Following two semesters of coursework, students are required to participate in a two- to three-month practicum with an international agency or non-governmental organization, either headquarters-level or in the field, in accordance with the students' career plans. The practicum permits students to demonstrate their capacities to conduct professional-level work appropriate for a MPH in Population and Family Health. Students are responsible for the design and implementation of an independent research project on a pertinent public health or social sector theme.  The nature of the project and the site of the practicum are decided upon in consultation with Program faculty.  

Past practica were completed in countries including: Angola, Bangladesh, Bosnia, Burundi, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cote d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, Georgia, Guinea, Haiti, India, Indonesia, Israel, Kosovo, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Malaysia, Myanmar, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Tanzania, Thailand, Uganda, and Zimbabwe.

Summer 2011

Study on the Traditional Community-Based Child Protection Mechanism with Special Attention to Orphans and Unaccompanied Children in Aceh by Ilaria Schibba

My summer practicum centers on the study of traditional community-based mechanisms of child protection and support for children not being cared for by their biological parents in Aceh. The project is conducted under the auspices of the Center on Child Protection, a partnership between the University of Indonesia, Columbia University, and UNICEF. The research focuses on children who live with alternative caregivers because their biological parents are unable to provide direct care for them: it aims to highlight the risks and protective factors of traditional practices on the care of children as well as the strains upon families that host children.  Thanks to the invaluable support of a six-member field research team, we have collected qualitative data in four districts of Aceh, using in-depth interviews, observations and Participatory Ranking Methodology activities, incorporating the experiences of hosted children, alternative caregivers, biological parents and service providers. I have supported the Team Leader training the national researchers, managing the team in the field, assuring the compliance to high ethical standards, and revising the transcripts of the interviews. I am now analyzing the data and preparing the final report. The findings of the research will be shared with UNICEF and with the Indonesian Government to develop policy responses and to improve the protection of the large number of children living without biological parents in Aceh. I am grateful for this unique learning opportunity. I have fostered my research skills: I have applied and consolidated the knowledge acquired during my first year at Columbia University, as a Forced Migration student. I have practiced and developed respect for different cultures: I have lived with local communities to understand their beliefs and traditions. I have met extraordinary women and bright children. Finally, I have felt the passion for this work and my commitment to improve the protection of children afflicted by humanitarian crises.

Summer 2010

Layal Sarrouh in Philippines

In the summer of 2010, the Columbia Group for Children in Adversity conducted a progress evaluation for UNICEF of the first

three-years of implementation of its Education in Emergencies and Post-Crisis Transition (EEPCT) program. Layal Sarrouh’s practicum involved carrying out the evaluation of the EEPCT programme in the Philippines: namely in emergency response and reconstruction activities and establishment of the humanitarian cluster system for the education in emergencies sector. The evaluation involved conducting interviews and focus groups with members of government, UN and NGO staff, community leaders and members, educators, parents, and children and youth, at the national, regional, and community levels. Employing a sequential, mixed-method approach to evaluate implementation against the Organization for Economic and Cooperation and Development’s Development Assistance Criteria and the programme’s broader goals, the evaluation strove to determine whether program outputs and outcomes were being met, and if the program was on track to meet its objectives.

Leading a seven-member field research team, Layal used a systematic, representative sampling design to carry-out the evaluation on UNICEF’s education in emergencies response, predominantly centered on school construction and disaster risk reduction activities.  This took place in Bicol Region, eastern Philippines, where 90% of schools were destroyed when a super-typhoon hit in late 2006, triggering flash floods and mudslides. The evaluation is expected to report on implementation to date, highlight best practices, lessons learned, and make recommendations to inform the ongoing education in emergencies response in Mindanao in southern Philippines.                                                                                                  Layal (in red) and the research team

Ashley Hunt in Ethiopia

Ashley Hunt (on the far right in this photo) has been working with the International Rescue Committee’s (IRC) gender-based violence (GBV) team in two refugee camps for Eritrean refugees in northern Ethiopia. She has been working to support and strengthen the capacity of the social workers who respond to incidents of GBV in the camp.  In particular she rolled out a client satisfaction tool which required her to deal with issues of limited literacy among GBV survivors and
translation/back-translation of the tool.  She developed a data management system to collect and analyze the results of the data.  She also gave trainings on action and safety planning for the GBV social
workers in both camps.  To prepare for those trainings she created summaries and had all of the training materials translated into the local language, a greater challenge that she initially expected!
Based on those trainings she is currently revising the training manual to improve the social workers' abilities to support their clients. Finally, in one of the two camps she worked in, Ashley used the participative ranking methodology (PRM) to get a better picture of the biggest issues facing women in that camp. She met with the camp Women's Association, Refugee Central Committee, and Disability Association. The information gathered during the PRM exercises will give information to the GBV team as well as other sectors and service providers to help all groups strengthen their prevention and response strategies.

