervisor. Informed consent was requested in writing from all participants. For this field research, three out of the four Harande-targeted cercles were selected. For each included cercle, five villages were included in the research.
Major limitations to the research included restriction of movement imposed by the current security situation in the Mopti region, language barriers due to the limited knowledge of Mali’s official language by informants, and difficulties faced by the field research teams in deviating from the script of the interview guides to ‘dig out’ unexpected insights into behavioral barriers and facilitators.
A total of 50 FGDs were carried out. Twenty involved pregnant or breastfeeding women, 15 involved fathers of children under the age of 2, and 15 were with grandmothers or other elder women. Community and/or religious leaders were interviewed in each village, and a total of 16 participated. Five community health volunteers and five health agents were interviewed by the research teams. Unfortunately, no Misola producers and no NGO representatives were located for interviews. A total of 153 spot-check observations of hygiene and sanitation facilities were conducted at the household level