By Abishek Nippani (Former Research Associate); Chandan Jain (Senior Evaluation Specialist); Dale Pereira (Senior Research Associate), Sneha Venu (Research Associate), International Initiative for Impact Evaluation (3ie)
In 2022, International Initiative for Impact Evaluation (3ie) conducted the baseline survey for the ongoing impact evaluation of Saamuhika Shakti, a collective impact initiative working with marginalized waste-picking communities in Bengaluru to strengthen systems that support their agency to improve their lives. The survey reached out to waste-picker and non-waste picker households across multiple communities in Bengaluru.
These communities varied in their characteristics, while some were laid out with relatively better infrastructure enabling easy access, others were unplanned, had limited infrastructure, and were more difficult to access. Gaining access to these communities involved engaging with local actors, including landowners, politicians, and community support groups. Households in the communities also experienced precarious housing conditions, marginalization, limited mobility, and restricted access to basic services.
Data collection in such settings demands careful consideration of how these realities influence survey operations and participation. Researchers need to move beyond standard protocols and adopt approaches that recognize and respect communities’ lived experiences. Below, we reflect on our fieldwork experience to offer insights for those planning primary surveys in similar urban settings.
Most of the sampled households rely on daily, physically demanding work with little flexibility. Household heads and other adult household members would be mostly busy during the usual survey hours (7 am to 7 pm), either because of work or household responsibilities. Early mornings were also challenging, as many respondents, particularly those engaged in waste picking, would start their day at 4 am to prepare for work. Additionally, household members in some of the communities would migrate on a short-term basis during festivals and harvest seasons to other localities either within or outside Bengaluru.
Having anticipated these challenges, we developed field plans considering local conditions and insights from the Community Resource Persons (CRPs) about respondents' availability. The plans were kept flexible to adjust the survey schedule to match respondent availability. We used advanced appointments and multiple revisits to enhance surveyor productivity. Enumerators were permitted to interview other eligible household members if the primary respondent was unavailable. Allowing this flexibility in respondent selection enabled enumerators to cover a greater number of households.
While conducting fieldwork, enumerators navigated a range of environmental and logistical challenges. Many communities are situated in areas with limited formal infrastructure — such as narrow lanes and unplanned layouts — which can complicate access, especially during the monsoon. In some locations, safety concerns emerged due to inadequate lighting, particularly for women working evening shifts. Enumerators also faced occasional health issues linked to prolonged exposure to poor sanitation conditions in certain areas. These factors sometimes impacted attendance and retention, underscoring the importance of continued investment in both community infrastructure and fieldworker support.
Information from the initial mapping exercise and inputs from CRPs helped identify some of these challenges early, allowing measures to ensure enumerator safety to be incorporated into field planning. This included pairing enumerators to operate as smaller teams and ensuring female enumerators did not work late evenings. Additionally, a real-time support system through a WhatsApp group enabled enumerators to stay in close contact with supervisors and quickly receive assistance when facing challenging situations.
To build trust with the community, we relied on implementation organizations and their CRPs, who played a vital role in securing permissions from local leaders and identifying potential concerns early on. Working with trusted local partners proved essential. CRPs helped us establish relationships with communities before the start of fieldwork. Through conversations with community members, we learned that their reservations about surveys stemmed from past negative experiences, particularly with surveys that offered no feedback or visible benefits. Partner organizations also collaborated to develop an informational booklet about the program, which served as a tool to explain our objectives and build trust with local leaders.
While these measures were effective in most communities, there was resistance from local leaders and other organizations in a few. As a result, data collection had to be halted in those locations, and these communities were dropped from the evaluation sample.
Effective fieldwork in sensitive localities requires careful planning of the field team's movement. Both partner organizations and CRPs were kept informed about the team’s movements well in advance. Visits to the community were scheduled based on CRP availability.
Further, smaller teams were deployed to minimize potential disruptions in the communities. Additionally, an internal dashboard was maintained to track progress by community, identify issues as they arose, and coordinate with the data collection partner to resolve them promptly.
As we prepare for the endline survey, we are refining our approach using lessons learned from the baseline. Our goal is to ensure that data collection is both effective and respectful of the contexts in which waste-picking communities live and work. We are focusing on:
Additional reads by 3ie:
The International Initiative for Impact Evaluation (3ie) is the external evaluation agency for Saamuhika Shakti and is conducting a mixed-methods evaluation to assess how the initiative impacts the lives of waste pickers and their families.
