Thiabedji Baseline Assessment

Discussing the results of the survey. This chart demonstrates respondent answers to the question: What are healthy foods?

Attendees were made up of community health workers, women’s group presidents, and committee members.

The village adviser, Moussa, discusses the importance of hand washing.

The village chief (left) and the village adviser (right), leaders in the community, made it out to the meeting!

In the realm of community health and behavior change, baseline assessments help determine the health status of a community and they inform the work of health workers, change agents, and outside organizations. In October and November 2015, I took on this imperative task in order to gain a better understanding of community member’s knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding malaria, maternal and child health, and water and sanitation hygiene.

• 44 interviews totaling 29 hours
• 35% of households in the community
• 3 community health workers
• 81 questions, and
• 23 pages of data and recommendations for future work later…

The first ever health assessment specific to Thiabedji was complete and over 35 community stakeholders came together for a meeting at the local school to discuss survey findings and recommendations. Of course, our meeting was not complete nor deemed a success without sharing a meal of Thieboudienne (a traditional Senegalish dish made of fish, rice, tomato sauce, and other vegetables), a prayer by the Imam, and attaya (Senegalese tea).