Spotlight on Data Collection Teams

The Malaria Prevention volunteers left Humjibre early Monday morning, but will not be easily forgotten. As was mentioned in our last post, the volunteers were split into three teams. Each team member was assigned one of three roles: Data Coordinator, Logistics Coordinator, or Field Coordinator. The volunteers came from diverse backgrounds and varied experiences that enabled them to complement each other as they fulfilled their roles and worked together on teams. The system proved to be extraordinarily successful. Teams worked independently, understood what needed to be done and accomplished it in record time.


They were so effective, they were each able to consistently finish their work ahead of schedule. Survey session house lists were completed early and interviewers were given the choice to do either re-visits, get a head start on their next houses or go home and get some extra rest. The volunteers took advantage of extra time by bringing computers to the field to begin data entry during surveys. The teams were completely comfortable tackling their workloads. About getting ahead, Team Exquisite explained that it just “feels good to get it done.”

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Team Profiles- Team Awesome

     This team was constantly joking and finishing each other’s fictional stories. While accusing one another of creating power struggles related to stolen pens and supplies, one of them admitted “deep down inside in this little place in our hearts, we actually love each other.” These guys had become so close; they started waking up every morning for a team work-out and cross training session. They brushed their teeth with a shared flashlight and created a culture all their own.

     Luckily, their interviewers had extremely good luck with visits. They visited houses, found everybody they needed to speak with, and moved on. The work felt easy, and their sense of accomplishment showed in their constant smiles. 

Team Profiles- Team Big

     The first day that teams met, Mensah entered the classroom ready to see who he’d be working with and asked: “Where’s our team?” When Team Two motioned him over he exclaimed “Whoa we’re big!” To cement the name, Alfred- at a staggering 6’6’’- stood up to greet him. Ironically, team members were often absent, lost or otherwise unaccounted for, and Team Big was by far the smallest working group.

     They refused to let this deter them. While all three teams were given an organizational system for their surveys, Team Big formulated the best working plan for them and created a unique system that each member understood perfectly. No matter how many revisits they had or team members they were lacking, Team Big was always prepared with a supply of biscuits, water and optimism, ready to take on their next challenge.

Team Profiles- Team Exquisite

     While the origin of their name was never fully understood, Team Exquisite lived up to the uniqueness and prestige that their title implied. This team had a consistently positive attitude and shared their good vibes with the others working around them. Team Exquisite took charge of keeping everybody’s progress updated on the white board and playing relaxing music for the larger group.

     When asked what set them apart, they answered with confidence, “Our work speaks for itself.” Managed by women, Team Exquisite was professional, competent and efficient. Sure enough, they were the first group to completely finish both their surveys and data entry.

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While our initial goal was 250 surveys, the teams completed 267 with ease. It makes me wonder whether we could manage an even more ambitious goal next year. Overall, this was an ideal group of volunteers and an amazing group of people. They preformed beyond anybody’s expectations with the surveys, and learned a lot about life in Humjibre in the process. The volunteers grew tremendously in their understanding of culture and development, and formed genuine relationships with not just each other, but also their Ghanaian counterparts.

To all of our Malaria Prevention volunteers and interviewers: Thank you. Y3 da mo ase paa!

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Malaria Prevention Check-In

It has been almost a week since the Malaria Prevention volunteers have arrived, and in that time they been nothing but spectacular.

Their main concern is implementing an extensive annual evaluation survey throughout all of GHEI’s Malaria Prevention Program catchment areas. The survey consists of three parts; the first collecting general census information and two additional questionnaires to be filled out for each woman of reproductive age and child under five respectively. Depending on how many people live in each household, implementing the survey can take the interviewer anywhere from a very short amount of time to several hours. Data from each survey is then brought back to the volunteer team for review before the interviewer can move on to visiting the next house.

