Investigating and addressing the barriers to increased institutional deliveries in rural Zambia

One of the main goals of development practitioners is to enable people to adopt and practice positive behaviours that help them improve the quality of their lives. Development projects frequently make assumptions about why people do not follow the positive behaviors these interventions promote. However, such assumptions are not always correct and decrease the effectiveness of well-intended interventions.

People in Need (PIN) believes that the best approach to commencing new projects is to thoroughly understand people’s attitudes, beliefs and practices regarding the behaviors the intervention aims to change. Formative research is an essential step in designing effective behaviour change strategies.

This report documents the results of the formative research conducted for PIN’s project Women in Innovations (WIN) funded by People in Need. The implementation period of the first phase of the WIN project was from September 2017 to September 2018 in Nangole, Nawinda and Mabuto communities in Ndoka ward of Kalabo district, Western Province, Zambia. The project aims “to improve nutrition and strengthen resilience of vulnerable population through integrated sustainable innovations in Western Province, Zambia” and the specific objective is “to improve dietary diversity, livelihood skills, health, hygiene and nutrition practices of vulnerable households with children under 5 (of each at least 70% are (female headed) in Kalabo district of Western Province”.

Published by: People in Need (PIN) in January 2019
Research Conducted in: Ndoka Ward, Kalabo, Western Province, Zambia
Authors: Namukolo Mate, Zuzana Filipová and Camila Garbutt