July.8.2023
It is somehow so difficult to believe that we are already into the month of July! The days fly by quickly, with much to do both at work and after. This past week, I have fully dived into interviews. I am mentored by Donat, a NEST360 and IHI team member who has spearheaded the infrastructure project thus far. Donat is an incredibly seasoned researcher who has guided me through the qualitative interview process, and I am so grateful that he has been taking the time out of his busy schedule to accompany me in the interviews. On Monday, July 3, I piloted my interview guide at one of the regional hospitals in Dar. My first set of interviews with nurses at the hospital were amazingly perceptive, and I learned so, so much in just a short period of time. My interviews focus on hospitals that have undergone neonatal unit renovations in recent years, so I honed in on learning challenges and improvements from both pre- and post- renovations. I also gained a lot of valuable feedback for my interview guide in terms of prompts and question order, that I implemented over the next few days in preparation for my second set of interviews later that week.
After my interviews, I worked on the transcription and a basic level of thematic analysis that will inform my future qualitative analysis. With more limited experience in anthropological research methods, I am leaning on Christine’s expertise and learning much from her. Apart from interviews and transcription, I have also been making headway on the data analysis portion of my project. David, a Rice360 Fellow, has made a template for floor plan information, into which I have been extracting from the Tanzania drawn plans. In the near future, I will be confirming and refining this data. I do not take photos of the hospital work, but I will include some pictures of my thematic analysis in the next post!
At the beginning of the week, on Sunday, July 2nd, we visited Haruka Maruyama, a Rice alumna who is the Tanzania country director of ICAP. Christine, who graduated from Rice actually just a year after Haruka, invited us to join their meetup on Sunday. It was great to make Owl connections halfway around the world, and learn how Rice was a decade before our time there. Haruka was also involved with Rice360 as a student in building devices, which was an amazing connection to the work that we have done in previous classes at Rice.Meeting with Haruka has reaffirmed my interests in connecting with the wider Rice alumni network, and learning about different pathways through there.
Photo: Rice meetup in Dar es Salaam!
Apart from the work that we have been doing here, we have also enjoyed some delicious food and gorgeous views. As the time flies by, I can’t help but notice what I will most definitely miss when I return to the U.S. On the top of the list is the convenience of calling a bajaji on the side of the road to easily get to my next destination. Another is definitely Slipway, with its gorgeous views of the ocean, beautiful architecture, and amazing food. A third will be the many work and study locations available, from the Ifakara Health Institute office to the plethora of cafes within walking distance.
Photo: Cafe at the Slipway, where we got some work done on Friday!
Photo: (Fake) elephant at one of my new favorite Indian restaurants.
In the next week, my interviews continue at hospitals in Dar. So far, I have been interviewing doctors and nurses who have been at their neonatal units pre- and post- renovation; I will continue this, and also interview one of the NEST360 data clerks in the upcoming days. Additionally, we will be visiting the Dar es Salaam Institute of Technology for a tour and to meet students and leaders there!
See you next week,
Shrutika