SurveyCTO Presentation Series: How IPA Peru used SurveyCTO’s WhatsApp plug-in to improve response rates

Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA) is a global nonprofit organization that works to solve global poverty with evidence. Founded in 2002, IPA has worked in 52 countries and conducted hundreds of evaluations and built relationships with key decision-makers in those areas to drive their research.

In this webinar, IPA Peru walks us through a research project that measured educators’ preferences and feelings on government support for re-opening schools after COVID-19 lockdowns. In July 2021, the Peruvian government decided to re-open schools and give principals the ability to adopt the opening plan that they felt best fit their schools.

IPA’s research project involved baseline, midline and endline assessments of these principals. It also made innovative use of SurveyCTO’s WhatsApp plug-in to send follow-up communication and reminders to respondents through the popular messaging app. If you run assessments, work in education, or are curious about ways to integrate messaging apps like WhatsApp into your data collection workflows, this is one webinar you absolutely need to attend!

Presenter Guiliana Campos is a Senior Research Associate at IPA Peru. She worked at IPA on projects around gender, education, and governance. She has experience in the design, implementation, and evaluation of Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs) in Peru. Currently, she is in charge of a census together with the Ministry of Education of El Salvador on parental migration with the aim of identifying policy actions that can mitigate its negative effects. Previously, she was engaged in telephonic surveys and census for women who are at risk of Intimate partner violence (IPV) in rural areas.

Presenter Alexa Ayarza works as a Research Associate at IPA Peru. She is currently involved in a Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT) examining the impact of science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM) education on enhancing skills and knowledge among high school students in Belize. Previously, Alexa worked on various projects centered around education, early childhood development, and migration-related issues.