Monitoring COVID-19 REPORT NO. 1 Impacts in Eastern DRC 21 / July/ 2020 Results from 1st Round High-Frequency Phone Survey of Households1 Background The COVID-19 pandemic has presented important challenges to households and economies around the world, including in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) where the first cases of COVID-19 have been recorded since March 2020. This fast-spreading virus has created an urgent need for timely data that will permit monitoring the evolving living conditions of –particularly the most vulnerable - households in Eastern DRC. To help the DRC government monitor and mitigate the negative impacts of this recent health crisis, the World Bank – through its DRC Crisis Observatory - responded to these new data needs by setting up a High-Frequency Phone Survey Panel (HFPPS) of households in Eastern DRC. In the absence of a recent country-wide household survey, the DRC Crisis Observatory - jointly with the Université Libre des Pays des Grands Lacs (ULPGL) ULGPL - used the extensive databases of beneficiaries and eligible population of the ongoing Eastern DRC Social Protection Program managed by the Fonds Social de la RDC (FSRDC) across Ituri and North Kivu provinces for reaching particularly vulnerable populations. The Social Protection Program was open to all individuals aged 18 and above, selected through public lotteries, and who were willing to carry community works for a stipend of US$3 per day. The low rate was used to ensure self-selection of the poor and vulnerable populations into this project. Upon arrival at the lottery, the eligible population’s phone numbers were recorded by the project during its registration survey. As a result, the pool of respondents used for this survey comes from the poor populations in urban and peri-urban areas in Eastern DRC. These households will be tracked as part of the HFPPS over the coming six to 12 months, with interview rounds conducted every 4-6 weeks. This high-frequency and near real-time data aims to support the government and development actors in programming evidence-based responses to the ongoing crisis. The following analytical brief summarizes the main results of the first round of the HFPPS in Eastern DRC that was carried out between May 30 and June 13, 2020. During that period, a team of thirteen trained interviewers conducted phone interviews with 1453 respondents living in urban and peri-urban areas of Goma, Lubero, Beni (Kalunguta), and Bunia. The survey covered modules pertaining to knowledge and behavior around COVID-19, access to health and education, changes in employment and revenue patterns, food (in)security and assistance received, and finally strategies to cope with the shocks COVID-19 presents. 1 This brief was prepared by Jarotschkin, Alexandra, von Engelhardt, Johannes, Koudakpo, Kodjo, and Bindu, Kennedy, 2020. Inputs were received from Paul Bance, Laura Bermeo, Lanfeng Li. Data collection was assured by a team of Université des Pays des Grands Lacs (ULGPL) enumerators under the guidance of Ruffin Bindu and Kennedy Bindu, with technical assistance from Amani Lameke, Paulin Bazuzi, and Johannes von Engelhardt. 1 Monitoring COVID-19 REPORT NO. 1 impacts in Eastern DRC 21 / July/ 2020 Round 1 – Summary 99.4 percent of respondents were aware of COVID-19. A large share of respondents knew about many of the measures citizens can take to limit transmission - even though less than half of the respondents reported physical distancing, avoiding travels, and staying at home. 88.4 percent of households have children of school age. Amid school closures only 15.6 percent of respondents reported having their school children engage in some form of distance learning activities. Across all main sources of revenue (agriculture, non-farm business, wage salary) – a majority of respondents reported experiencing decreases in respective incomes. 25.9 of respondents lost their respective jobs after March. COVID-19 related reasons, such as business closure or movement restrictions were cited among the main three reasons for job loss. 5 percent of respondents reported some form of assistance (transfers, food support, other support) from government, local authorities, international organizations, and/or non-governmental organizations. An alarming proportion (69 percent) of respondents reported at least one day in the past without having something to eat. A large share of respondents reported engaging in harmful coping strategies, such as reducing food consumption and selling assets. 