By Abishek Nippani (Former Research Associate); Chandan Jain (Senior Evaluation Specialist); Dale Pereira (Senior Research Associate), Sneha Venu (Research Associate), International Initiative for Impact Evaluation (3ie)
In 2022, International Initiative for Impact Evaluation (3ie) conducted the baseline survey for the ongoing impact evaluation of Saamuhika Shakti, a collective impact initiative working with marginalized waste-picking communities in Bengaluru to strengthen systems that support their agency to improve their lives. The survey reached out to waste-picker and non-waste picker households across multiple communities in Bengaluru.
These communities varied in their characteristics, while some were laid out with relatively better infrastructure enabling easy access, others were unplanned, had limited infrastructure, and were more difficult to access. Gaining access to these communities involved engaging with local actors, including landowners, politicians, and community support groups. Households in the communities also experienced precarious housing conditions, marginalization, limited mobility, and restricted access to basic services.
Data collection in such settings demands careful consideration of how these realities influence survey operations and participation. Researchers need to move beyond standard protocols and adopt approaches that recognize and respect communities’ lived experiences. Below, we reflect on our fieldwork experience to offer insights for those planning primary surveys in similar urban settings.
Most of the sampled households rely on daily, physically demanding work with little flexibility. Household heads and other adult household members would be mostly busy during the usual survey hours (7 am to 7 pm), either because of work or household responsibilities. Early mornings were also challenging, as many respondents, particularly those engaged in waste picking, would start their day at 4 am to prepare for work. Additionally, household members in some of the communities would migrate on a short-term basis during festivals and harvest seasons to other localities either within or outside Bengaluru.
Having anticipated these challenges, we developed field plans considering local conditions and insights from the Community Resource Persons (CRPs) about respondents' availability. The plans were kept flexible to adjust the survey schedule to match respondent availability. We used advanced appointments and multiple revisits to enhance surveyor productivity. Enumerators were permitted to interview other eligible household members if the primary respondent was unavailable. Allowing this flexibility in respondent selection enabled enumerators to cover a greater number of households.
While conducting fieldwork, enumerators navigated a range of environmental and logistical challenges. Many communities are situated in areas with limited formal infrastructure — such as narrow lanes and unplanned layouts — which can complicate access, especially during the monsoon. In some locations, safety concerns emerged due to inadequate lighting, particularly for women working evening shifts. Enumerators also faced occasional health issues linked to prolonged exposure to poor sanitation conditions in certain areas. These factors sometimes impacted attendance and retention, underscoring the importance of continued investment in both community infrastructure and fieldworker support.
Information from the initial mapping exercise and inputs from CRPs helped identify some of these challenges early, allowing measures to ensure enumerator safety to be incorporated into field planning. This included pairing enumerators to operate as smaller teams and ensuring female enumerators did not work late evenings. Additionally, a real-time support system through a WhatsApp group enabled enumerators to stay in close contact with supervisors and quickly receive assistance when facing challenging situations.
To build trust with the community, we relied on implementation organizations and their CRPs, who played a vital role in securing permissions from local leaders and identifying potential concerns early on. Working with trusted local partners proved essential. CRPs helped us establish relationships with communities before the start of fieldwork. Through conversations with community members, we learned that their reservations about surveys stemmed from past negative experiences, particularly with surveys that offered no feedback or visible benefits. Partner organizations also collaborated to develop an informational booklet about the program, which served as a tool to explain our objectives and build trust with local leaders.
While these measures were effective in most communities, there was resistance from local leaders and other organizations in a few. As a result, data collection had to be halted in those locations, and these communities were dropped from the evaluation sample.
Effective fieldwork in sensitive localities requires careful planning of the field team's movement. Both partner organizations and CRPs were kept informed about the team’s movements well in advance. Visits to the community were scheduled based on CRP availability.
Further, smaller teams were deployed to minimize potential disruptions in the communities. Additionally, an internal dashboard was maintained to track progress by community, identify issues as they arose, and coordinate with the data collection partner to resolve them promptly.
As we prepare for the endline survey, we are refining our approach using lessons learned from the baseline. Our goal is to ensure that data collection is both effective and respectful of the contexts in which waste-picking communities live and work. We are focusing on:
Additional reads by 3ie:
The International Initiative for Impact Evaluation (3ie) is the external evaluation agency for Saamuhika Shakti and is conducting a mixed-methods evaluation to assess how the initiative impacts the lives of waste pickers and their families.
