Overcoming obstacles in observational social science research in Sierra Leone

– Esther Mokuwa, Paul Richards

While potential application extends way beyond public health, demand for the services of observational social scientists really came to the fore during the highly challenging Ebola epidemic of 2014–15. The disease spread through human contact, notably through nursing and burial of victims, and responders were confronted with a need to understand intimate matters of household care for the sick, dying and dead. This created a demand for well-founded ethnographic observation to counteract rumour, stigma and prejudice. Several volunteer epidemic responders became ethnographers – to a large extent self-taught. This has been followed by efforts in the university sector to establish or strengthen the field of observational social sciences, such as social anthropology. But funding is very limited, and international support scarce.

For our own early childhood development study, we held training sessions to help build a solid foundation of observational and research skills among our team of supervisors and research assistants. During these discussions, it became quickly apparent that much of what was initially being written down and presented was in fact inference or guesswork, driven by the observer’s values and experience, and not by what was observed. Challenged by many comments such as ‘how do you know?’ or ‘did you actually see that?’, observers then became much better at distinguishing what the child was doing and what the observer thought or assumed she or he was doing. A second important element was then added – an interview for carers, to clarify the context. ‘Who exactly was the carer?’ proved to be a key question – since childcare functions are frequently delegated and foster relationships are common in Sierra Leone. The contextual interview clarified the relationship between the child and for example the woman cooking in the corner, who was the person in charge, and older children on site (not always related to the child being observed) to whom some aspects of care or play supervision had been delegated.

Overcoming practical challenges proved an equally important consideration across the four different universities involved: Milton Margai Technical University, Njala University, University of Makeni and Eastern Technical University. To avoid logistical and cost-related implications of in-person training, trainings were conducted by weekly Zoom call practice sessions and then shared peer-reviewed reports with each other via WhatsApp, and Zoom. Prior to commencing fieldwork, those able to travel were invited to an in-person session in Freetown, which provided an opportunity to meet, review and discuss and clarify over all materials and protocols that had been shared.

Part of the Thrive early childhood development study team at an in-person session in Freetown.

Depending on where you are in the world, it can be hard to remember that not everyone has access to sound, modern computers. Frequent breakdowns can require help or repairs that may need time-consuming – and sometimes uncomfortable or unaffordable – journeys to a major town. Some of our team try relied on smart phones to prepare reports or participate in meetings. Phones may be an old, reconditioned item that isn’t fully functional. Having sufficient data is a constant headache for many of the junior researchers, as well as phone theft being a constant worry.  Where electricity supply is unreliable, or simply not available, keeping devices charged is a challenge. Investment was needed in solar charging packs to allow work to continue in the most remote areas.

Lack of good personal computing capacity has a further consequence. Not all our team are familiar with, trained or had access to the full use of the software packages. We have tried to ensure that everybody has access to freeware capable of interfacing well with standard proprietary word-processor, spreadsheet and presentational software, but there is sometimes a lack of familiarity with modern peripheral features, such as marginal comments and track changes facilities. Ideally, alongside study-specific training, team members would also be able to attend software skills updating classes, but time and funding for this is not always available.

We have also had to find ways to work around the weather. Given the rigours of the rainy season in Sierra Leone, field teams were unable to reach the most hard to reach communities from mid-July to mid-September as road, paths, bridges and rivers become too dangerous.

Despite the many obstacles, conducting observational social science research in Sierra Leone is an endeavour filled with promise. By ensuring a plan and funding are in place to address the logistical and practical challenges, we not only gain the capacity to produce high-quality, impactful studies but also uncover valuable insights into the lives of young children and their caregivers. These insights have the potential to inform policies and practices that could transform early childhood development, and have the potential to shape a brighter future for Sierra Leone’s youngest generation.