99.4 percent of all respondents had heard about COVID-19. When asked which preventive measures Knowledge, they know about, almost all respondents (91.5 percent) mentioned washing hands with soap. However, Behavior, and only 63.8 percent mentioned masks and gloves and less than half (43.6 percent) talked about social Concerns and physical distancing as a measure to contain the spread of the virus. The lack of this important knowledge was particularly striking in Goma – where only 34.1 percent of respondents appear to know about social and physical distancing measures. 36.5 percent mentioned avoiding handshakes as another measure. 2 Monitoring COVID-19 REPORT NO. 1 impacts in Eastern DRC 21 / July/ 2020 Figure 1 - Measures known Figure 2 - Measures taken Wash hands with soap often 91.5 Wash hands with soap more 98.9 Use masks 63.8 than often Keep distance 43.6 Avoided handshakes and other 96.3 contact Avoid gatherings 42.6 Avoid handshakes 36.5 Avoided gatherings for more 85.2 than 20 people Use of desinfectants 27.6 Stay at home 25.3 Cancelled all travels 65.5 Avoid travels 18.6 Avoid touching one's face 17.1 Reduced grocery trips 49.9 Others 10.2 Stocked up food for more than 29.9 Don't know 1.0 normal R1: May-Jun, 2020. When asked about actual behavioral changes, 98.9 percent of respondents reported to have washed their hands more frequently than usual and 96.3 percent said they have avoided greetings gestures, such as the handshake. Most respondents received their information about social distancing and related measures from the radio (84.3 percent). Figure 3 – Knowledge about Government Measures Figure 4 – Sources of information Advice to stay at home 51.7 Radio 84.3 Neighbors/family 26.0 Curfew/confinement 47.5 Television 27.5 Closures church 44.6 Health workers 25.5 Closures school/universities 44.1 Facebook/Twitter/Social media 24.0 NGO staff 17.8 Restrictions of domestic travel 32.1 Local authority 15.3 Closure of bars/restaurants 26.8 SMS 14.8 Restrictions of international… 25.0 Billboard/Flyers 13.1 Closure of non-essential… 14.9 Others 7.8 Newspapers 7.0 Others 11.3 Phone call 5.2 Don't know 7.7 Traditional healer/religious leader 2.4 R1: May-Jun, 2020. Results show the large impact of government measures on public life. No less than 85.2 percent of respondents stated to have avoided congregations of more than 20 people. Out of those needing to travel (68.6 percent), 65.5 percent reported having avoided travel and trips in the week prior to the interview. Importantly, 32 percent of respondents stated that a person with the COVID-19 virus risked other community members speaking negatively about her/ him. 3 Monitoring COVID-19 REPORT NO. 1 impacts in Eastern DRC 21 / July/ 2020 Figure 5 and Table 1 – Diseases deemed most prevalent Location BENI- TOTAL BUNIA GOMA LUBERO KALU 56.9 32.9 10.2 COVID-19 56.9 30.2 50.7 86.4 26.5 Ebola 32.9 65.2 39.0 4.6 50.4 COVID-19 Ebola Measles Measles 10.2 4.5 10.3 8.9 23.0 R1: May-Jun, 2020. In the recent past, localities in Eastern DRC have been confronted with a high disease burden, including COVID-19, measles outbreaks, and Ebola. In the past weeks, Eastern DRC has been officially declared Ebola-free after the government, households, and international organizations had been fighting the disease for almost two years. When asked which of the three diseases (COVID-19, Measles, Ebola) is most prevalent in their community – 56.9 percent of people believe it to be COVID-19, immediately followed by 32.9 percent stating that Ebola is most present, and another 10.2 percent stating measles to be the most prominent disease in their community. This perception strongly varies across the different localities, with residents in and around Beni most frequently stating that Ebola is the most prevalent disease around them. In contrast, residents of Goma overwhelmingly believe that COVID- 19 is the most prevalent disease burden in their vicinity. Availability and affordability of essential products – food and medicine in particular – are known to Access to strongly fluctuate in moments of crisis. This can be the result of supply disruption, changes in behavior Food and among other factors. Medical In a health crisis, access to medicine and/or access to treatment is particularly critical. The survey Supplies elicited the share of people in need of one or the other. 