Issue 28: September 2009

Community Mapping: an HIV/AIDS example and applications for other research
by Danielle Dryke

Before joining the Improve Group, I had the opportunity to work on a wide scale situational analysis of HIV/AIDS and youth in Mali under a fellow researcher and the primary consultant, Sarah Castle. The study was financed by UNICEF, UNFPA, USAID and UNAIDS. Sarah graciously agreed to allow me to share with you some of the participatory techniques she developed for that study. The techniques, and lessons learned for how they could be used in other situations, are described below.

The techniques were designed to engage Malian adolescents and young adults in the research and to be inclusive of illiterate participants. As the topics were sensitive in nature, care was taken to ensure that researchers were of the same gender as the participants, the groups were small in number and that older adults were not hovering nearby so that the children felt comfortable opening up. In general, we learned that it is important to make participants feel as comfortable as possible in being honest – including by excluding people who might influence their answers.

The first technique used was community mapping. Community mapping is widely used in international development research contexts and has a variety of applications. In this project several types of maps were created. Teenage boys were asked to map areas in their towns where people can buy or use drugs, the types of drugs that are obtained and consumed in the various locales and the sources of these drugs if known. The drugs were classified into hard drugs such as heroin and cocaine (indicated by a red sticker), moderate drugs including amphetamines (blue sticker) and soft drugs such as marijuana (green sticker). The boys were then asked to rank the areas they had identified in order of severity, with the areas where primarily hard drugs were used and available as a one and the others following. A chart was also completed where the participants were asked who sells the drugs, who are the main purchasers/ users, the mode of usage (smoking, inhaling etc) and how much the drugs cost.

In a similar activity teenage girls were asked to map their town and identify locations where acts of sexual violence occur and the type of violations that occur with various colored stickers. Each sticker represented a type of act and the number of stickers in a certain location indicated the frequency of occurrence/ the level of risk for that area. The girls then ranked the areas in order of greatest risk and were asked to describe the primary victims and perpetrators, as well as any methods employed (such as bribery, alcohol, physical force, etc). 

For both of these activities the groups were asked to first draw a map of their town or neighborhood and were prompted to include certain landmarks through asking questions such as, “Where is the school?” or “Where is the hospital?” And also to include routes they commonly travel to school or paths outside of main roads. The researcher would assist in drawing and writing if the youth had limited writing skills, but the youth would indicate the placement of the landmark, and would designate what should be included and the size of the areas.

In a different activity, groups of young people were asked to identify on existing maps of the major cities in their country where they feel people are at risk for contracting HIV/AIDS and the level of risk. In this case there were two groups for each city, one group of girls and one of boys, and every group included primarily educated youth to ensure that they could read the maps and identify the areas. The areas of risk were denoted by using color-coded stickers to indicate the level of risk, with red meaning high-risk, blue representing medium risk and green for low risk. The youth were asked why the area presented a problem, what type of risk was present in the area and the mode of transmission that put people at risk. Then the youth were asked who were the groups primarily at risk for infection and how the risk could be reduced in the area.

The maps were examined not only to identify risks within the particular community but also themes across the country. In that way the data gathered is particularly useful for agencies who are planning projects to combat the spread of HIV/AIDS and also for those groups who are currently in operation to see where there are gaps.

All of the mapping methods led to eye-opening discoveries and the results were particularly interesting as research on these subjects very rarely allows youth to speak out in this way. Mapping techniques can also be employed in any community, for a wide variety of subjects and for topics of a less sensitive in nature. For example, they can be used to chart daily activities, local sources for water or food, to identify the practices of linguistic-minority communities in an area (for example where they seek out services or individuals with whom they can communicate), the availability and quality of health care in a given area, or activities available in a community as they vary by season.

Sarah Castle is an international research consultant specializing in HIV/AIDS and can be reached via email at consultsarahc@yahoo.com. She is based in Bamako, Mali, West Africa.

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Tools you can use to plan for the year ahead
by Leah Goldstein Moses

Now that 2009 is drawing to a close, your organization may be turning to planning for the year ahead. Here are six simple tips to get ready:

1. Decide on a scope Are you creating work plans, agency goals, or a comprehensive strategic plan? To help you figure out what you need, ask your staff this question: “What will this plan help us to do?” Use their answers to determine what sort of guidance your plan will offer.
2. Engage those who help make you successful No matter what type of plan you are creating, there are people who can support your success – staff, board members, volunteers, program participants and partners. Even if your resources are limited, make it a point to reach out to a few of these stakeholders to get their ideas about (1) what their vision of success is; (2) how you can improve your services or have a greater impact; and (3) how they want to contribute to your success.
3. Use reality as the basis of your vision Once upon a time, many strategic plans focused almost exclusively on growth – serving more people, having more income, etc. These days, plans focus as much on impact and quality as they do on growth. Your current reality can inform your plans, whatever their focus – use your existing data about quality, impact and service size trends to set realistic goals.
4. Don’t set impossible goals Your work is impacted by things beyond your control, from the broader economy to employee absenteeism caused by swine flu. Give yourself some room for trial and error and allow yourself to gradually build up to your ideal of success.
5. Plan for more planning When creating plans, establish your method for checking in on results and adjusting as needed. For example, you could let your board know that you will have them review results and develop recommendations at every other Board meeting, or let staff know that you’ll be reviewing work plans three times per year (scheduled to coincide with typical “slow” months). By scheduling this review ahead of time, you are more likely to continue to use your plans and be able to make decisions about changing them.
6. Share your plans A plan is a great communication tool. It lets people know what is important to you and where you are headed. Consider sharing your plans even with people who do not have any responsibilities for implementation. For example, plans give partners a sense of how your work together may evolve in the years ahead. Clients can learn how the services they receive fit into your overall mission and vision.

Although 2009 has been hard for many agencies, it has also provided organizations with an opportunity to think critically about core programs and determine which services are essential to their mission. These skills can serve you well when preparing for a hopefully much better 2010.