Our COVID-19 projects

We are experienced in supporting decision-makers with timely data and evidence to help them respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Laterite's coffee farmer COVID-19 dashboard

TechnoServe

Knowledge, attitudes and behaviors among coffee farmers

Laterite carried out high-frequency phone surveys to track the impacts of COVID-19 on over 1,900 coffee farmers in Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, and Zimbabwe every 2-3 weeks over 8 months. The survey aimed to understand the knowledge, attitudes and behaviors about COVID-19 among coffee farmers that are part of TechnoServe’s agronomy training programs, and to identify and track social and economic impacts via a specialized dashboard. Our dashboard provides an overview of how coffee farming households in East Africa were affected by COVID-19 over time as the crisis progressed, from mid-2020 to early 2021.

World Bank

Impacts on refugee populations in Uganda

Laterite conducted a high-frequency phone survey of refugees hosted in Uganda for a project implemented by the World Bank in collaboration with the UNHCR and the Uganda Bureau of Statistics. The survey reached 2,100 households over three rounds of data collection, and aimed to identify the impacts of COVID-19 and related restrictions on the refugee population. The goal is to provide data to support an evidence-based response to the crisis.

World Bank

Impacts on Ethiopian firms and households

In collaboration with the World Bank, Laterite conducted two large-scale, high-frequency phone surveys with the goal of assessing the impacts of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic on Ethiopian households and businesses. The two surveys reached 3,300 families, including refugee households, and 800 firms in Amharic-speaking regions of Ethiopia. Laterite managed the entire data collection campaign, from recruiting specially trained enumerators, to daily quality monitoring, to data cleaning and analysis.

Overseas Development Institute

COVID-19 and behavior in adolescents

Laterite implemented a large-scale phone survey for the Gender and Adolescence: Global Evidence (GAGE) program, designed to understand the knowledge, attitudes, and behavioral of adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as their primary female caregivers. The survey looks into disruptions in education, training or work, constraints to mobility and agency, as well as self-reported health, coping mechanisms and psychosocial well-being.

Promundo / RWAMREC

Lockdown effects on couples and family dynamics

Laterite worked with Promundo and RWAMREC on a phone survey to assess how Rwanda’s lockdown affected low-income couples’ relationships and family dynamics. The study documents how the pandemic influences relationship dynamics, conflict, and the distribution of care-work. The phone survey reached 500 women and 500 men who had previously participated in the randomized controlled trial of the Bandebereho fathers/couples intervention. Analysis from this rapid survey will provide insights to inform gender-responsive pandemic control measures and policies.

Follow guidance

Laterite is following the advice of public health authorities in the countries where we work. We are monitoring the situation closely and have developed dedicated safety protocols for fieldwork during the pandemic.

Innovation

We have re-invented our way of working, and collecting and analyzing data, to continue delivering impactful research even during periods of lockdown and restrictions. We are also adjusting existing research projects to generate relevant insights on the effects of COVID-19.

Agile partnerships

We are supporting our clients in any way we can to deliver actionable insights on how COVID-19 is affecting the communities and businesses they work with in East Africa, including through phone surveys. Our teams are mobilized and ready for work.