External Data Quality Audit Documents for Third Quarter, July – September, 2012

The documentation consists of emails between CSH Research, Monitoring and Evaluation staff and the CSOs. CSH planned to conduct a data quality assessment of all HIV and AIDS CSOs that received contractual support in the last six months. In preparation for this exercise, CSH requested that the CSOs fill in an attached template for the months that their organization received support from CSH per indicator outlined. The CSOs were also asked to send the data as soon as possible and to arrange all necessary documentation, including original reports received from community facilitators or partners, prior to the arrival of the CSH team. The proposed program for conducting the data quality audit included visits to various CSOs, with dates ranging from July 18 to July 26, 2012. The locations of the visits were specified, and the CSOs were informed that it was essential to arrange all necessary documentation, including completed data collection forms, prior to the arrival of the CSH team. The CSOs were also notified that this activity was essential as consideration was made to award new contracts. CSH staff members communicated with the CSOs through emails, providing updates and reminders about the data quality audit. The emails were sent to multiple recipients, including M&E/programs persons, and CC'd to Lovemore Mwanza. The emails were marked as high importance and included attachments, such as the proposed program for conducting the audit and the product tracking form. The data quality audit documents provide insight into the communication between CSH and the CSOs regarding the reporting and verification of project indicators. The documents highlight the importance of data quality and the need for CSOs to arrange all necessary documentation prior to the arrival of the CSH team. CSH's Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist, Kevin Chilemu, played a key role in communicating with the CSOs and coordinating the data quality audit. He sent multiple emails to the CSOs, providing updates and reminders about the audit and requesting that they fill in the attached template and send the data as soon as possible. The data quality audit documents also highlight the importance of data quality in the awarding of new contracts. The CSOs were informed that the data quality audit was essential as consideration was made to award new contracts, indicating that the quality of the data was a critical factor in the decision-making process.