This toolkit was originally developed by PC Benin. The original has been revised by OPATS for wide use and to include global health indicators. Please revise to align with your programming as needed.
Etude de Milieu – Community Study
An Overview
Due date: IST in January 2009
Submission: One copy to your APCD, and a copy for each of the Host Agency Partners or groups involved in the report. You may request that Peace Corps make these copies for you so that you can share them with your community groups and work partners.
Format: Typed on the computer, and submitting electronically (via email or on CD). The report should include all information in the outline attached. You can use outline as a guide, but feel free to adapt the order of it and how it is written up depending on your needs and what makes sense for your agency/community.
Use and filing: Peace Corps will maintain these reports in the site history files and individual Volunteer files at the Peace Corps office and will keep them confidential unless permission has been granted to share them with others. Information will be summarized for annual reports sent to WashingtonDC and provided to our Host Country Partners. Peace Corps will request permission of any individuals or groups before using any specific names and pictures included in the report.
Objectives and Overview
During the first three months at site, your focus should be on community entry rather than project development. (This is not to say that you will not have some projects prior to In Service Training, IST.) Although you will continue to learn about your community throughout your service, it is important to make a concentrated effort in the beginning.
You have already discussed different skills and tools of PACA (Participatory Analysis for Community Action) that will help you in your Etude de Milieu. You should include at least one PACA tool during your study. Not only will it give you information about your community, it will be very insightful of the challenges of bringing a group together and seeing how you interact and work together.
Along with your PACA activity/ies, you will draw on both your informal and formal methods of assessment. You might have structured interviews planned with teachers, or, you might provide a written survey/questionnaire for the teachers. You might sit at the water sources in your village/community to see how many people access it and what kind of ‘pump politics’ exist in your community.
Most Volunteers have experience in research and analysis. You will, of course, draw on your personal skills and experiences when conducting your Etude. The following topics and questions are meant to guide you as learn about your community. There may be topics/questions you add to your study and there may be answers that you cannot find during your first three months, ou bien, during your service.
It is extremely important that you have patience during this process. It might be that you are unable to use any formal techniques for your Etude. You should proceed as is best for collaboration in your community and be open to responses even if you have a different view. Remember that there is usually a rationale behind answers given. Even if something seems trivial to you, it is important to your community and you should be respectful.
Your complete Etude du Milieu is due at the end of your first three months at site. You may submit this in English or French. At the beginning of IST, you will present a resume of your Etude, approximately 15 minutes. This presentation should be prepared ahead of time.
This toolkit was originally developed by PC Benin. The original has been revised by OPATS for wide use and to include global health indicators. Please revise to align with your programming as needed.
OUTLINE
Chez Toi en générale
What is the history of your village/community/community?
When was it started and by whom/which family?
Are there places in our village/community or surrounding area that have special meaning or are sacred?
How many people live in your village/community?
What is the average family size?
Are there specific areas or quartiers in your community?
If there is a problem in the village/community, to whom do people go for resolution?
Is it different for women or for men?
Who should the Volunteer go to if there is a problem?
Is there an Association for Development in the village/community, or another large city?
Is there someone in the village/community or in closest town who helps pay for things?
What are the main religions and holidays in the community? How do the men, women, and children celebrate them?
What are the ideas surrounding marriage, wealth, success, death, etc?
What kind of houses are built in your community?
Transportation and Communication
How many roads are there to the village/community and are they passable during the entire year?
Does anyone in the village/community, or a surrounding village/community, own a personal vehicle?
What kinds of communication are available and when?
Safety and Security
What safety concerns do you have?
What concerns you most about the safety of your children and relatives?
Are there threats to any group in particular?
Are there threats directed at a particular group of children or youth?
Are community members informed about safety problems in the community?
Are they satisfied with the existing solutions or services for safety?
Yes or no and why?
What is the nature of the relationship between the police and the community?
Water and Sanitation
How many water sources are there?
What type and how many – i.e. number of wells or pumps?
Where are they located?
Who is allowed to use which water source and why?
What are the other sources of water in the community? (River, canal, spring, etc.)
Do people boil water before drinking it?
Who manages the water source(s)?
Is there always water available? If not, when are there shortages?
What happens if a pump or forage stops working?
How much does water cost?
Should the Volunteer contribute/pay for water?
Who has priority at the pump?
Are there certain people who are not supposed to be at the water source?
Are there different sources for food/drinking versus bathing or washing clothes?
Are there latrines? Private? Public?
Do animals roam freely or are they maintained?
What types of trash are in the village/community, ‘natural’ vs. a bunch of plastic?
How do people dispose of their trash?
Is the village/community clean? Are certain areas cleaner? What about the marché, schools?
Food and Supplies
What day is the market?
Are there surrounding markets that are bigger?
What food items are available on a daily basis?
How often do people eat?
What do they eat?
Are there boutiques?
What food/supply items are available in the boutiques?
When are certain foods available?
When is the hungry season?
What do people eat during that time?
Income/Business/Money
What type work is done in your community?
What do people spend their money on?
Are there groupements/associations?
Are there businesses, e.g. tailors, carpenters, masons, etc.
What are the cash crops vs. sustenance crops in the community?
