Our project on Multidimensional Child Poverty in Burundi, led by UNICEF Burundi, is in its final stages, as we are now validating the research results and finalizing the deliverables.

 

Our assigned team of experts was previously on-site in June of this year to discuss the parameters of the analysis with key stakeholders, such as the national statistical agency (ISTEEBU), UNICEF and various sectoral ministries. In the beginning of September, our team went on a second mission to Burundi to deliver a technical training on STATA and present the results of the analysis.

The team worked with a pre-selected group of experts, helping to strengthen their technical capacity. For a week, participants were taught how to execute the analysis step-by-step using the “STATA” software. After an introduction to the Multidimensional Overlapping Deprivation Analysis (MODA) methodology, the indicators and dimensions of child well-being, which were defined in the context of Burundi at that stage, were presented. Next, participants learned how to prepare and merge datasets, as a first step of the analysis, in order to:

  • Identify the variables to create the indicators;
  • Check the potential answers to define deprivation and non-deprivation;
  • Create the indicators based on the observed variables and chosen deprivation thresholds;
  • Create dimensions with age-specific indicators.

After the preparation stage, participants proceeded to perform the analysis, and learned how to export their results. Lastly, we shifted the focus on interpreting the different types of graphs and outputs of the MODA analysis.

This training not only built and enhanced statistical capacity, but also informed the discussion on the selection of relevant parameters. As a consequence, some of the dimensions, indicators and/or thresholds were altered throughout the workshop to ensure the contextualization of the results.

Finally, the results were presented to the technical experts joining the training as well as to stakeholders, such as the Ministry of Health and provincial spokespersons. This step concludes the analysis and enables our research staff at SPRI Global to start with the report and the provincial briefs, which will serve as political support for UNICEF Burundi during the national month of statistics, starting in mid-October 2022.