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Disability data collection: A summary review of the use of the Washington Group Questions by development and humanitarian actors

QUIGLEY, Nolan
et al
October 2018

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The Washington Group Questions on Disability are rapidly emerging as the preferred data collection methodology by the global community for national data collection efforts on disability. However, more and more development and humanitarian actors are now using the methodology in their own data collection efforts. This is beyond the original purpose of the questions, which was to generate usable data for governments. Leonard Cheshire and Humanity & Inclusion, two international charities focussed on disability and inclusion, have worked together to share learnings of recent research studies. These studies aim to understand how the Washington Group Questions (WGQ) have been used by development and humanitarian actors and the impact of using the methodology. This summary report outlines the key findings, analysis and conclusions about the application of the Washington Group Questions in a range of contexts. The report concludes with a number of recommendations for different stakeholders.

The straight talk campaign in Uganda : impact of mass media initiatives

ADAMCHK, Susan E.
et al
September 2007

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This summary report presents the findings of an evaluation of the Straight Talk mass media communication programmes to inform youth in Africa about sexual and reproductive health, which have been implemented in Uganda since 1993. The campaign was delivered through a radio show and two newspapers - one aimed at primary school children and one at secondary school students

Building community on the airwaves

MENON, Jaya
September 2005

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The article shares the impact that Anna Radio in Chennai, the country's first community radio has had two years down the line on the community. Although it is gaining popularity their aim is to make programmes with the cheapest resources available and getting a community to decide on the content. The focus areas are education, health, environment, women's issues and community development. There are live phone-ins from two slum colonies to discuss day-to-day civic or social problems including drinking water shortage, bad roads and transport. Other programmes are aimed at improving quality of life including teaching the slum dwellers to engage their time creating art from scrap and speak about this empowering experience

The other side of the river : cyberspace comes to the Amazon

RÊGO, Fausto
June 2005

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This report describes the 'Saúde e Alegria' (Health and Happiness) project (http://www.saudeealegria.org.br/ ) developed by RITS (Red de Información para el Tercer Sector), a member of APC in Brazil, with the support of the Avina Foundation and the Institute for Connectivity in the Americas. It shows the impact of the project on the community, including a case where the internet provided access to snake bite information after a local girl was bitten

The 'Most Significant Change' (MSC) technique : a guide to its use

DAVIES, Rick
DART, Jess
April 2005

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This publication is an introduction to the 'Most Significant Change' (MSC) approach to monitoring and evaluation. MSC is a participatory technique of monitoring without indicators. It asks users to collect "significant change" stories from the field level and to select and filter these through a panel of stakeholders or staff. It gives an overview of the "story" approach, and illustrates how to implement the MSC technique in ten steps. Chapter five looks in detail at the place of MSC in a monitoring and evaluation framework. The guide also includes a comparison with other approaches, a historical overview a of its development and outlines possible next steps and future innovations for the approach

Village phone replication manual : creating sustainable access to affordable telecommunications for the rural poor

KEOGH, David
WOOD, Tim
2005

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This manual draws from the Grameen Village Phone programme in Bangladesh and Uganda, and contains how-to guidelines for replicating the experience in other countries. The programme helped poor women purchase mobile phones and sell the use of them on a per call basis. It allows for sustainable and affordable access to telecommunications, particularly useful in rural and remote areas. The manual provides a comprehensive discussion of all the steps that need to be taken. Topics covered include: business planning, stakeholders and partnerships, microfinance, company structure, training, human resources, monitoring and evaluation

Community-based foster homes in Ethiopia : an account of a follow-up experience ten years after phase out

JAREG, Elizabeth
2005

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The study in this report arises from the context of famine and war, and is Save the Children Norway’s contribution. It presents an overview of the context and background of the community-based foster homes project in Ethiopia and describes in details its development and implementation. It then presents the findings and lessons learnt from the follow-up of children placed in community-based foster homes in 2001. These include, among others, include: the necessity for long-term protection and follow-up; the importance of recognising that children relate to persons, not organisations; the importance of foster mothers’ relationships with the community; the importance of strong networks among children and children’s active participation; systematic monitoring. Lessons learnt and insights can be useful to those working with orphans and children without parental care. Lessons learnt can also be applied to the context of HIV and AIDS

