In August 2002, SAC signed an agreement with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) for the implementation of the survey in Azerbaijan. The Survey Action Center (SAC) began work on the project in early September and has worked closely with its local implementing partners, the International Eurasian Press Fund (IEPF), an Azeri NGO with mine impact survey experience, and the Azerbaijan National Agency for Mine Action (ANAMA), the governmental unit tasked with coordinating mine action in Azerbaijan.

Funding

This survey was funded by the European Community (EC) through the UNDP country office in Baku, Azerbaijan.

Implementing Organization

A SAC team resided in Baku to manage the survey. Under contract to SAC, the International Eurasia Press Fund (IEPF) carried out the data collection. The Azerbaijan National Agency for Mine Action (ANAMA) provided technical support and facilities to the LIS.

Quality Assurance

The United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) provided the Quality Assurance Monitor (QAM).

The Field Survey Team

Operational Status

The SAC team attended orientation sessions in the Takoma Park office in early September 2002 and left for Baku on September 9 to commence the project. Click here to meet the SAC staff (Allen, Judith, and Johan). Begona replaced Johan for a majority of the survey.

Senior staff training of ten IEPF staff (five supervisors and five field editors) and two ANAMA data entry staff was held in Baku between September 30th and October 8th. The training was conducted primarily by Saeed Ahmad, social scientist, and Tom Haythornthwaite, GIS specialist, both from SAC-HQ. It covered all aspects of the AZE LIS and was held in the Azeri language through local translators. The SAC GIS officer in Baku has trained the three data entry staff.

Expert Opinion Collection (EOC) was conducted from 21 October to 8 November. The QAM coordinated his first intervention to coincide with this EOC.

Interviewer training of 20 IEPF interviewers took place at IEPF’s office in Ganja from November 14-21. The training, conducted by three IEPF supervisors (participants in the earlier SAC senior staff training) developed the curriculum and implemented the training. The training covered theoretical and practical aspects of LIS, and included sessions on Geographic Information Systems (GIS), IMSMA, mapping, mine safety, and first aid provided by ANAMA. The formal training was followed by the three-day pilot test during which interviewers practiced their interview skills.

The survey pilot test took place following the interviewer training between November 26th and 28th in 29 villages in the districts of Terter and Geranboy. During the pilot test ten interviewer teams, each accompanied by a senior staff observer (supervisor or field editor), conducted the interviews. After returning to base (IEPF’s Ganja office) each day, each group (two teams, supervisor and field editor) met separately to discuss how the interview went. This was followed by a joint daily wrap-up session where group discussions were summarized. No need for re-training of the interviewers was found necessary.

The second QAM intervention occurred from 20 November to 6 December. He attended interviews during the first two days of pilot tests to witness the implementation of the survey instruments.

Data collection began on 7 December, three weeks ahead of schedule and ended in April 2003. The third and fourth QAM intervention occurred from 26 February to 12 March and from 1-9 May, respectively.

From May to July 2003, a 5-day strategic planning workshop was held, data analysis and report writing occurred, a fifth QAM intervention was held, and staff/office phase-out was completed.

More Information

To learn more about Landmine Impact Survey (LIS) activities in Azerbaijan feel free to contact us.