Conducting a Participatory Situation Analysis of.pdf - Global HIV ...

experienced social science researcher with highly developed
skills in quantitative and qualitative data collection.
He or she must have experience identifying and accessing
field sites, establishing a field site, and anticipating the
requirements and pitfalls of fieldwork (i.e., have knowledge
of local contexts). The Technical Lead also must be
given sufficient resources and authority to carry out the
work from beginning to end in an efficient manner. This
person should also be in charge of selecting and training
interviewers and moderators and should establish himself
or herself as the manager of technical and administrative
aspects of the activity. With the extensive amount of
research undertaken relating to HIV/AIDS, most countries
have well-trained social science researchers, especially
at universities. However, finding an available, qualified
social scientist experienced with research on children and
adolescents may require seeking assistance from outside
the country or region.
Initial Actions of Advisory Team
For Advisory Team members to work effectively, they
must be briefed on what is currently known or readily
available about OVC in general and in the country. It is
usually time-efficient to compile existing information (as
part of a literature review) to brief the Advisory Team as
the first step in identifying information gaps and topic
areas for the situation analysis. It is useful to consult with
individual Advisory Team members before and after the
first Advisory Team meeting about what information
they have available. Information from other countries
may also be relevant for identifying issues to explore,
but it should not be assumed that conclusions reached
in one country will be applicable to another.
To brief the Advisory Team, a briefing packet could be
put together that includes a copy of this Guide, lists
and descriptions (if available) of programs and organizations
addressing the needs of HIV/AIDS-affected
children, the most recent Children on the Brink 2004
data and reports on vulnerable children in the country
(including literature on refugee children as well as on
children in poverty), and promising practices articles or
informal write-ups. Several resources provide countryspecific
summaries of existing data (e.g., Children on
the Brink 2004, Africa’s Orphaned Generations, and an
analysis of national surveys from 40 countries prepared
by UNICEF). Other materials and reports from external
sources include Orphans and Vulnerable Children
Strategic Framework and UNGASS declaration on
OVC (see Appendix A for a list of other resources).
The introductory meeting of the Advisory Team often
includes discussions of the rationale for undertaking a
situation analysis, role of the Advisory Team, and expectations
of the process. The initial meeting can include a
presentation based on the briefing packet and a review of
secondary data on the situation of OVC. A review of
existing data relevant to vulnerable children and their
families will guide decisions on the scope and topic areas
of the situation analysis. The Advisory Team can determine
which secondary data sources should be consulted
to glean information relevant to vulnerable children and
their families (e.g., DHS, MICS, national nutrition and
EPI survey, census data, and vulnerability mapping from
The World Food Program). Chapter Three of this
Guide discusses secondary data analysis.
It is important to immediately convene a working session
(second Advisory Team meeting) to discuss the scope and
content areas for the analysis following the first Advisory
Team meeting. This working session will include using
the nominal group technique (see Chapter Three) to list
and prioritize specific topic areas to be addressed by the
analysis. The HIV/AIDS situation in the country and the
related responses to children and families affected by the
epidemic will drive the decision-making about topic
areas. For example, a situation analysis conducted in
Nigeria was a follow-up to the needs that became apparent
from care and support projects. Therefore, when they
set out to conduct a sub-national situation analysis, they
already had a clear idea of what they wanted to do and
the type of data collection needed.
The focus of the third Advisory Team meeting is to finalize
topic areas, approve the analysis protocol, and offi-
Example of an Agenda for First Advisory
Team Meeting
• Welcome and introductions
• Overview of situation analysis process, including
timeline
• Overview of existing information on OVC and
context of analysis (based on review of literature
and secondary data)
• Clarification of rationale for and role of Advisory
Team/Steering Committee
• Discussion of agenda and date for second
Advisory Team meeting to identify and prioritize
topic areas, data collection options, management
of data collection, and data analysis
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