Guide for Community Assessments on Women's Health Care - ICRW

Step 5: Select the Field Sites
It is important to choose diverse field sites <strong>for</strong> community assessments to get an overall picture of
the various kinds of health problems women face. Sites you may want to consider could include:
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High HIV-prevalence areas or potentially high-risk sites, such as trucking routes or places with
a highly mobile population or migrant labor <strong>for</strong>ce;
A mix of rural and urban sites to compare health issues and access to health care services; and
Areas with dominant cultural practices, which may have an impact on women’s ability to
access health care services.
Workshops are best organized around an MP’s constituency, so consult with them when selecting
the communities <strong>for</strong> the assessments. Choosing a field site also is influenced by what is practical.
If you already know a particular community, you may decide to work there, because much of the
background work (e.g., identifying local contacts, knowing which support groups and key actors are
in the area, etc.) will already have been done. You already know the community and they trust you –
this is a big start!
Select a site that is easily accessible <strong>for</strong> participants – walking distance if possible. In urban areas,
somewhere central is probably best.
Step 6: Draw up a Schedule
Develop a schedule once you have decided on the sites <strong>for</strong> the community assessment process. The
assessments will include five one-day workshops and site visits to health facilities.
In our experience, scheduling workshops <strong>for</strong> five consecutive days is exhausting. It is better to stagger
the workshops and site visits over two weeks (i.e., two to three days in one week, use the weekend to
debrief and recover, and two to three days at the start of the following week).
Step 7: Identify Local Partner Organizations
Use your contacts to select partner organizations (e.g., local support groups, nongovernmental
organizations, community-based organizations, faith-based organizations, or a local clinic or district
AIDS committee). These organizations often are the gatekeepers in getting access to the community
and can help the workshops get off on the right foot.
Brief partners on the workshops’ objectives and processes and solicit their ideas on possible venues,
timing, how to invite the participants, etc. Provide each partner with a checklist of things to do in
preparation <strong>for</strong> the workshops.
Staff from local partner organizations also may want to participate in the workshop as facilitators or
translators. If they take on these roles, brief them on their responsibilities be<strong>for</strong>ehand.
20 Chapter B: Planning and Preparation