Show me the data: Leveraging digital tools for Nepal’s COVID response
UNDP Nepal joined hands with the Accelerator Labs and SURGE Data Hub to assess the impact of COVID-19 in Gandaki Province
“I am a person with disability and the only breadwinner for my family. I fear starvation more than COVID. I need financial support,” said Ram (name changed for anonymity).
Ram represents the voice of the vulnerable groups in Nepal such as women, daily wage earners, small entrepreneurs and farmers. A recent assessment by UNDP shows the pandemic has disrupted supply chains, impacted small businesses, and made people highly vulnerable to poverty due to loss of income and jobs.
UNDP Nepal’s Accelerator Lab and Crisis Bureau’s SURGE Data Hub jointly conducted a digital Socio-Economic Impact Assessment (SEIA) in the Gandaki Province, known for its ethnic diversity and livelihood opportunities. The study will inform policies for the upcoming annual budget of the region.
Here are a few highlights of this assessment.
Collaborations aplenty
The SEIA was carried out in collaboration with the Sayapatri Society — a non-governmental organization — in April 2021. UNDP Nepal is also one of the few country offices in the region to collaborate with the United Nations Volunteers under the UNV-UNDP Tandem initiative. A UNDP Crisis Bureau staff member was paired with a National UNV from Nepal to collaborate on the assessment.
“The best part of working under the initiative was to go out in the field and talk with communities and government counterparts,” said Prakriti GC, National UNV for Statistics, Data Analysis and Reporting.
UNDP Nepal’s collaboration with the SURGE Data Hub is continuing as well with plans for piloting a Multidimensional Vulnerability Index (MVI) study based on the data from the SEIA.
Engaging the youth
COVID-19 disproportionately impacted youth with widespread closure of educational institutions. UNDP Nepal engaged almost 100 students in educational webinars on digital data collection and visualization in crisis situations using Kobo Toolbox and Microsoft Power BI. The trainings aimed to mobilize and empower young volunteers and build capacity for future research activities.
“While conducting surveys after the 2015 Nepal Earthquake, I had to go to remote communities with a bag of surveys, notebooks and pens. With Kobo Toolbox, I can collect data digitally without using all that paper,” said Narayan Pandey, a participant at the training.
Coordination for data collection
Field surveys often come with challenges. One that strongly emerged during this one was dealing with survey fatigue and allaying skepticism on the impact of such research. A respondent from Gorkha said, “I have filled out so many surveys but there is no action on the ground.”
This experience highlighted the need for better coordination on data collection activities with partners to avoid duplication. “It is critical that data translates into policies to ensure that our needs do not go unmet,” another respondent said.
Evidence-based policies
The team deployed purposive sampling, where researchers use their judgement to identify respondents, due to paucity of time and resources. Around 1,775 people were surveyed through direct interview method. On May 14th, findings of the SEIA were shared with the Gandaki Policy and Planning Commission.
Key recommendations included launching social protection packages for daily wage earners, emergency cash transfers for vulnerable households who have lost family members due to COVID-19, and emergency grants for people who fell severely ill or were hospitalized. Another recommendation was providing door-to-door mobile health services in partnership with the local and central governments.
“The assessment will support the Gandaki Province’s Policy and Planning Commission in prioritizing programs for the vulnerable groups in the budget for the upcoming fiscal year,” said Binod Bahadur Kunwar, Secretary of the Ministry of Social Development, Gandaki Province.