Karibu sana a la République Démocratique du Congo!

These warm words of welcome have greeted Stephanie Alfaro and Ihotu Ali over and over again, as they have visited villages in numerous locations in eastern DRC in a province-wide population-based survey tracking grave violations against children. As part of a collaborative initiative with Columbia University, the Centers for Disease Control, and UNICEF-New York, Stephanie and Ihotu are evaluating the Monitoring
and Reporting Mechanism (MRM), a global system established in 2005 by UN Resolution 1612 and used in conflict countries to document and track trends in abuses against children. They are exploring the incidence of child military recruitment, abduction, killings and injuries, displacement and disruptions of education, with a special initiative focusing on the documentation of attacks on schools by international and local organizations in the provincial capital, Bukavu.

South Kivu, a mountainous province affected by a decade of spillover conflict from the Rwandan genocide, is where the team of American researchers and Congolese interviewers have visited over 30 villages and spoken with health centers, village chiefs, women’s committees, and school headmasters regarding recent social disruptions and human rights violations caused directly or indirectly by armed groups. Now, after countless adventures in rural eastern Congo, Stephanie and Ihotu are analyzing the cluster data and preparing to share results and recommendations of the study with UNICEF and child protection and education partners in Bukavu, Kinshasa, and New York City.

Ayman Yassa in Sierra Leone

Ayman Yassa’s practicum centers on the preparation and management of a 6,000 household mortality survey completed in conjunction with the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and the International Rescue Committee (IRC). The survey is being performed to evaluate a community case management (CCM) of childhood illness program that is underway in Kono district in eastern Sierra Leone.  The CCM program is implemented by IRC with funding from Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA).  The survey protocol was developed by the CDC and Ayman travelled to Atlanta to meet with them to discuss the project.  They have just completed the pilot phase of the project (focus groups, questionnaire piloting and site mapping) which was a success.  Currently the protocol is being modified based on the information gathered during the pilot and preparations are underway to organize and train teams for the data collection in October and November.

Leah Petit and Alissa Pries in Nigeria

Leah Petit and Alissa Pries are supporting the implementation of operations research in Jahun, Jigawa State in northern Nigeria, as part of the Partnership for Reviving Routine Immunization in Northern Nigeria; Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Initiative (PRRINN-MNCH). They have been involved in analysis of community-based focus groups, implementation of a household survey, and preparation of policy briefings in relation to the development of a pilot of community-based service delivery in the area. They began their work in Nigeria analyzing focus group transcripts and conducting participatory ranking methodology (PRM) activities in two villages. In that time they also worked with PRRINN-MNCH operational research staff in proofing the final version of a survey to be implemented in the four northern states as well as training the survey team for Jigawa State. At the conclusion of the qualitative research and survey training they implemented the household survey in four villages over a two week period. After the survey they focused on building frameworks for future projects that are to be implemented after their departure, including further focus groups discussions, a needs assessment for training of community health workers and a proposal for performance-based financing within the villages.

Thalia Sparling and Nafessa Kassim in Aceh, Indonesia with:
CPC Network, Women's Refugee Commission, and Institute for Participatory Interaction in Development

While Micro-Finance has been hailed world-wide as a scalable means to improve livelihoods of people in developing countries, and the humanitarian community recognizes that higher incomes benefit children, the relationship between micro-lending and the aggregate effect on beneficiaries has not been readily measured. Although measuring long-term impact of any program is enigmatic, we are attempting to find out how participation in Save the Children's livelihood program has affected the families of this region.  The assessment is also being conducted by a team in Sri Lanka, which will allow for comparison across two countries.  The project is funded by the Care and Protection of Children in Crisis-Affected Countries Learning Network (CPC Network), in collaboration with the Women's Refugee Commission (WRC), the Institute for Participatory Interaction in Development (IPID), and Columbia University's Program on Forced Migration and Health.  

We are using a matched-cluster Household survey and a series of focus groups in four districts along the northern coast of Aceh Province.  We will aim to collect 300 randomized household surveys from people who participated in the local Micro-Finance program, AFDHAL, which was supported by Save the Children, and find village matches in the same areas to interview 300 similar people who did not participate in AFDHAL.  We hope to learn whether the programs benefited the children of participants in the long-term by looking at attendance at school, access to health-care, provision of child-care, and nutritional factors.  We will use both qualitative and quantitative methods, and produce a report to share our findings.

