Hemlal Dulal (5th Cohort)
I believe that social media can be one of the major platforms where we can learn about different opportunities. I’m happy that I saw this particular opening to work as an enumerator for the 2078 census shared in one of the Facebook posts. Applying for it was an interesting feeling and I was excited when I learned that I was selected. According to the Central Bureau of Statistics, every enumerator is supposed to work for around 1 month. It divides days for document collection and then provides 5 days trial training at the beginning and after that, 15 days for data collection and household counting. Overall, I covered 92 households.
When I was working as an enumerator, most of the respondents were available only before 9 am and after 5 pm, so I used to wake up at 6 am, eat my breakfast and walk to my assigned field- Kumarigal-6, Kathmandu. During the process, I understood the importance of data and how it can influence our development works. It is a very important responsibility, so I think the enumerator must be polite and very honest while asking the question to people.They should be very active and have knowledge of surveys. Moreover, one should have knowledge of respondents’ culture, caste, community, their living standards and idea of the assigned place. Lastly, I think the enumerators should be very respectful of given deadlines.
My responsibilities as an enumerator were not easy, but I took it as an opportunity and I was able to give my best. I faced a few challenges during the enumeration phase but I tried to solve them through my work consistency and inner motivation. Walking back and forth for the whole day was challenging but I tried to keep myself motivated and have interesting conversations with the respondents. Some of the people didn’t give their time and concentration, but I tried to convince them through my honest opinion. I motivated them by saying that it’s our responsibility and it helps to gather information for the development of our country.
During this process, I learned about people and their situation and also how the details that I collected can make a bigger impact on the country’s development. Further, when I joined Samaanta, I was able to get different experiences, I learned how to utilize resources and to grab opportunities. The leadership and communication skills that I learned at Samaanta helped me a lot during my job as an enumerator. Therefore, I would like to give special thanks to the Samaanta Foundation for giving me clarity about my path and helping me in every situation.