Today, we got started early again at 9am and began uploading our data and writing justifications for having each question on the survey. Lindsay and Anna got left behind at Makambo Resort but ended up using the strong WiFi there to get more work done. We regrouped around 12pm as a team at the World Hope office in Makeni (see photo below) and worked more on organizing and exporting our data into Excel so we can better interpret it.

Today was a nice break from surveying since we’ve been either on the ground collecting data or in Freetown for the past week since being in here, which took a toll on all of us. It was also great to have time to process what everything we’ve experienced as well as our insights into Sierra Leonean life. We also worked today on a clear plan for the next two weeks decided which days we would spend surveying or processing data.

Our next step is to sit down with Hassan, a knowledgeable resource at World Hope, tomorrow to get his perspective on where we should travel to get different demographics for future surveying. His unique knowledge of the surrounding area and his connections with the head of villages we could potentially travel to would be extremely valuable. Being able to communicate with village leaders before we embark to farther areas is essential for security, and to learn whether people would actually be willing to respond to our survey before making the trip there.