ABSTRACT
Working in low-and middle-income settings such as sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia brings unique challenges not readily solved by data alone: resources are scarce, infrastructure can be weak, and systems and cultural practices are unique. Consequently, I relied on intuition and lessons learned from my experience and some failures as a Peace Corps volunteer in sub-Saharan Africa in order to forge a more fruitful work experience five years later on the Thailand-Burma border in Southeast Asia. Among the many lessons I learned in the Peace Corps was the value of using intuition and active listening to understand better the needs and context of the people with whom I worked. The concept of “Big Data” does not easily translate into action in community-based cross-cultural settings. In these settings, observation and dialogue are often more effective methods for collecting data points to inform decision making and subsequent action.