Are there machines available to help with processing/production?
Is there elevage? What kind of animals? For profit or sustenance?
Is there a fishing industry quoi?
Are there artisans in the village/community? Is it a marketable product?
Schools
How many schools and what levels are in your community?
How many teachers? Are they mainly men or women?
What is the student to teacher ratio?
Are there fees to attend school? What are they?
How many classes and students? Is there a gender balance?
Why do children stop going to school?
Are there extracurricular activities?
Is there a Parent/Teacher Association?
Recreation
Where do the children play?
Does the community have a sports field or court?
Are there recreational facilities in your community? (i.e., community center?) Are they free? Who uses these facilities?
Who in the community participates in recreational activities?
Do (both) women and men participate in the activities?
In those cases where children and youth of the community don’t participate, what would they be interested in doing?
What are the recreational opportunities for each gender?
Are there recreational opportunities inside the home?
Health Facility
Is there a health facility in your community? If so
What type of facility is in your community?
How many people work at the facility? What are their roles and responsibilities?
Do these people live in the village/community or commute?
When is the facility supposed to be open and how often is it open?
What supplies, including, medication are available?
Are mosquito nets available for sale?
Are condoms available for sale?
Is the area around the facility clean?
What happens to the trash?
Is there a water source for the facility? Latrine?
What services are offered at the facility? What is the fee?
How many communities does your facility support?
Who uses the facility the most?
What are the priorities of the health facility?
What are the main health problems that are present? Are they seasonal?
What are the most common health problems among children in the community?
What are the normal treatments that are given?
Are there traditional healers or birth attendants in your community? If so, have they ever received any formal training?
Is there a health committee in the village/community or a management team for the facility? Who keeps the records/budget?
Do you believe that the health services available adequately meet the needs of the children and youth in your community?
Abandoned Children
Are there orphaned or abandoned children in your community? Where are they?
How are they perceived?
Are there foster homes or shelters in your community?
In the foster homes, do abandoned children receive treatment equal with the biological children?
How many orphans are there in the community? With whom do they live?
Does the community have resources for them?
How does the community react to orphans? Culturally?
Children with Special Needs
Can you identify children with special needs in your community?
What are the needs of these children?
What services are available to them?
Violence and Sexual Abuse
How is violence defined?
Is there violence in your community?
Who carries out acts of violence?
Who are the victims of violence?
Is violence very common in your community? Why?
What actions have been taken for the community to confront the violence?
Do you know of examples of violence against children?
Do you know of a case of abuse? Of what form was the abuse?
What do you understand of the term sexual abuse?
Does your community have health institutions that help victims of sexual abuse?
How many women work in these institutions?
Are there doctors or nurses who work in your health institution?
Other ideas/thoughts you might solicit from the community:
Do you consider the community to be poor, average, or rich in resources?
What are the strengths of your community? Who are the respected people in the community? Which people have the most influence?
What things about your village/community make you the most proud?
How would you like the community to develop/change?
What are the 3 priority development goals? Who sets these for the community? What are the challenges in reaching these?
What are the main health problems in your community? What can an individual do to make them better?
List all community authorities/leaders and their positions/roles
This toolkit was originally developed by PC Benin. The original has been revised by OPATS for wide use and to include global health indicators. Please revise to align with your programming as needed.
SWOT
Strengths - Weaknesses - Opportunities – Threats Matrix
Strengths: Everything good -Capacity and internal quality that we can use to better our lives in the community / Opportunities: All the external possibilities that could be utilized to better the community.
weaknesses: All the actual issues that bring us problems, deficiency and limitations in our life / Threats: All the negative tendencies that could happen as an effect of some problem.
SWOT Example
Health Project Example
Strengths: Everything good -Capacity and internal quality that we can use to better our lives in the community / Opportunities: All the external possibilities that could be utilized to better the community.
We have a target group of women who meet Tuesday and Thursday / The valley offers good availability of a wide variety of foods
Willing to learn or else they wouldn’t be there / Their knowledge of nutrition will benefit their families
They already focus on health issues so we won’t be introducing irrelevant material to them / The personal contact is the teacher of the group
Already know how to cook / We have access to resources of the training center and PC library
We have a personal contact who will both endorse and support us / We have time dedicated to the project
We won’t be held back by a communications barrier / Follow up is possible since we live in the community
We already have basic knowledge of nutrition / There is already an available meeting space
Mother/wife is in charge of nutrition and hygiene so if she’s educated she will ultimately make a difference in family health
weaknesses: All the actual issues that bring us problems, deficiency and limitations in our life / Threats: All the negative tendencies that could happen as an effect of some problem.
Lack of education regarding nutrition and hygienic preparation of food / Criticism of spouse
Lack of support from spouses / Traditional beliefs that contradict good practices
Traditional beliefs that contradict good hygiene and nutrition practices / Sickness and disease resulting from poor practices
Lack of time to provide consistent follow up / Mentality that what comes from the earth can’t hurt you
Lifetime of bad habits involving nutrition and hygiene / Food program donations of staples reinforce poor food choices
Takes more time and effort to hygienically prepare food
Lack of time and money to make a lifestyle change