Spotlighting our resident enumerators — Hewan Mosisa
By Zemene Yohannes
Hewan Mosisa has worked for PMA Ethiopia for more than two years as a resident enumerator (RE), and she’s still working, collecting data mainly in Addis Ababa. Hewan recalls how her experience grew since she joined PMA Ethiopia and remembers the challenges and lessons that made her a strong RE.
Asking for personal information from people you have never met can be challenging for REs. Developing interpersonal skills comes through training, practice and experience. Hewan believes that her role as an RE has helped her strengthen this and many other professional skills needed to be a strong data collector.
Describing one of her most challenging experiences, Hewan recalls, “a year ago I met a mother of two who lives alone with her children. Her older child was three years old and the younger just 6 months old. She lives in a dilapidated house, almost a demolished one. The family had nothing to eat and she could not breastfeed her infant well. I was very emotional when I learned about her life. Once I finished my task I went back home, but my mind was still left behind with that woman. Hewan says she’s met many like her but this was an exceptional experience considering her living conditions are worse than most of the women she met.
Hewan has observed that women tend to be those primarily responsible for their children,“I have learned how strong women are when they show you their welcoming face despite all those hardships. This is a huge lesson for me.” She adds that working as an RE gives her more than professional experience, but she has developed a deeper appreciation of the strength and resilience of women in Ethiopia
Hewan is part of the team that collects data in Addis Ababa. She collects panel and cross-sectional data from women and household in the capital city. Data collected by Hewan and her fellow REs working in other regions of Ethiopia for the study allows policy makers and programmers to understand effectiveness of health interventions and identify gaps in health service provision and utilization. Hewan and her fellow REs recently participated in a refresher training to prepare them for their role in the study. The training, as Hewan commented, helped familiarize the interviewers with the questionnaire and the overall objective of the study.
Hewan asserts that the data PMA Ethiopia collects aims to alleviate the challenges in the community by providing better information for the policy makers, stakeholders and the community at large. The data produced is evidence for making informed decisions. When we enhance health care services, we can reduce maternal and child mortality, and achieve our goal of better community health.
