2. METHODOLOGY

The evaluation was carried out by one internal staff member, Jane Bean, who is an HSP Malaria Control with 4 years experience in public health in Oxfam GB’s Humanitarian Department; assessing, designing and implementing malaria control programmes, operational research, monitoring and evaluation approaches.

The approach consisted of a triangulation of findings drawn from primary and secondary sources.

Secondary sources included; 1. Proposals including the DFID proposal 2. PASF 451 3. Programme reports – baseline data, log frames, situation reports, 4. Staff work plans, job descriptions, 5. End of mission and interim reports 6. MOUs signed with local partners and RBM 7. Correspondence – emails, letters 8. Specialist or advisory reports, 9. Reports from UN agencies such as Roll Back Malaria and WHO, 10. Reports from INGOs such as Merlin, 11. Reports from local NGO, ASRAMES, the co-ordinator of RBM task force, Goma. 12. Task force minutes RBM

Primary sources included 1. Extensive interviews with current Oxfam DRC staff in Kisangani and Goma. 2. Meeting with local NGO ASRAMES, co-ordinating agency for RBM task force, Goma. 3. Interviews with local agencies – “Malaria Plus” 4. Meetings and presentation of program to international agencies; SANRU III and BASICS in Kinshasa 5. Interviews with local institutions – the University of Kisangani. 6. Meeting and presentation of program to the National Malaria Control Program Kinshasa 7. Extensive field visits to 6/19 villages in the areas of Yubo and Yamangya.1 8. Meetings over 6 days with programme beneficiaries and programme partners. 9. Meetings with the newly appointed programme co-ordinator and the program development officer from Goma in Goma, Kisangani and the field 10. Meetings with the newly appointed humanitarian programme co-ordinator, Goma, Kisangani. 11. Meetings with the INGO SANRU in Kinshasa 12. Meetings with the National Malaria Control Programme in Kinshasa 13. Phone meeting with former PHM, Oxford

1 Villages where we are operational and have distributed ITNs were selected at random. Factor for selection included access, security and advice of the PHT The DRC visit was preceded by interviews in the Humanitarian Department (HD) in Oxford and followed by interviews and presentation of the program with the Advocacy Adviser, the Country Representative and the team in Kinshasa.

The field visits took place over a period of 2 weeks and covered6 of the target villages in the Aire de Santes (health areas) of Yamanganya and Yakusu. The community groups who participated in the evaluation included Head Chiefs, Clan Chiefs, elders, teachers, pastors, AV ( village assemblies) and ACS (village health workers), health staff from the Baptist hospital and from the Bureau Centrale de la Zone, BCZ, community members – elderly, women, men and children – and traditional healers

Methodologies with the community were participatory using group discussions, ranking and role-plays. More formal meetings were held with the Head Chiefs and Clan Chiefs, the Director of the Hospital, health staff, teachers and pastors.

Feedback sessions on initial findings were held in Kisangani. Further opportunities for participatory input to the report were given through circulation of the draft report to staff in Kisangani and in Goma a week prior to completion. Further opportunities for feedback were given in meetings with the CR and Advocacy Adviser in Kinshasa.