The implementation of the WAWCAS Data System gives a basis for better possibilities for analysis and development.
Getting the complexity of the WAWCAS Program into a type of software that could be integrated with WAWCAS’ Data System has been quite challenging. However, together with our Data Team, the programmer managed to get the work done. And as a result we now have our own fully functioning WAWCAS online Data System.
Each of the women who is included in the program is registered in the system, but the system is not only used to register details about the women and their development, the system also allows many details to be filled-in about the women’s children and their husbands. Through the use of the Data System various reports can be generated and analyses are made, which enables us to follow each of the women and their families online and see how they have developed during their time in the program.
The Data System has also been transformed into an Android version, and as all of our Local Program Leaders (LPLs) are provided with tablets, they don’t have to write down the details in a notebook when working in the field with the women anymore. Now they can enter the data directly into the system using the Android-version on their tablets when they are in the in the field. This has made it much easier and much more efficient for the LPLs to work with the Data System.
I must say that developing the system was not that easy. Frankly, we did not expect that the system would take us this long to finalize, but as the development of the system progressed, we realized there were many things to be changed and even more aspects to be added. We came to the realization that now that we had entered such a huge quantity of data into the system, “why not make optimum utilization of them?”, and therefore more features were added along the way causing the process to prolong. But now that we have a fully functioning Data System and we can see the difference the various features make, we are really glad that we did it.
The reports that are generated from the system help us maintain a better overview of the women and their development, loan and repayments and each LPL’s training and the overall effect of the program. In this way the Data System is a very strong tool for documentation, evaluation, and for identifying potential improvement points for the continuous development of the WAWCAS Program.
By: Sirish Shrestha, Program Manager