SSHAP – Local Burial and Mourning Practices: Open-Ended Questions

Abstract

These questionnaires allow for a rapid quantitative survey (see excel sheet) and qualitative (see word document) appraisal of burial and funeral practices in the context of an Ebola outbreak. The survey uses simple questions that can be used by national volunteers in the response to understand death, burial, funerals (rites or ceremonies), and mourning: gauging who does what and for what reason, and how these practices may clash with the implementation of Safe and Dignified Burial protocols in an Ebola response. The qualitative questionnaire can be used by response workers with background in qualitative methods to conduct interviews or focus groups in order to further understand social, symbolic and emotional reasons behind burial and funeral practices and explore ways in which these can be locally adapted to meet public health goals whilst maintaining its meaning for the community and the mourners. Questions are in English and Swahili.