PROJECTS PORTFOLIO

CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), Atlanta, USA – BURKINA FASO | 12.2020 – 10.2023
“Burkina Faso National Micronutrient Survey to Strengthen Nutrition Surveillance “

As technical partners, A-Consultants provided statistical data analyzes for 3 years for this project following guidance from the CDC team.
The Burkina Faso National Micronutrient Survey to Strengthen Nutrition Surveillance is a program to conduct a nationwide survey on micronutrient status among vulnerable populations in Burkina Faso. The survey aims to collect data on key program indicators related to industrial food fortification interventions and causes of anemia among children and non-pregnant women. The findings will be used to improve program evaluation, accountability, and global reporting.
The main technical tasks performed included:

• Developing specific SPSS functions to optimize the statistical processing of 6 large
  datasets.
• Using of Complex Samples Plans to properly weight stats in each population group.
• Merging datasets and performing data cleaning checks.
• Calculating several standard indicators such as:
  – (IYCF) «Infant and young child feeding practices». WHO – UNICEF – USAID
  – (WMDD) «Womens Minimum Dietary Diversity». FAO & USAID’S FANTA III.
  – (DDS) Dietary Diversity Score: Adolescent girl, Adolescent boy
  – (WASH) «Water & Sanitation Indicators». USAID-FANTA.
  – (Anthro) «Child Growth Standards». WHO Anthropometric indicators.
  – Nutrition status (Anthropometry: BMI and/or Z-scores): Adolescent girls, Adolescent boys, Women.
  – (HHS) «Household Hunger Scale». FANTA III
  – (HFIES) Household Food Insecurity Experience Scale
  – (HDDS) Household dietary diversity Score
  – (WI) «Wealth Index». DHS / World Bank and WFP.
• Charts developing for specific distribution variables such as Histograms, Kernel plots for
  density distribution curves, Boxplots, Bar charts with error bars among others.
• P-values calculating for different hypothesis tests.

UNICEF HQ, New York | CHAD & MOZAMBIQUE | 07.2018 – 07.2021
“Provision of technical support to develop a triangulation approach using satellite-basedpopulation estimates, CRVS and other community registries for immunization programming“

Together with Groundwork Health and SpaceSur, A-Consultants developed the methodology to generate population estimates using information extracted from satellite images.
Specific technical tasks:

• Field work methodology planning, from preparing the questionnaire to data monitoring
  during micro-census activities in Chad and Mozambique.
• Processing of raw data using SPSS, restructuring and merging dataset, data cleaning,
  indicators claculating, descriptive statistics, data analyzes for the development of the
  predictive model.
• Development of a statistical predictive model using R. We applied a Machine Learning
  technic (Random Forest) and a Poisson distribution to obtain the final population
  estimates.

On site interventions: In late 2018 we led exploratory missions in Chad and Mozambique to
review existing CRVS local data and to envision the statistical methodology design.

FAO, Mozambique | Sofala & Zambézia provinces, MOZAMBIQUE | 07.2019 – 12.2019
Millennium Development Goals in Mozambique (MDG 1c)
FAO Sub-Programme: “End line Evaluation of Result 16 sub component: Community Nutrition Education and Behaviour Change Communications Integrated with Home Gardens”

A-Consultants provided statistical advise, conducted the general review of the methodology,
data collection tools and supervised the statistical analysis of the study.
Specific technical tasks:

• Data validation tests for an entry mask developed in CSPro for third parties
• Supervision of the statistical sample design
•  Advising on inferential statistical analysis
• Support for the statistical approach for the final project report.

Note: This contract was awarded to Nutrition for Change Lda, a Mozambican private limited company.

GAIN, Geneva, Switzerland | Sofala province, MOZAMBIQUE | 03.2016 – 04.2017
“Micronutrient Powder Pilot Intervention for Children 6 to 23 months of age in Sofala, Mozambique”

A-Consultants provided conducted the data analysis for both the process and impact evaluations of the MNP project, worked together with CDC professionals and led a workshop on data analysis in Maputo.
Specific technical tasks:

• Data analysis for the Endline Survey and a cross-sectional study between Baseline and Endline surveys
• Data processing, data cleaning and merging, indicators calculating (Wealth Index, Anthropometric and IYCF, between other)
• Complex Samples
• Data entry mask design and data validation tests (CSPro)

On site intervention: workshop led on data analysis technics in Maputo, Mozambique, for professionals and stakeholders from the MoH, NSO and I provided technical support to GAIN’s local data collection agency.
Publication: Alison Tumilowicz, Marieke Vossenaar, Kirstine Kjaer, Julia Vettersand, Edna Possolo, Gretel H. Pelto, Maria Elena Jefferds, Augusto Norte, et al. (2018). Mixed methods evaluation explains bypassing of vouchers in micronutrient powder trial in Mozambique. DOI: 10.1111/mcn.12718.

GroundWork, Fläsch, Switzerland | African & Asian countries | 10.2014 – 04.2018

A-Consultants provided statistical support for several Health & Nutrition projects led by Groundwork in Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia and Uzbekistan.

Note: Project references and details can be provided upon request.
Publications: Leyvraz M, Rohner F, Konan AG, Esso LJCE, Woodruff BA, Norte A, et al. (2016). High Awareness but Low Coverage of a Locally Produced Fortified Complementary Food in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire: Findings from a Cross-Sectional Survey. PLoS ONE 1(11): e0166295. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0166295

Rohner F, Leyvraz M, Konan AG, Esso LJCE, Wirth JP, Norte A, et al. (2016). The Potential of Food Fortification to Add Micronutrients in Young Children and Women of Reproductive Age – Findings from a Cross-Sectional Survey in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire. PLoS ONE 11(7): e0158552. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0158552

Note: More information on any project supported can be provided upon request.