KHT’s M&E Officer, Chayapha has been working with KHT since December 2021.
“My work includes baseline and endline surveys, water testing, case studies, hygiene education, translating and also working with the projects team to evaluate and improve our work.”
Chayapha
Taking Surveys and Case Studies
I visit every village before our projects begin to take surveys on income, health, water access and other demographic information. These surveys help us understand the situation of the village and how our projects can make a difference. After the project is completed, I will return to the village and ask the same people the same questions and see how KHT has improved things. This type of monitoring is important to make sure KHT is delivering change and our work is the best way to help Karen villagers. We have special forms that I fill in with the villagers and it usually takes 1-2 days per village.
I also help provide hygiene education for the villagers as part of improving health for people.
I also take case studies to understand people’s individual stories so we can show the real impact for people and tell the world more about the Karen and KHT’s work.
Challenges and Positives
Traveling to the villages can be difficult and there can be landslides and bad weather. We can get stuck in villages far from home and as I am the only woman it can be challenging. Although our team is very considerate, I am often the only woman in the group and that can be difficult. There can be a lot of physical activity such as walking in the forests and that can’t be hard in bad weather.
I like that my job isn’t always in the office, and I can talk to many people when I do the surveys. Visiting the villages can be a break from the norm and relaxing too. Working at KHT has given me lots of new experiences, including speaking English with our UK staff and I am learning new things such as databases and Outlook.
My Best Experience So Far
Visting Ban Huay Pla Kang was very interesting for me, and it was my first village to visit as the M&E Officer. They are a different Karen group and I enjoyed speaking with them and learning about them. They still remembered older KHT volunteers, and it was nice to meet everyone there. I stayed in a house with a family and when I woke up, I had a beautiful view. The villagers still remember us when we go back and are happy to see us.
Looking Forward
I hope that I can continue to learn new things in my role and help KHT improve their work. I want to help more villages and give them continued support. I would like to build my expertise on education projects, WASH and irrigation.
KHT is grateful to our staff in the Khun Yuam office who work directly with our beneficiaries and ensure we continue to do great work and be trusted by Karen communities. You can help our WASH and irrigation projects by donating here today!