WhizzKids United is a non-profit organisation which uses the universal language of football as a tool to address the HIV epidemic and its impact on children.

In support of their ongoing work in schools, they recently embarked on a baseline study to inform these efforts.

The baseline survey involves asking about a variety of topics, including sensitive questions where respondent privacy is paramount. In order to receive honest answers, respondents need to feel that no one else can observe their responses and that they will remain anonymous. WhizzKids selected Mobile Researcher to conduct the study and installed the mobile application on 50 low cost handsets which are handed out to learners, one class at a time. Each handset is preloaded with the baseline survey and a facilitator is present to assist each learner in completing the survey and answer questions they may have.

The use of Mobile Researcher in this fashion is one of the first examples of Mobile Assisted Self Interviewing (MASI), and represents a low cost, lightweight, and more personal version of the more traditional CASI (Computer Assisted Self Interviewing). MASI also leverages users’ familiarity with a mobile phone, and as WhizzKids report, “respondents find the survey more engaging”.

Read more about the use of Mobile Researcher for this project and their experience with the software on the WhizzKids United blog.