Nafessa (center) with focus group facilitator, participants and local children

Sarah Robinson's update from Amman, Jordan with International Medical Corps (IMC)

"Most days, I am in the office half the day, and the rest of the day, out in the field visiting IMC clinics or attending meetings in Amman. I’m primarily working with IMC’s psychosocial department, but also occasionally with the mental health department. There is no typical day for us. Most of our work centers around IMC case managers. These are non-mental health professionals who have received training in mental health services from IMC and who now are responsible for managing the care of, at a minimum, 30 mental health clients, most of whom are Iraqi refugees. There are four case managers, who are responsible for conducting visits to clients’ homes to make sure clients are complying with medication and treatment plans, scheduling client visits to mental health clinics/hospitals, taking comprehensive client assessments and documentation, the list goes on. Most of them are skilled professionals in other disciplines, but aside from IMC trainings, they have little background in mental health.

Part of my job is to work with these case managers to provide the mental health background they need to better and more appropriately care for the mental/psychosocial health needs of their clients. This has come in the form of developing different monitoring and evaluation tools to facilitate their ease in tracking the health team’s stated goals, objectives and indicators for each client; developing educational materials on different mental health illnesses, illness management and relapse prevention; brainstorming ideas for improving the referral process among IMC and its partner health organizations.

At least once a week, we travel to one of the three IMC clinics in Amman, Zarqa, and Irbid to check up on the case managers."

IMC Colleagues                                                                                                                                                                  Sarah and student below

Summer 2009

"Grave Violations" Survey in Central African Republic

Professor Les Roberts and Program on Forced Migration and Health students Kathleen Myer and Alina Potts conducted a nationwide survey of children's rights violations in the Central African Republic (CAR) in collaboration with UNICEF.  The survey examined the "grave violations" of children's rights that are to be monitored in selected conflicts according to the UN Security Council Resolution 1612, namely killing or maiming, abductions, recruitment, and rape or sexual abuse of children. 

The survey was conducted using the Neighborhood Method, a survey methodology developed at Columbia University and built on the assumption that, in certain contexts, people are able to speak knowledgeably about the experiences of their neighbors.  The research team divided the country into two strata (the North being more affected by conflict and with fewer government services than the South), surveyed 60 clusters throughout the country, and calculated prevalence rates for the grave violations listed above, as well as crude and under-five mortality rates. 

They found the most prevalent violation experienced by children to be rape. Surprisingly there was a relatively high rate of abduction of adult men.  Overall more violations were reported in the Northern part of the country. 

The survey uncovered a staggeringly high mortality rate throughout the country, with a crude mortality rate double the emergency threshold mortality rates established by the Sphere Project, Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders), and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. 

These findings are being shared with UNICEF and partners in CAR to develop advocacy and program responses to address the highest mortality rate uncovered and further explore its causes; to direct programming related to the grave violations surveyed; and to improve current monitoring and surveillance processes. 

The work, funded by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, would not have been possible without a strong team of six female interviewers, recruited in the capital city Bangui.

Three interviewers walking through a village in which surveys were conducted

Methods Training Workshop in Gulu

August saw the rollout of the first CPC Learning Network (cpclearningnetwork.org) methods training workshop. Held in Gulu, Northern Uganda it was delivered in collaboration with the Program Learning Group established with support from the Program of Forced Migration and Health (PFMH) at Columbia University and Save the Children last year. Participants for the workshop, 'Assessing Needs, Mapping Progress', were predominantly drawn from national and international NGOs working in Gulu in the field of child protection. The meeting was opened to participants from Rwanda and Ethiopia, in a run-up to the regional events the CPC Network is considering for 2010.

The workshop addressed the importance of reliable information on child protection needs and systems response, as a basis for planning and advocacy.  PFMH student, Shweta Dewan, shared insights from her analysis of current information held in Gulu; this analysis also fed into work CPC is piloting with Save the Children Sweden on creating Child Protection National Index Reports (NIRs). The workshop then focused on sharing emerging field methods for relevant, efficient and sensitive data collection in community settings. The fourth day of the workshop saw participants visiting projects in the Gulu area and putting these methods into practice, with the final day given over to presentations based on the assessment and evaluations completed.

Feedback on the training provided was very positive, with local members of the Child Protection Working Group planning to use the skills learned in an inter-agency child protection assessment in the District in the coming months. As Shweta reports, “Participants reported surprise at how easy M&E can be—many had considered it a separate task that required a huge amount of extra planning, equipment, and time that they didn’t necessarily have, making it very intimidating to them.  After the workshop, they said, ‘This isn’t so hard. We can do this, and maybe we can work on it together!’”  The workshop was also filmed by a videographer for use in future open learning programs, including the planned 'Global Classroom' initiative of the PFMH.

Groundbreaking Survey of Stress and Well-being Among NGO National Staff in Northern Uganda

Program on Forced Migration and Health (PFMH) student Dr. Eba Pasha collaborated with faculty and colleagues from the PFMH at Columbia University (New York), the Fuller Institute (Pasadena), the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC, Atlanta), and the Antares Foundation (Amsterdam) to lead a groundbreaking survey of stress and staff-wellbeing amongst national NGO workers.