47.5 percent stated that they or someone else in their household had required medical treatment since the initial outbreak in March. Out of these families, 84.2 percent reported having had access to treatment when needed. The shares were lower in Goma (with 76.7 percent stating having had access). Out of those who needed access but did not get it, lack of money was cited as the most prevalent reason across gender and location (88.1 percent). 4 Monitoring COVID-19 REPORT NO. 1 impacts in Eastern DRC 21 / July/ 2020 To prevent further spread of COVID, the DRC closed schools across the country. From past Impact on experiences of school closures – for example, during the Ebola crisis in Sierra Leone and Liberia – we schooling know that efforts to continue with the curriculum through other means are a major challenge. Moreover, previous experiences show that children from poorer households and girls, in particular, are likely to be affected worst by school closures. For example, children from poor families rely more on meals - through school feeding programs - and have a higher likelihood of permanent school dropout at an early age. This risk is heightened for girls. This is particularly detrimental for female productivity and health when girls do not go back to school because of early marriage and/or early pregnancies. Across the four localities in Eastern DRC, 88.4 percent of households have school-aged children – between the age of 6 and 18. The average household had at least two children of school age who normally go to school. Yet, only 15.6 percent of households reported that their children participated in some form of schooling activity since schools had been shut down. The rate was lower among respondents in Lubero (9 percent) than in the other locations (Goma-18.8, Beni-Kalunguta-19.1, Bunia-14.6). Out of those who reported some form of distance learning in their household: 53.7 percent reported that children in the household received home-schooling or tutoring through another household member. Another 43.6 percent of respondents reported children following educational programs through the radio. As the HFPPS will continue following the same households, naturally, the DRC Crisis Observatory will be able to learn whether distance learning trends among the vulnerable households improve. We will also be able to observe whether boys and girls are indeed returning to school. Figure 6 – Share of children who had participated in some form of homeschooling 15.6 84.4 No Yes R1: May-Jun, 2020. Household Most households in DRC rely on multiple income sources. Inevitably, many households have seen Revenue their revenues decrease as a result of the COVID-19 crisis. This happened through multiple channels sources and affected a multitude of revenue sources. For this reason, the DRC Crisis Observatory asked respondents about their different revenue sources as well as how these changed since the outbreak of the COVID-19 crisis back in March. 43.4 percent of households relied on farming during the course of the past 12 months, followed by wage employment (31.8 percent), occasional work – in particular selling produce and artisanal goods (25.7 percent), followed by non-farm family business (21.8 percent). 5 Monitoring COVID-19 REPORT NO. 1 impacts in Eastern DRC 21 / July/ 2020 Table 2 – Sources of Household Income in past 12 months Location TOTAL BENI-KALU BUNIA GOMA LUBERO Agricultural, livestock and fishing activity 43.4 57.5 45.5 16.8 91.3 Non-farm family business income 21.8 18.4 28.7 22.0 15.6 Salaried employment of household members 31.8 25.9 35.8 37.9 17.6 Occasional (spontaneous) work, specify 25.7 20.6 30.7 26.6 23.2 Transfers from abroad 1.5 0.5 3.1 1.6 0.0 Family transfers from the country 3.2 1.6 2.3 5.4 0.8 Transfers from someone outside the family 0.8 0.3 0.3 1.6 0.0 Property income, investments and savings 6.1 4.5 8.0 4.9 8.9 Pensions 0.2 0.0 0.3 0.3 0.0 Government assistance 0.1 0.3 0.0 0.0 0.0 Aid from NGOs and other charities 0.8 0.8 2.3 0.3 0.0 Other, to be specified 10.2 10.4 8.8 11.7 7.8 R1: May-Jun, 2020. Almost across the board, household incomes had decreased compared to pre-COVID-19 levels (Table 3). 72.9 percent of households that cited relying on farming activities stated their income from this particular source to have decreased. This would have a particularly strong aggregate impact in places like Lubero, where 91.3 percent of individuals rely on agriculture as the main source of income. 