Humanitarian Needs Assessment by ACAPS

Author:ACAPS [ACAPS]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781853398629
Google: sDu0rQEACAAJ
Publisher: Practical Action Publishing
Published: 2014-10-15T04:05:53+00:00

Planning your data collection

The best approach in the first days and weeks after a crisis is purposive sampling. Purposive sampling means choosing your sample – i.e. where you will visit and who you will talk to – with a specific purpose or group(s) in mind. Purposive sampling is useful when you need to quickly reach a specific segment of the population and where sampling for proportionality is not the primary concern (Tool 8).

In the first two weeks after an emergency, it is more realistic to collect information at community level (for example, village or site), or at the group level (for example, internally displaced people, or resident population) than at household or individual level. The objective of a purposive sample is to identify if the crisis has affected different geographical areas or affected groups in the same way, or to see how needs differ or compare across them. However, remember that you cannot make conclusions about the entire affected population by looking at community-level information gathered through purposive sampling.

You need to disaggregate data by sex and age whenever possible (Box 6 gives a standard example of this) and to include questions that enable you to compare the needs of different groups – for example, women are likely to have different security concerns than men.

Do not just visit the worst-affected areas. If you do, you may over-estimate the impact of the disaster. Instead, aim to visit a range of sites that will provide a better overview of community needs. For example, in case of a tropical storm, choose communities in coastal areas compared to further inland, urban vs rural areas, etc.

Box 6. Disaggregation by sex and age

Male Female

0-5 years 0-5 years

6-12 6-12

13-17 13-17

18-49 18-49

50-59 50-59

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