Village Savings and Loans
Association Women’s
Empowerment Project
Burundi
A Guide for Interviewers
1. Introduction to
Surveying
Introduction
 This is a baseline survey—it’s goal is to collect
information from participants who will be involved
in Village Savings and Loans Associations
 We will be collecting a range of information
through a verbally administered questionnaire
 Today we will go through the basics of this project
and how to conduct interviews
Administrative Arrangements
 We will be surveying XX Communes and
XX zones in a 10 day period
 You will be working in teams for XX hours
each day
 Transportation will be arranged
Introduction to the Survey
The Status of Women in Burundi
 Legal Status
 Socio-economic Status
 Intimate partner violence
 Economic empowerment and women’s
empowerment
Understanding the Survey
and Survey Questions
 Familiarize yourself with the survey—you
should know the types of questions asked and
understand them
 Explain why we need to collect this in private
and be sure to maintain privacy throughout the
interview
 Explain that we are asking both about actual
behavior (like spending) and attitudes. There
are no wrong answer and we’re just trying to
understand life and attitudes in Burundi
Introductory Script
 This script introduces the questions and
content of the survey.
 You may read this to the entire group of
participants before entering the private
room
Informed Consent
 It is very important that everyone is read and
understands what is in the survey
 Emphasize that their participation in the survey
is not necessary for their participation in the
VSLA
 Try to reassure anyone who is worried that
their answers are confidential and their input is
important to us
Exercise 1: Survey Review
 You will each get a copy of the survey
 Ask if you do not understand a question, have
questions about rewording a question, or are
confused about something
 Are there questions you would be
uncomfortable asking? Why?
 Are there questions you worry the respondent
might feel uncomfortable answering? How can
we increase their comfort level?
2. Being an Interviewer
Defining the Role of the
Interviewer
 Survey Process
 Asking questions as they are written
 Being non-judgmental and respectful
 Characteristics of a good interviewer
 Daily Routine
 Out in teams
 Return forms to supervisor
General Interview Techniques
 Be friendly, positive and prompt
 Be persistent but not aggressive
 Don’t form expectation
 Understand the issues
 Repeat a question as needed and change the words a little but
make sure not to change the meaning.
 Allow respondents to fully explain their answers fully, then choose
the appropriate survey response
Troubleshooting
 Common problems:
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Refusal to participate (General)
Concerns about privacy
“Why me”
Answers “don’t know” to everything
 What problems do you anticipate?
3. Surveying about
Domestic Violence
Domestic Violence in
Burundi
 Statistics are scarce: conflict and poor data
collection make it difficult to have accurate
measures of intimate partner violence. A study
done by the Ligue ITEKA
[Source: Ligue Burundaise des droits de l’homme, ITEKA, Réflexion sur la lutte contre les
violences faitesaux femmes dans les ménages en mairie de Bujumbura, December 1999.]
 42% of women in a study in Bujumbura had
experienced domestic violence
 Poverty, orphan status, and displaced persons are
at particular risk
Issues and Challenges to
Empowerment

Limited decision-making power:
Women have limited decision-making power within the household. In most parts of rural Africa, women
are responsible for bringing income into the family by farming and petty trading, but possess limited
control over how those resources are spent.

Increased exposure to risk
Poor women and girls can be exposed to sexual violence on a daily basis because they must travel long
distances to fetch water and firewood, and perform farm work

Multiple and excessive demands on time
The excessive demand on poor women’s time and the multiple chores they perform, creates tensions in
households that lead to domestic violence with its subsequent social, psychological and economic
impact on families.

Lack of access to resources (especially land)
Land is considered the most fundamental resource for living conditions, economic empowerment, equity
and equality but women have no inheritance rights. Without the rights to own land, women’s economic
and physical security is compromised and leaves them more vulnerable to violence.
.

Under-representation in political structures:
Socio-cultural attitudes held by the voting public stereotype women as being incapable of undertaking
challenging leadership roles. Technical and financial restraints usually place women at a greater
disadvantage than men during election times.
What is domestic
violence?

Emotional and verbal abuse:
Survivors of domestic violence recount stories of put-downs, public humiliation, namecalling, mind games and manipulation by their partners. Many say that the emotional abuse
they have suffered has left the deepest scars.

Isolation:
It is common for an abuser to be extremely jealous, and insist that the victim not see her
friends or family members. The resulting feeling of isolation may then be increased for the
victim if she loses her job as a result of absenteeism or decreased productivity (which are
often associated with people who are experiencing domestic violence).

