13th
March 2012
First MICS
on the Island
MICS,
the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey, has started
in Saint Lucia for the first time. It is a household
survey for collecting information about the
situation of children and women around the world.
It is implemented by the Central Statistics
Office and Ministry of Social Transformation
with support from UNICEF, UNFPA and UN Women.
Preparations
have been underway since July 2011 with the
signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between
the Government of Saint Lucia and UNICEF Eastern
Caribbean Office.
MICS
is Saint Lucia’s opportunity to do away
with the gaps it has on social data. Important
social issues such as education, child discipline,
nutrition, sexual behaviour, HIV/AIDS, even
iodized salt consumption and a host of other
health and protection indicators including MDGs
will receive updated or first time data. The
survey will provide a comprehensive picture
on the situation of children and women across
Saint Lucia, and from an equity approach, indicate
the disparities by gender, urban/rural, education
level and wealth.
A
two-week training workshop starting today in
Castries will prepare the field work teams to
collect the data with excellence. Four teams,
each comprising a supervisor, an editor, a measurer
and four interviewers, will traverse hundreds
of kilometres island-wide, knock on the doors
and talk with the households about their health
and wellbeing. The teams will be equipped with
weight and height measurement tools, salt test
kits and MICS questionnaires. These have been
customized to the Saint Lucian context based
on a field pre-test. At least 2000 households
from all the districts have been scientifically
selected (using a specific sampling method)
to represent the island. All of them will be
visited between March and May this year.
|
