A 4 ½ week training session kicked off today, preparing 40-45 participants for Belize's upcoming Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey, or MICS.
This intensive program is a joint effort by the Statistical Institute of Belize and UNICEF. Organizers say it will collect critical data, which will be used to develop policies and programs that directly benefit Belize's women, men and children.
Alison Parker, Representative of UNICEF in Belize
"The MICS is a comprehensive household survey that is conducted by UNICEF in partnership with the government of Belize and in particular with SIB. This covers every component of human development that is related to children, especially children under 5. So we look at indicators that speak to the health, nutrition, the well-being, the educational standards, access to services, child protection issues, issues regarding poverty levels, issues regarding children who are migrants, Issues with disability. So there is a gamete of things that are actually covered with each of the MICS with each of the MIx processes that is being done and that's where we have the core data for children in many countries across the world."
Diana Castillo Trejo, Director-General, Statistical Institute of Belize
"This is the 4th round of the MICS that we are conducting here in Belize and it is the largest and the most ambitious iteration for us here in Belize.The sample size is around 5500 households, we are including various questionnaires for women, children and men. We are introducing some innovation such as the geo referencing of MICS data based on household locations we haven't done this for any prior round of the MICS and we are also introducing the direct interviewing of children for the first time in the MICS."
"We will be launching the finding of the MICS in early 2025, as I said that is a very lengthy survey so we will be in the field collecting data for several months but in early 2025 we are expect to be launching data and again this is wealth of information that can inform policy makers, persons who work within the social services sector and all stakeholders to really have any interest in the wellbeing of women and children and men as to the exact state of well being of persons within our country."
Following their intensive training, the participants will embark on a 12-week data collection mission, serving as interviewers or field supervisors.