Threats and Intimidation:
Threats -- including threats of violence, suicide, or of taking away the children -- are a very
common tactic employed by the batterer.
The existence of emotional and verbal abuse, attempts to isolate,
and threats and intimidation within a relationship may be an
indication that physical abuse is to follow.
Wheel of Power and Control
Exercise 3: What is
gender-based violence?
 Discuss all the different kinds of violence that are
common in this community
 Try to answer the following questions
 Are all these acts of violence the same?
 What kinds of differences are there between them?
 What kinds of violence are more likely to happen to women
and girls than to men and boys?
 What do you think are the effects on the health of women and
girls of this kind of violence?
 Which types of violence are suffered primarily by women and
girls, which are mostly experienced by men and boys, and
which are suffered equally by men and women.
Safety and Ethical Concerns
Working on a project that involves
discussions of domestic violence can be
extremely taxing, and it is important—both
for ethical reasons and to ensure the
quality of the data—that active steps are
taken to protect the emotional well-being of
field staff and the safety of the
respondents.
Risks to the Interviewer
 To ensure safety, it may be necessary to adopt
any of the following
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interviewers travel in pairs
carry mobile phones
use designated means of transport/drivers
assign a trusted male escort to accompany teams
into certain neighborhoods known to be unsafe for
women alone.
 This is particularly true in circumstances where
interviewers may have to conduct interviews in the
evenings.
Risk to Participants
 When discussing the survey with community or other
household members, refer to the survey in general
terms—such as a study on women’s experiences or
opinions rather than mention violence or abuse directly.
 If it becomes well known in the community that women
are being questioned about violence, men may prohibit
their partners from participating or may retaliate against
them for their participation. In addition to potentially
jeopardizing the safety of respondents, this could also
undermine the survey objectives and data quality.
If you believe that the person
is at risk of harm
(1) Immediately contact the designated domestic violence counselor in your
group
This person will be able to provide resources and help counsel the survivor
(2) Safety planning
Try to do some safety planning with them. We’ll talk more about this shortly.
(3) Regard survivors as experts on their own lives
He or she knows the batterer well and can therefore usually judge his or her
own risk pretty accurately. If the person tells you that something you are
recommending will escalate her or his risk, this is probably true. If the person
tells you that some other option has worked well for them in the past, then
support them in taking that step again now.
Denial is a critical and useful strategy for survivors. It is difficult to meet the
normal demands of life if you are constantly thinking that someone you live
with is going to harm or kill you. Often, using denial permits one to do what
needs to be done in life. Sometimes, on the other hand, denial will prevent the
survivor from recognizing their immediate risk. When you think this is the
case, it is important to voice your concerns for the person’s safety to your
supervisor and/or the designated counselor.
Safety Planning
Every individual in an abusive relationship needs a safety plan. Safety
plans should be individualized -- for example, taking account of age,
marital status, whether children are involved, geographic location, and
resources available -- but still contain common elements.
When creating a safety plan:
 Think about all possible escape routes. Doors, first-floor windows,
basement exits, elevators, stairwells. Rehearse if possible.

Choose a place to go. To the home of a friend or relative who will offer
unconditional support, somewhere you will feel safe.
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Pack a survival kit. Money, a change of clothes, medicines, and valuable
jewelry, and papers that show jointly owned assets. Conceal it in the
home or leave it with a trusted neighbor, friend, or relative.
Avoid arguments with the abuser in areas with potential weapons.
Kitchen, garage, or in small spaces without access to an outside door.
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Know how to contact resources: The sheet provided which you can
give to the respondent
Exercise 3: Crisis Scenario
 Scenario 1: You are interviewing a woman who
tells you her husband has tried to kill her
several times in the past and she doesn’t know
what to do.
 Scenario 2: When asking about the presence
of abuse, the respondent describes the use of
weapons you believe may cause serious injury
the respondent and her children. You offer
resource list and a chance to talk with the
counselor. She refuses.
4. Self- Care
Taking Care of Yourself
 Your own experience with violence is important to
consider before and after hearing other’s experience
 Listening to stories of violence and abuse, not unlike
research in fields such as death and dying, may be
draining and even overwhelming.
 A common response to hearing stories about violence
can be emotional responses similar to those of victims
of trauma
 Experience has shown that unless this reality is
confronted directly, research projects can experience
high rates of attrition among staff.
Secondary Trauma Reactions
Physical:
 Trouble sleeping and/or
eating
 Fatigue
 Nausea, dizziness, chest
pains
Difficulty Thinking
 Trouble making decisions
 Confusion
 Nightmares
Behaviors
 Changes in how you act
 Silence/Talkativeness
 Substance Abuse
Feelings
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Nervousness
Fear
Grief
Depression
Common Problems
 Rescuing Angel
 You can help only so much
 Do not assume you know better than the survivor.
She knows her situation better than you do
 Hero Syndrome
 Do not “jump in” to any situation—wait to be asked
for help
 Be careful not to heighten the emotions in the
situation.
Coping Strategies for
Interviewers
 Survey teams should meet regularly to
debrief after interviews
 Admit you are working in a difficult
situation: If you need a break—Talk to
your supervisor
 Be kind to yourself
Exercise 4: Strategies for
Coping
 Coping strategies to use between
interviews
 Coping strategies to use after a day of
interviews
5. Practicing the
Interviews
Interview Techniques
 Although trainees may worry that women will be offended by
such sensitive questions, experience has shown that women
rarely refuse to answer questions on violence unless they feel
that it is not safe to do so. In fact, there is ample evidence that
most women welcome the opportunity to tell their stories if
they are asked in a sympathetic, non-judgmental way.
 Participating in research interviews on sensitive topics can
provoke powerful emotional responses in some participants.
The interview may cause a woman to relive painful and
frightening events, and this in itself can be distressing if she
does not have a supportive social environment.
 Most women who become emotional during an interview
actively choose to proceed, after being given a moment to
collect themselves.
Exercise 5: Practice DV
Module
 Take turns asking and answering the
attitudes and screening for domestic
violence questions. Try to come up with
ways to deal with
 Refusal to answer these questions
 Fear of answering due to concerns about
privacy
 Response of “don’t know” or don’t care
 Request help
Demonstration Interview
 We’re going to do 2 demonstration
interviews
 Volunteers will follow script
 You must explain the survey, obtain
consent and deal with potential refusal to
participate
Practice Role Playing
 Remember the demonstration interview:
you need to:
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Read Introduction Script to the Survey
Explain the survey
Obtain Consent
Conduct interview
Submit your completed form to your
“supervisor”
Exercise 6: Mock Interviews
 We are going to pair you up and each
person will get a chance to do the
interview
 Supervisors will be walking around to
observe and provide feedback