12 Female Research Assistants

Background

Makerere University School of Public Health (MakSPH), in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, district local governments, community-based organizations, and the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), will conduct a study titled “An Effectiveness-Implementation Trial of a Peer Mentorship Intervention to Help Women Navigate Barriers to Contraceptive Use in Rural Uganda (ICAN Study)”. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness and implementation of a peer mentorship intervention designed to support women in overcoming barriers to contraceptive access and use. This activity precedes the baseline survey to conduct a comprehensive household listing exercise in selected villages to identify all households in the selected villages and create a study sampling frame.

The study team seeks to recruit 12 female responsible, qualified, and competent individuals who can work with minimum supervision to join the team as Research Assistants to support the household listing exercise in the selected villages for the period of data collection. The study will take place in Iganga and Kole districts

Responsibilities

• Attend the entire household listing training and pre-test exercise.
• Familiarize themselves with the study protocol, household listing manual, standard operating procedures, and data collection tools.
• Obtain permission from local leaders before commencing household listing.
• Visit every household within assigned villages.
• Introduce the study and obtain verbal consent before conducting household listing.
• Enumerate all households within the assigned village.
• Identify and record GPS coordinates of each household where required.
• Accurately complete the household listing questionnaire using the electronic data collection platform (ODK/SurveyCTO).
• Maintain daily progress logs and submit completed interviews each day.
• Provide the study team with daily updates on data collection and participate in the development of the daily field report
• Address data queries on time
• Maintain confidentiality of all participant information.
• Safeguard all study equipment and materials.
• Adhere to the study protocol and ethical guidelines throughout the assignment.
• Perform any other duties related to this position as may be assigned from time to time through the field supervisor

Qualifications and Desirable Qualities

• Must possess a bachelor’s degree or diploma from a recognized institution of higher learning.
• Experience in collecting data using quantitative and qualitative research methods as a research assistant.
• Previous experience conducting household surveys or community-based research.
• Experience using electronic data collection platforms such as ODK, KoboCollect, SurveyCTO, or REDCap.
• Ability to speak the local language of the assigned district (Lusoga for Iganga and Langi for Kole).
• Ability to work in rural communities and travel extensively.
• Ability to work independently with minimal supervision.
• Excellent attention to detail and accuracy.
• Possession of a Certificate in Good Clinical Practice and/or Human Subjects Protection is an added advantage.
• Good oral and written communication skills
• Ability to work well in a team