72.7 percent of households generating income through the non-farm family business, reported that this has been lower than normal since March, whereas 63.6 percent of respondents stated that their wage salaries had decreased. The same was true for occasional labor opportunities – for which revenue was reported to have decreased since March by 81.4 percent. A higher share of forcibly displaced respondents reported their income sources from agriculture to have decreased since the crisis hit (80.3 percent), compared to those not displaced (70.7 percent). Table 3 - Changes to Household Income Sources Changes to Household incomes sources Revenue higher than Revenue Revenue lower than normal unchanged normal Agricultural, livestock, and fishing activity 9.1 18.0 72.9 Non-farm family business income 12.5 14.9 72.7 Salaried employment of household members 4.1 32.3 63.6 Occasional (spontaneous) work, specify 7.5 11.1 81.4 Transfers from abroad 0.0 49.8 50.2 Family transfers from the country 4.0 12.2 83.7 Transfers from someone outside the family 0.0 0.0 0.0 Property income, investments, and savings 13.1 12.0 75.0 Pensions 0.0 0.0 100.0 Government assistance 0.0 0.0 100.0 Aid from NGOs and other charities 8.1 16.1 75.8 Other, to be specified 3.4 10.5 86.1 R1: May-Jun, 2020. Overall remittances played a smaller – but still noticeable - role in household revenue. 5.5 percent of households declared remittances to be among their revenue sources. Remittances overall comprised remittances from abroad, from within the country, further distinguishing those not coming from a 6 Monitoring COVID-19 REPORT NO. 1 impacts in Eastern DRC 21 / July/ 2020 family member. 83.7 percent of those having stated to have received payments from within the country reported that revenue from this source has been lower than before March. Whereas remittances from abroad were reported to have stayed the same by 49.8 percent of respondents and to have decreased by 50.2 percent of those who received remittances in the course of the past 12 months. Particularly among the vulnerable in Bunia and Goma - where a larger share of respondents relies on remittances either from abroad and/or within the country - this decrease will have a strong negative impact on overall revenue. There is no doubt that economic activity has been severely affected by the COVID-19 epidemic in Employment Eastern DRC, in particular as a result of containment measures - focused on restrictions of congregations of more than 20 individuals - as well as the closing down of shops and institutions. To better understand how the crisis affects respondents’ work situation, the HFPPS elicited information about the employment situation of respondents on numerous types of activities. Table 4 - Changes to Employment Location Not Forcibly Female Male BENI- displaced displaced TOTAL KALU BUNIA GOMA LUBERO Lost work since 23.2 29.4 26.1 19.0 20.4 21.9 29.8 18.8 27.6 March Don’t work 33.3 31.8 33.8 31.4 39.7 33.8 30.2 42.3 24.3 now nor prior Currently work 43.5 38.8 40.1 49.6 39.9 44.2 39.9 38.9 48.1 R1: May-Jun, 2020. As of early June, 43.5 percent of respondents reported to be in some form of employment – whereas 23.2 percent reported having lost their job since the first outbreaks in March. The job loss rates were highest in Beni (29.4 percent) and Bunia (26.1 percent). The job loss rate was slightly higher among those reporting to be forcibly displaced, compared to those who had not been forcibly displaced at some stage in their life. Men (27.6 percent) were more frequently affected by job loss since the COVID-19 outbreak in March than women (18.8 percent) – albeit a smaller share of women working to begin with. COVID-related reasons (25.9 percent) for job loss were among the most frequently cited, next to seasonal work (23.2 percent) and end of the contract (18.8 percent). Of those who stated having lost their jobs since March, 25.9 percent attributed it directly to COVID-19 because the establishment was either closed as a result or they were not able to go to work due to movement restrictions. Another 3.5 percent were not able to go to work because they were either sick/ in quarantine. While some other job loss reasons were not directly attributed to COVID-19, several are likely to be. In particular, lack of inputs, staff reduction due to lack of economic activity, and getting laid off while the establishment continued to operate could also be linked to COVID-induced job loss. Across different sectors of occupation, job loss was highest among those working in agriculture and commerce, followed by public administration, personal services, and education. Several of the respondents reported job