Administering the survey is a huge undertaking. This year GHEI has 17 trained interviewers, recruited from our local full-time staff, community health workers and volunteer teachers. These interviewers are split into three teams, each with a lead interviewer and interviewer-in-training along with three Summer Serve and Learn volunteers who have each taken the role of Data Coordinator, Logistics Coordinator, or Field Coordinator. The use of these defined positions for SSL volunteers is new this year, but has so far shown to be extremely beneficial. The volunteers are taking ownership of their responsibilities and each making a great contribution to some small part of the survey project.

The volunteers engaged in several trainings on GHEI’s Malaria Prevention Program and data collection before surveys began. They were incredibly enthusiastic and receptive to the trainings, taking detailed notes and asking well-thought out questions. Once the teams officially started surveys on Friday, they were professional and the volunteers were ready to effectively manage interview teams and code household surveys. All of the teams were based together in one of GHEI’s classrooms on Friday, where there was an air of positive energy as people happily dug into their work.

Everybody mostly took the weekend off from surveys- some elected to do some coding- and spent most of their time relaxing and taking part in cultural activities around Humjibre. Saturday morning brought a visit to Happy’s farm to learn about small-scale farming and cocoa production in Ghana. In the evening, volunteers participated in a community-wide workshop on the traditional Kete style of drumming and dancing followed by an informal workshop on the now popular Azonto dance style at a local drink spot. On Sunday, many volunteers attended local churches, tried their hands at doing their own laundry and participated in a pick-up football match with some of Humjibre’s youth. 

 

We have a full house with nine volunteers (including one awesome coordinator, Amy Henderson Riley) who are all a pleasure to have around. They have fun, but also work hard and are excited about the project at hand. At the close of work on Friday, 36 surveys were completed, and we hope to reach our goal of 250 by the end of this week.

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The Second Annual Quiz Competition

Friday marked GHEI’s highly anticipated and extremely popular Second Annual Quiz Competition. The competition gives students from each of Humjibre’s schools an opportunity to come together, compete side-by-side, and share what they have learned. In total, more than 600 people including students, teachers, members of the Library Board, the Humjibre Chief and Elders and other community members attended the event at the JoeKwart Memorial Community Center. Supporters packed the center and sat by their schools where they were ready to celebrate every correct answer.

The event was split into three rounds: one for Lower Primary (P1-P3 classes), one for Upper Primary (P4-P6 classes) and one for Junior High School. Teams of three, representing each of the four primary schools, competed during the two primary rounds. For the third round, teams from the two JHS’ in Humjibre competed head-to-head. In total, 30 students participated.

 Teams took turns using a set amount of time to attempt to answer each question. If they got it right, points would be added toward their final score. If they got it wrong, the question would be passed on to the next team for bonus points.

In its second year, the competition has become more sophisticated. Teachers demanded that the schools be placed in a random order since it is advantageous to follow weaker teams. Schools that were less prepared will want to prove themselves and become the ones to beat next year. Students competing for multiple years and family dynasties have also emerged. Moving forward, competitors will know to watch out for the all-stars and their younger siblings as they get older. To help control the lively crowd and deter potential cheaters, GHEI threatened to hand out yellow and red cards to schools who engaged in foul play. Luckily, no red cards were awarded and no one had to be disqualified. After close competitions, the two first-place schools were Memorial Primary and Deeper JHS.

Organizing the event was a tremendous effort. GHEI is thrilled to have hosted another successful Quiz Competition and grateful for the help of our two volunteers, Dan Doverspike and John Schaidler, who played an integral role in the its planning.

Overall, the event was a great opportunity for community members to get excited about books and rally around their schools. Clement Donkor spoke during the event to remind everybody that its’ purpose is to support the education of Humjibre’s schoolchildren. Academic competitions give students an opportunity to challenge themselves, practice critical thinking and public speaking, and help them grow to be future leaders. Everyone at the center was invested in the competition; at one point the Quiz Master had to turn around and advise some of the teachers who could not contain their excitement; “If you have a suggestion, put it in the box!” Those teachers, along with their students, GHEI and the entire community will be looking forward to the event next year.

As always, don’t forget to check our Facebook where more photos will be posted on Monday!

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