Involving communities through feedback on evaluation
Katende, M.; Bunnell, R.
Aids Health Promotion Exchange 1993(4): 4-5
1993
ISSN/ISBN: 1013-7785 PMID: 12287481 Document Number: 332654
In Uganda, the AIDS Support Organization (TASO) operating principle is community involvement in initiating and defining its own responses to the AIDS crisis. The community established objectives and strategies and selects TASO workers. In the communities of Muswangali (1500 people), Bbira (300 people), Biharwe (2500 people), and Nyeihanga (2500 people), TASO decided that community remobilization was needed. The idea was to involve the communities in the evaluation process. Training sessions were conducted in 1990 and 1991 among community leaders. The outcome were conducted in evaluation, the introduction of KAP surveys, and the initiation of Evaluation Presentation Feedback (EPF) sessions, which would inform the community on pertinent issues. The following topics were selected: self-reported numbers of sexual partners, personal risk perceptions, knowledge on the asymptomatic phase of HIV infections, and prevention strategies suitable to the community. THese topics and survey results were discussed with community members from a variety of age groups in half day workshops. There was a range of numbers of participants in each of the four community workshops, from 50 in Bbira to 500 in Muswangali. TASO trainers familiar with the communities conducted the sessions. EPF sessions used different methods of translating survey results. One way of showing how perceptions may be different from knowledge was to first ask the audience how many partners men had currently had on the average and then to supply the figures from the KAP survey. In one example, the community guessed 2.5 partners, but the actual figures were 1.2 partners. In another session, community partners were asked to interpret and discuss the data and its meaning. The aim of the EPF was to review the survey results and establish new objectives for AIDS programming. For example, in Biharwe and Nyeihanga, there was a need for identified increased condom distribution. The mobilization of these communities was accomplished due to these workshop sessions. Other mechanisms for developing culturally sensitive and appropriate feedback from the community are needed.