loss 7 Monitoring COVID-19 REPORT NO. 1 impacts in Eastern DRC 21 / July/ 2020 from FSRDC but cannot be accounted as COVID-19 related job loss as it corresponds to the end of the first phase of the Social Protection Program.2 Table 5 – Reasons for Job Loss Table 6 – Main Sector of the previous Job Main reasons TOTAL Main sector TOTAL Seasonal work 23.2 Agriculture 11.4 Closure of the workplace due to COVID- Mineral extraction 0.3 12.7 19 Manufacturing branch 1.8 Closure of the establishment for another 4.3 Technical and scientific 1.6 reason Licensed - even if the establishment Electricity / water / 1.2 2.0 Construction 8.8 continues to operate Staff reduction due to lack of activity 2.9 Transport 2.9 Temporarily absent 0.7 Commerce 13.6 Illness/quarantine 3.5 Banks, insurance, real estate 0.3 In charge of sick relatives 0.6 Can't go to work due to movement Personal services 3.4 13.2 Education 5.8 restrictions Unable to work the land due to lack of Health 3.9 4.0 inputs Public administration 8.6 Conflict 3.9 FSRDC 16.7 End of Contract 18.8 Other 13.1 Others 8.5 R1: May-Jun, 2020. 26.2 percent of respondents reported their family running a business. The most common family business was in some form of commerce (63.2 percent) or agriculture (15 percent). 68.3 percent of respondents who reported having a family business reported lower income than prior to the COVID- outbreak. 14.6 percent of respondents stated experiencing lower than normal revenues because they had to close down due to COVID-19, another 6.9 percent cited not being able to move or transport products as a reason for lower revenues. Other COVID-19-related reasons, such as sickness or taking care of a family member accounted for another 1.8 percent. The most prevalent reason was the lack of clients and/or raw materials (43.3 percent) which may be an indirect result of the overall decrease in economic activity due to COVID-19. 2The design of the Social Protection program has been updated for safe operation during the COVID-19 crisis and additional recruitment have been taken place since May. 8 Monitoring COVID-19 REPORT NO. 1 impacts in Eastern DRC 21 / July/ 2020 Table 7 – Change in Revenue from Table 8 – Reasons for lower revenue from Family Business family business For those running a family Why was the income from this family business, how has income TOTAL business lower than normal? TOTAL changed in previous month? Income higher than normal 10.4 Closure due to COVID-19 14.6 Income unchanged 14.1 Closure due to another reason 1.9 Income lower than normal 68.3 Seasonal closing 5.5 No income 7.2 Lack of client/no clients 43.3 R1: May-Jun, 2020. Lack of raw materials 4.0 Cannot move/transport products 6.9 Need to take care of family member 0.3 Sick/quarantined due to COVID-19 1.5 Other illness 0.3 Others 21.7 When asked specifically about assistance from the government3, NGOs, religious organizations since Assistance March, 5 percent of respondents reported having received some kind of assistance. Out of these 5 from percent, 69.5 percent of respondents reported having received food assistance, another reported 20.3 government percent reported having received direct money transfers since March, and yet another 24.2 percent and other reported having received other types of transfers. All three types of aid were reported to be predominantly delivered by non-governmental organizations. sources Table 9 – Aid received Location BENI- TOTAL KALU BUNIA GOMA LUBERO No 95.0 89.6 92.9 98.1 98.6 Yes 5.0 10.4 7.1 1.9 1.4 R1: May-Jun, 2020. Table 10 – Types of Aid Location BENI- TOTAL KALU BUNIA GOMA LUBERO Have you received "free food" since 69.5 76.9 76.0 28.6 80.0 March? Yes Have you received "direct money 20.3 17.9 24.0 14.3 40.0 transfers" since March? Yes Have you received "other help" since 24.2 20.5 28.0 28.6 20.0 March? Yes R1: May-Jun, 2020. 3The concept of aid in this context applied to transfers of any kind without conditions attached, hence excluding interventions, such as the FSRDC project. 