SOIL Research Team Earns Honorable Mention for Equity Measurement Work

Reserach Associates Miselie Fanor Pierre and Bridj Ozeris at the SOIL office in Cap-Haitien
SOIL’s Research Team (Winnie Felix-Jean, Maya Lubeck-Shricker, Bridj Ozeris, and Miselie Fanor Pierre) was recently awarded an Honorable Mention from the Davidson Gwatkin Equity Measurement Prize committee for its innovative use of the Equity Measurement Tool. This recognition highlights SOIL’s efforts to better understand household wealth and guide the strategic expansion of our EkoLakay container-based sanitation (CBS) service in Northern Haiti.
What is the Equity Tool?
The Equity Tool is a fast and reliable method to assess household wealth. With applications in over 65 countries, this tool uses a streamlined 6-to-18 question survey tailored to local context.
Our team in Haiti translated the Equity Tool survey into Haitian Creole and adapted it to address Haiti-specific considerations. In August 2023, we trained several members of our EkoLakay team to pilot the survey and collect data. Over the course of the month, our research team surveyed 306 households across nine service zones. To our delight, we found that the EquityTool proved to be a practical tool for data collection throughout this process.
Applications in Haiti and Beyond
The Equity Measurement Tool has already proven to be a valuable resource for SOIL’s work and is now being explored for use by the Haitian Ministry of Water and Sanitation (DINEPA) and the Ministry of Public Health. Globally, SOIL’s experience with the Equity Tool will help inform development strategies in other low and middle income countries–offering a model for smarter, data-driven decisions for the implementation of basic services worldwide.