Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the adaptation and adoption of digital methods for research. This chapter reflects on virtual research methods used to conduct evaluation research during the pandemic, using the case of Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh. It draws on formative research findings to understand the role of faith-based leaders in Christian Aid’s integrated COVID-19 response program for Rohingya refugees and adjacent host communities, offering recommendations on how local leaders can support humanitarian and long-term recovery efforts within the broader discourse on the role of faith in humanitarian response. This feasibility study applied a mixed-methods approach: household surveys (n = 100), key informant interviews (n = 45), and focus group discussions (n = 6) with humanitarian and health stakeholders, refugees, and host communities. Findings show that faith-based leaders such as imams and muezzins are integral to faith communities and influential at the intersection of faith and health. While misinformation about COVID-19 was prevalent in both host and refugee populations, religious leaders promoted preventive measures. Rohingya refugees faced physical, spatial, social, and digital barriers that limited adoption of preventive behavior.

The chapter discusses experiences of conducting virtual mixed-methods research with locally recruited teams, including challenges in recruiting Rohingya volunteers for data collection and analysis. It also offers insights into the evaluative framework employed, illustrating how it captured the resilience embedded in the intersection of health and faith among displaced communities in Cox’s Bazar.