9 Monitoring COVID-19 REPORT NO. 1 impacts in Eastern DRC 21 / July/ 2020 The HFPPS aimed to better understand how households coped with the current crisis. Respondents Coping were presented with a list of possible coping strategies. They were asked whether their household had Strategies recently employed any of these strategies in order to deal with income shocks since the outbreak of the COVID-19 crisis and related government measures4. From previous crisis experiences, we know that certain strategies can be particularly harmful. Some of the more harmful strategies involve selling productive assets, decreasing food consumption, or taking children out of school to work. All of the above strategies will have immediate effects but most importantly long-term impacts on productivity. Not going to school diminishes returns to education for affected family members for the rest of their lifetime. Decreasing food consumption is a particularly harmful strategy employed when food insecurity is already rampant as is the case in Eastern DRC. Reducing food consumption has short- as well as long-term productivity, and most importantly health impacts on affected household members. Unfortunately, findings show that reducing food consumption and selling assets have been among the top three coping strategies that households implemented, the other being borrowing from family and friends (Table 11). Only 12.7 percent of households reported doing nothing to counter lower revenues following the crisis outbreak in March. Selling assets (50.9 percent) was a strategy more commonly employed by those who reported having been forcibly displaced at some point in their life compared to groups who had not (34.1 percent). Table 11 – Coping Strategies Location TOTAL BENI-KALU BUNIA GOMA LUBERO Reduced food consumption 46.3 47.3 52.8 38.2 56.7 Borrowed from friends or family 39.7 34.5 42.3 35.2 55.9 Sold assets 36.8 35.8 43.5 38.5 23.2 Purchase on credit 27.4 26.2 31.0 26.3 26.5 Reduced non-food consumption 26.6 23.3 29.0 22.2 39.9 Received support from friends and family 21.8 20.1 24.4 20.3 24.6 Dipped into his savings 14.6 10.2 14.8 13.3 24.9 Had to find additional income sources 13.4 12.0 12.2 12.7 19.3 No strategy at all 12.7 11.2 11.6 14.1 13.1 Sold the crop in advance 8.7 8.0 8.2 2.7 26.8 Has taken out a loan from a financial institution 4.0 1.9 5.4 2.7 8.4 Other 2.6 4.3 3.7 0.8 3.1 Received advance payment from his employer 1.3 1.3 0.9 1.9 0.3 Deferred payment obligation 1.2 0.0 1.4 1.9 1.1 Received help from an NGO 0.8 2.1 1.4 0.0 0.0 Received government aid 0.3 0.0 0.6 0.5 0.0 Was covered by an insurance 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 R1: May-Jun, 2020. 4 In a face-to-face survey, we would normally let the respondents tell us all categories employed. Given that over the phone, it is more complicated to keep the respondent focused on the question, and decrease recall bias, we read out the different response options. This could lead to some over-reporting on the side of the respondent. 10 Monitoring COVID-19 REPORT NO. 1 impacts in Eastern DRC 21 / July/ 2020 The HFPPS also elicited information regarding the availability of food products. Most households Food Security reported having purchased rice (71.3), vegetable oil (77.4), flour (72.2), and beans (74.5) during seven days prior to the interview. Yet, across food categories, the share of respondents not purchasing an item because it was too expensive was below 7 percent. The DRC Crisis Observatory will carefully monitor the evolution of this share in the coming survey rounds. There was some geographic variation. The share of respondents in Lubero who did not purchase vegetable oil (10.9 percent) and rice (17.6 percent) because it was too expensive was notably higher than in Beni-Kalunguta, Bunia, or Goma. For rice, a large share of respondents in Lubero stated not purchasing the item because it was too expensive. Table 12 - Have you purchased the following item last week? No, I haven’t No, the product Yes No, too expensive purchased this item wasn't available last week Rice 71.3 6.2 0.4 22.2 Mais Flour 72.2 3.9 1.2 22.7 Vegetable Oil 77.4 4.6 0.5 17.5 Beans 74.5 4.6 0.6 20.3 R1: May-Jun, 2020. In addition to inquiring about availability, the questionnaire also included questions on household food insecurity. Overall, general food insecurity among respondents is high. 85.9 percent of households reported at least one instance in the 30 days prior to the interview where they were afraid that they would not have enough to eat due to a lack of money and other resources. 87.5 percent stated that it had happened during that period that an adult was not able to purchase healthy foods (such as beans, meat, fish, vegetable oil), 75.7 percent of adults declared going hungry, and 69 percent went without eating for a whole day. Levels of food insecurity were higher in Bunia and Goma (Table 13), compared to Beni and Lubero. 