Our survey story

This is an account of a socio-economic household survey, covering 7,573 households in eight Panchayats in Karnataka State in Southern India, conducted by 270 young researchers, boys and girls aged from eight to eighteen years. They were mostly working children with little education, belonging to the organisation, Bhima Sangha, although some school-going children also helped. The project built on a long-standing strategy of Bhima Sangha to collect accurate data on which to base their initiatives. Besides providing accurate information for CWC (the Concerned for Working Children), the project aimed to improve child participation and empowerment by equipping the children with skills to collect information to support their planning and decision-making. This document is written by the participants and gives account of their view on the survey. It gives a background to how the survey came about; thoughts on the survey; purpose; methods; participant and interviewee recruitment; site selection; lessons learned; documentation; and way for the future. The document is concise and written in basic easily accessed language