The survey built on relationships established through CPC work over the past three years with Christian Children’s Fund (CCF), Save the Children and other organizations working in Gulu, Northern Uganda.  It examined staff exposure to acute, chronic and organizational stressors, as well as indicators of well-being including mental health and burn-out. The study—which sampled over 400 staff from a representative sample of over 20 organizations—is the largest study of its kind, responding to increased awareness of the importance of  staff well-being for effective and efficient humanitarian programming. Dr. Pasha found overwhelming support for the survey: “National staff in Gulu—whether involved directly in the survey or not—were very appreciative of a study on this topic.  They strongly believe it is an important, yet neglected area in humanitarian operations.”  Data from the survey is currently being analyzed, and will be used as the basis for planning a program to develop the capacity of NGOs regarding staff support, with funding from CDC.

Image: Shweta Dewan, Eba Pasha, Thomas Duke, Alastair Ager in Uganda

National Index Reports Piloted in Indonesia and Northern Uganda

CPC and Save the Children-Sweden are working together on a new initiative, to create Child Protection National Index Reports (NIRs) that provide an “at a glance” summary of relevant child protection information and indicators on a national level.  Pilot projects were carried out in Indonesia and Northern Uganda, where PFMH faculty and students, including Dr. Alastair Ager, Dr. Neil Boothby, Senior Research Associate Lindsay Stark, and students Shweta Dewan, Kathleen Simmons, and Erin Chu, worked with national partners to collate and collect existing information.  The experience in Indonesia, a country where significant child protection activities have already taken place on a national scale (following the Asian Tsunami), showed the ability to quickly construct NIRs when a relatively large amount of data is available for reporting.  Meanwhile, the work in Northern Uganda demonstrated the potential difficulties of constructing such reports at sub-national level (district, region, etc.), particularly where there are little to no existing sources of data.
 
NGO and government staff in both settings identified great potential for these reports, for use across planning, programming and advocacy.  For implementing agencies, donors, policy organizations, and government, the NIRs provide a centralized location for sourcing data that can also be used to compare the child protection situation between countries, and target scarce resources to specific areas and locations where the need is greatest.  The Child Protection NIRs have the same potential as those currently created for Maternal and Child Health indicators, to enable better targeting for interventions and achievements based on data that is presented in a centralized and clear reporting format.

Researcher Kathleen Simmons shared reflections from the Indonesian counterparts she interacted with, explaining that, “Many staff in Indonesia were engaged in the collection of the protection data, but knew it was not representative and most likely failed to capture the prevalence of protection issues present in the community. The pilot projects allowed us to begin to establish a consensus on what different data terms mean, what would fall under those categories, and how to understand and use prevalence data.”  The next steps in the project include defining criteria by which to assess the quality of data, as well as establishing consensus on approaches both to desk-based preliminary research and the collection of primary data, when needed.

Kathleen Simmons, Erin Chu, Juvenile Court Judge - West Jakarta, Lindsay Stark

Piloting of Inter-Agency Emergency Child Protection Resource Kit in Ethiopia

PFMH student Courtney Blake travelled to Ethiopia this summer to pilot the Inter-Agency Emergency Child Protection Resource Kit, in collaboration with Unicef-Ethiopia.  Courtney worked closely with the Unicef Child Protection in Emergencies Officer to lay the groundwork for upcoming Child Protection Assessments in Gambella and Somali regions, and completed a preliminary process documentation on field testing of the resource kit.  The resource kit includes guidance on desk review, including review of relevant government policies and laws; discussion guides, including participative ranking methodologies; a key informant interview guide; community assessment forms; and mapping checklists for both institutional capacity and humanitarian capacity.  As Courtney explains, “The kit is intended to capture key child protection concerns and vulnerabilities, map out existing resources and child protection systems, identify needs, and help inform response and/or emergency preparedness and planning.”

The TB Rapid Assessment Tool

Nathan Manley worked in Zimbabwe with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to document the tuberculosis (TB) burden in recently deported Zimbabweans who had been in Botswana illegally.  With IOM and CDC colleagues, Nathan designed and implemented a questionnaire - the TB Rapid Assessment Tool - that allowed them to quantify how many probable TB cases they were missing on a daily basis.  This information assisted Nathan and his colleagues in designing a low cost diagnostic and treatment program that utilized existing, albeit very limited, resources at the local government hospital.  The aim of quantifying the TB burden in this vulnerable population was to know how many referrals IOM would make to the government hospital per day, week, month and year so that IOM and CDC could mobilize resources (mainly lab reagents and supplies for sputum microscopy) and support the hospital in key areas.

Nathan Manley (center) and IOM colleagues in Zimbabwe