79.8 percent of forcibly displaced declared severe food insecurity compared to 66.9 percent among non-forcibly displaced. Table 13 - Food insecurity Location Food insecurity TOTAL BENI-KALU BUNIA GOMA LUBERO Severely food insecure5 69.0 65.2 74.1 72.9 56.1 R1: May-Jun, 2020. 5Respondent or any other adult household member didn’t eat for a full day due to lack of money or resources during the course of the past 30 days. 11 Monitoring COVID-19 REPORT NO. 1 impacts in Eastern DRC 21 / July/ 2020 HFPPS Rounds This is the first round HFPPS survey brief to help better understand the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic as well as responses to it. This brief summarizes some of the main results from the first wave which was conducted from May 30 – June 13 with 1453 respondents. The next brief will cover the second-round wave which will take place starting July 9. The below panels present several socio- demographic characteristics of respondents and their households. Socio-demographic characteristics - R1 Sample Age distribution among respondents Household Size 27.4 51.4 20.8 17.2 9.8 8.4 6.6 23.1 4.3 2.7 20.3 1.6 1.3 1.7 3.6 >16 13-16 1-4 9-12 5-8 Displacement status Pregnancy in the household 16.4 13.1 83.6 86.9 Not displaced Yes, forcibly displaced No, hh without a pregnant woman Yes, hh with a pregnant woman FSRDC beneficiary Education level 13.5 27.1 24.3 31.3 29.6 46.7 68.7 31.2 8.4 7.8 0.4 0.5 3.1 7.4 Male Female HH Benefited from SPJ HH Not benefited from SPJ No formal education Vocational Started primary Completed primary Completed secondary Above secondary 12 Monitoring COVID-19 REPORT NO. 1 impacts in Eastern DRC 21 / July/ 2020 Box: Survey Methodology The DRC CO High-Frequency Phone Survey (HFPS) calls individuals from the social registry in Eastern DRC that was built up by the Social Protection and Jobs (SPJ) program and managed by Fonds Social de la RDC (FSRDC) across different sites in Eastern DRC. The social registry is comprised of individuals showing up to the public lotteries of the program. With those selected through the public lottery becoming beneficiaries of the SPJ-FSRDC project. The program remunerates beneficiaries U$3 per day for their participation in community works, which is announced prior to the public lottery. As a result, the selection mechanism ensured that only individuals from poor and vulnerable populations participated in the lotteries – who were willing and able to carry out work for respective daily wage. The SPJ-FSRDC program collected phone numbers during public lotteries. Hence, the current panel survey by the DRC Crisis Observatory was able to select from a pool of vulnerable and poor populations residing in Eastern DRC who showed up to the public lottery AND provided a phone number to MARTA (Monitoring Automated for Real Time Analysis). MARTA recorded a total of 68,558 respondents across Beni (including Kalunguta), Bunia, Goma, Lubero, and Komanda, 51,007 of which provided a phone number, out of which the Crisis Observatory successfully contacted 1,453 respondents (716 women and 737 men) in Round 1. The sampling and replacement strategy ensured that an almost even split of women and men was reached, as women are notoriously harder to reach over the phone. Additionally, interviewers followed a protocol of calling a potential respondent at least six times in three days, with at least one hour between two calls to ensure that those less likely to pick up their phones on a first try would not be systematically left out, yielding potentially biased results. The presented survey results are strictly based on the sample of respondents who answered the survey. The HFPPS is therefore illustrative of the vulnerable and poor population in urban and peri-urban areas in Eastern DRC, most notably those of Goma, Beni, Bunia, and Lubero. The survey instrument was administered from May 30-June 13. The HFPPS entailed household-level and individual-level questions comprising modules on socio-demographic, health, education, employment, revenue, (social) assistance, shock coping strategies, as well as knowledge and behavioral questions regarding and ins response to COVID-19. In the coming rounds, the DRC Crisis Observatory will be calling the same beneficiaries and eligible individuals to the extent possible to follow the evolution of their welfare across crisis, resilience, and recovery. Data collection parameters • Data collection period: May 30- June 13 • Completed interviews: 1453 (369 in Goma, 374 in Beni, 352 in Bunia, 358 in Lubero) • Average duration of interview: 30-35min 13