Sponsored Vocational Training: Dream of Escape or Reality - Solwodi

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Efficacy of SOLWODI’s Vocational Training Scheme 13 recording from the FG. Secondly, Krueger (1988: 26) suggests that for selecting participants the rule of commonality not diversity should be applied. My experience was that women did not feel comfortable to openly talk in front of co-clients. My utmost intention was and is to respect their wishes. The only FG was one amongst three sisters; two of them were SOLWODI trainees. In consequence, FG was a time consuming process that did not fit into the time and methodology framework of this research. Time and efforts was prioritised to build up relationships of trust with the interviewees, to distribute questionnaires, and to conduct one-to-one interviews. B. Methodological Challenges Despite great opportunities, research per se inherently presents a wide range of problems and it was my task to minimise and to manage these issues. Hereafter, the four main methodological challenges, followed by minor problems, will be illustrated. 1. Ethics Clearly the research project had ethical challenges from the outset. Ethics was by far the most dominant risk which had to be managed. Commercial Sex is a value-laden and sensitive topic. During the overall research process there was an ‘absolute-transparency-no-deceiving- policy’. Central to ethics is the informed consent. A few days after my arrival in Kenya SOLWODI introduced me to its clientele as a research student conducting a participatory survey on SOLWODI’s VT initiative. The BSA’s Professional Standards enjoins researchers to ‘anticipate, and to guard against, consequences for research participants which can be predicted to be harmful’. Great care has to be taken to select methodology that would allow participants with minimal intrusion and distress on their part (Grinyer, 2005). As a feminist researcher my primary concern was the emotional well-being of the women involved. I did not want to trigger my interviewee, but it could happen. Denzin reminds that words ‘have a material presence in the world. Words have effects on people. Words matter’ (Denzin, 2001). Wedgwood and Hammett recall that the subjects may feel threatened by the research and unwilling to be interviewed. ...informant may be intrusive or invasive.... for instance, when conducting oral history
Efficacy of SOLWODI’s Vocational Training Scheme 14 research an informant may reveal traumatic events from their past which can dramatically alter and disrupt the research dynamic (Wedgwood and Hammett, 2005: 10). An unexpectedly emotional interview with Quincy, a 25-year-old left us both dazed and teary eyed. She recently experienced a traumatic situation that she told me in the interview. It caught us both unexpectedly. I still cannot be sure if it was my question that activated her emotional release. I had asked those questions before. After sharing my thoughts with a SOLWODI social worker, causes were assumed to be multidimensional. However, thereafter, I approached the interview partners with even more care. Ethics is about taking care not to violate the rights to privacy. Respondents were informed that their participation was anonymous and voluntary. Women were eligible to participate in the 2009 interviews if they were aged over eighteen and had received VT from SOLWODI. All the names of my interview partners have been changed at their request to remain anonymous. The informants were able to fill the questionnaire wherever and whenever they wanted and most importantly if they wanted to. The young women came to SOLWODI to take part in the choir, drama or football activity or stopped by on their way to colleges. Some came for counselling or to ask for micro-credit assistance. In any case, I approached the women, and if they wanted to participate, the form was handed out. Even if they gladly received the questionnaire, sometimes the questionnaire was not returned. Young women who intended to go for training eagerly looked forward to taking part in the survey, hoping to secure in this way a VT enrolment. It was made clear to them that participating, did not deliver admission into the VT programme. Sometimes when the young woman returned the completed questionnaire and she had time and interest, the interview followed forthwith. Few preferred to only come for the interview. While they would be telling their biographical narrative I filled in the questionnaire for them. I was aware that my presence could have implications on the questionnaire data, e.g. I guided my interviewee through the questionnaire, asking questions which I felt were important, but also had the chance to ask question of understanding. Thus, when the woman preferred that I should fill in the questionnaire, I did so and tried to mitigate implications. The majority of SOLWODI’s ex-clients did not want to be seen as former or current SW. Consequently, a very cautious and respectful way of contacting those who were not with SOLWODI any longer had to be found. Importantly, I did not wish to incriminate these women.
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Sponsored Vocational Training: Dream of Escape or Reality - Solwodi

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