Africa can be a challenging place to work. Electricity often is unreliable and computers can be scarce in rural areas, which slows the flow of information.
An Abt Associates malaria project developed software to streamline data entry and used mobile phones to improve employee supervision.
But the Africa Indoor Residual Spraying (AIRS) project – which protects people from malaria in 13 African countries through indoor insecticide spraying – is overcoming these difficulties through low-tech but effective innovations.
Better Data Means More Effective Spraying
AIRS measures its performance in part by collecting data on the number of: structures sprayed; pregnant women and children under five protected from malaria; seasonal staff trained; and several other indicators.
Much of this data is recorded on paper by hand in the field. But recurring data entry errors, such as missing numbers or blank entries, were limiting the quality of the data. Data clerks spent hours searching for and correcting these mistakes.
In Nigeria, spray operator Ishaku Musa interviews a man who will benefit from indoor residual spraying that will protect him and his family from malaria.
Photo credit: Funto Adejuwon.
So AIRS Nigeria monitoring and evaluation specialists Joseph Okeke and Funto Adejuwon created the AIRS Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Error Eliminator. The program spots common errors and displays correct and incorrect forms side-by-side.
“The principle behind this is that the field workers are from the start introduced to these common errors and also instructed on how to avoid them,” Okeke said.
All staff helping to implement or supervise the collection of data are trained to use the M&E Error Eliminator. At the end of each day, team leaders or supervisors randomly check a few data collection forms against the M&E Error Eliminator. If they see that data are entered incorrectly, they notify the data collector and make him or her return to the household to correct the information.
The M&E Error Eliminator has proven so useful that it is being implemented in all 13 countries where AIRS implements IRS. It’s one of several tools AIRS developed to improve spray operations, environmental compliance, and monitoring and evaluation. More information about these tools is available in the
AIRS Better Indoor Residual Spraying Supervision Toolkit.
Supervision through Mobile Phones
Elizabeth Onawo, a team leader from Sabon Gari ward in Doma Local Government Area uses text message to communicate with the operations manager and spray operators.
More people in Africa have access to a cell phone than electricity, according to the World Bank. AIRS staff are no exception – everyone has a mobile phone, according to Nduka Iwuchukwu, AIRS Nigeria operations manager.
So AIRS is using wireless technology to improve supervision of spray staff – one of the key tasks in conducting indoor residual spraying. AIRS is using mass text messages to all spray staff to send reminders, reinforce training, and motivate staff. AIRS also tailors messages to smaller staff groups to improve their performance.
Over the course of the most recent 33-day IRS campaign, AIRS sent approximately one to two messages per week to more than 300 seasonal staff members. Previously, the only way to communicate with all staff was through essentially a phone tree.
Iwuchukwu, for example, sent a mass text message to spray operators when he discovered some workers were using too much insecticide. During follow-up visits, supervisors confirmed that workers had adjusted their spray technique according to recommendations.
Workers have found reminders helpful and informative.
“The [texting] system is very good. We have been getting so much information through it. It saves time, encourages us, and reminds us of some of the things we were expected to do or not to do,” said Elizabeth Onawo, team leader from Sabon Gari ward in Doma Local Government Area.
