CCF in the field

By Elizabeth Sung, Consultant for CCF-Chad

Dear readers:
From the CCF office in N’djamena to wherever you are, I send warm greetings and hope you are well. It’s presently raining giving us relief from the humid warm weather, though the rain also means that the side roads will be swamped.

Last Saturday, I arrived in N’djamena from New York (stopped in Richmond, DC and Paris on the way). As I stepped off the cold airplane, a wall of heat struck me. The scent of burning woodchips enveloped me, and I recognized that I had finally reached Chad, my final destination.

A brief introduction about myself: I am consulting for CCF-Chad during the next three months, conducting a Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practice study (KAP, for short). Until recently, I lived in New York City where I studied social work and international public health. I love traveling, writing, photography and crunchy peanut butter.

Over the next three months, the KAP study will be my primary focus. A KAP study is a very common means of assessing how people think and live.

Here are examples of questions:

Knowledge question: Name one way that HIV is transmitted.
Attitude question: What do you think about girls going to school?
Practice question: How often do you go to school?

In Eastern Chad, CCF implements Child Protection and Gender-Based Violence programs in refugee camps. In regards to child protection, issues in the East include access to education, health services, and reduction of trauma. As for Gender-based violence, relevant topics include female circumcision, early marriage, and forced pregnancy. These are the main topics that will be covered in the KAP survey.

The staff has been wonderful as I make the transition to the new environment. Over the next few days, I will be collaborating with the staff to plan my work. I am very excited, and I can’t wait to fly out east!