Radio broadcasting for health : a decision makers' guide

SKUSE, Andrew
July 2004

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This DFID issues paper examines the contribution of community, national and international radio to health programmes in the developing world. It contextualises the relevance of radio as a strategic tool of human development and poverty reduction, examines its use by poor people, and advocates a people-centred and rights-based approach to health communications. It addresses a range of issues from the role of formative research and evaluation and the development of health messages, to a range of format options widely used in health broadcasting. It also examines the community, public and international radio sectors and in the process highlights a range of opportunities and constraints that these sectors face. Likewise, it highlights key synergies and linkages that could be enhanced to improve access to health information for radio producers, the poor, the 'at risk' and the vulnerable. In doing so, this paper raises a number of critical questions about capacity development, social mobilisation, and using radio in conjunction with other technologies such as the Internet and email

Empowering youth and connecting schools : lessons from the SchoolNet Namibia approach

BALLANTYNE, Peter
February 2004

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Schools in developing countries are beginning to get computers and access to the Internet. This article draws on the SchoolNet Namibia approach and its achievements. It suggests that programmes like this should give priority to the provision of affordable access using open platforms, pay attention to longer term cost of ownership issues, leverage change through partnerships, work closely with governments, involve school principals and teachers, and seek to ensure that necessary capacities are developed in schools themselves

Low cost access and connectivity : local solutions

UN ICT TASK FORCE
2004

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This publication, a UN ICT Task Force Working Group Paper, brings together case studies of local initiatives which highlight innovation in meeting the information and communication needs in developing countries. Seven papers explore connectivity and access issues in different countries. Papers on Benin and Cameroon are in French

ICT and health [chapter] | ICT and MDGs : a World Bank Group perspective

WORLD BANK GROUP
December 2003

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This article explores the impact of ICTs on health care within developing countries. Topics covered include research and training of health-care workers, achieving health-related MDGs, and storing and disseminating health information. Details are also provided of selected World Bank-funded projects

Network perspectives in the evaluation of development interventions : more than a metaphor

DAVIES, Rick
November 2003

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This paper argues for the use of a network perspective in representing and evaluating aid interventions. Commonly used linear evaluation tools such as the logical framework (logframe) or problem tree selectively represent what an agency is trying to do, and then assess particular aspects of the intervention. Social network analysis describes social relationships which, the author contends, is what development is about. The wide range of methods and theories for network analysis means that there are lots of ways of thinking about and describing expected outcomes of interventions. Social network analysis is also very flexible in terms of the scale of the project, and can accomodate non-linear processes of change. This paper presents these five arguments for social network analysis, and then describes next steps for developing a coherent approach to evaluation based on a network perspective

Case study : the SATELLIFE PDA Project

March 2003

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The article describes the SATELLIFE Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) Project that explored questions related to the selection and design of appropriate, affordable technology and locally relevant content for use in African healthcare environment. The project was specifically targeted at assessing the usefulness of the PDA for (1) data collection and (2) information dissemination. This report describes a number of valuable lessons leaned from the project that can be applied to further deployment of PDAs in developing countries. A number of obstacles to technology use have also been identified, which will need to be overcome in order to promote the widespread adoption of the technology in this context

Case study : the Tygerberg Children's Hospital and Rotary Telemedicine Project

2003

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The article describes the Tygerberg Children's Hospital and Rotary Telemedicine Project in South Africa which links specialists from Tygerberg Hospital to doctors at regional community or district hospitals to improve healthcare in rural areas. The initiative has assembled its own telemedicine system using off-the-shelf computer equipment and software that is more affordable than commercial telemedicine systems. It describes the local context, how the system was set up and how it works. It outlines the challenges faced by the project

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