Description: The data set contains access to basic public services data in selected villages: 11 villages in 4 IPRDP district demonstration municipalities (Amathole, Chris Hani, Capricorn, Gert Sibande); and 4 comparison sites in 2 IPRDP demonstration municipalities (Sekhukhune; Ehlanzeni) and 2 non-demonstration municipalities (Ugu; Alfred Nzo). Abstract: The Department of Science and Technology (DST), through its Innovation Partnership for Rural Development Programme (IPRDP), contracted the Human Sciences Research Council (HRSC) to design, construct and implement a customised Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) framework to strengthen technology and innovation capabilities and learning within the targeted marginalised rural districts. The M&E framework specifically aims to assess the effects of the various technologies that have been developed and implemented in these targeted distressed municipalities by various institutions such as the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, the Water Research Commission, and various South African Universities. The technologies, whose objectives are to improve water, sanitation and energy in these marginalised rural districts, include the Corrective Action Request and Report System (CARRS), Point-of-use water filtration, pour flush, the Integrated Algae Ponding System, Water Safety Planning (WSP) and Wastewater Risk Abatement Plans (W2RAP).

As part of this assignment, HSRC conducted impact assessments at rural communities which have been exposed to these technologies through demonstration projects. The Community Impact Assessment (CIA) round 1 collected baseline household level data from a sample of rural settlements regarding access to, and the quality of, basic services (i.e. water, sanitation and energy) as a baseline for the community level impact assessment of the IPRDP technology demonstrations. In addition, data was collected from a sample of non-demonstration municipalities, which have not been exposed to the IPRDP technologies, for control purposes. The instrument also collected administrative and household demographic data.

Face-to-face interview

The selected IPRDP demonstration districts covered all the technology categories. The sampling strategy includes about 25% (at the time of the proposal and research design in 2015; note that 2 districts initially targeted have dropped out of the IPRDP initiative) of the demonstration districts in the overall IPRDP initiative and the macro-categories of water, sanitation, energy (smart geyser) and CARRS demonstrations.

This is a purposeful proportional sample. Data was collected in all the targeted villages (15 in all); 11 villages in 4 IPRDP demonstration villages; and 4 control sites (villages) in 4 non-IPRDP demonstration municipalities. The later 4 comparison districts were selected purposefully to ensure that there are comparison sites for all the technology categories. The comparison sites were not exposed to the technology categories investigated.

The target sample was to collect 40-50 completed questionnaires per settlement (and roughly 120-150 per district). The total target sample was 750 observations (i.e. 50 observations per settlement [upper bound target]).

Data was collected in all the target villages (15 in all), and the total realised sample exceeded the targeted sample by 14%, that is 857 observations obtained compared to the 750 target. On average, the overall response rate is 114%. The lower bound target of 40 observations per settlement was therefore exceeded in all villages.