a special type of group in terms of purpose, size, composition and procedures. The participants are selected because they have certain characteristics in common that relate to the topic of the focus group. Unlike the self-administered questionnaires where there are high chances for questionnaire mortality, the FGDs ensure that targeted respondents give some form of response and any issues that need clarification are immediately addressed. According to McNamara (2004), the focus group discussion technique is a vital tool for evaluating service provision because it can raise discussion and provide in-depth information. In the focus groups the researcher creates a conducive environment in the focus group that accommodates different perceptions and views, without pressuring participants to vote, plan, or reach consensus. The group discussion is conducted several times with similar types of participants to identify trends and patterns in perceptions. A focus group is, thus, a carefully planned discussion designed to obtain perceptions on a defined area of interest in an open, free, permissive, non-threatening environment. The focus group at Avlin Farm, Bindura had 28 women and 5 men because the women had been mobilized by FOST for some of their project activities. At SOS Bindura the focus group was wholly made up of women, community care-givers who had come for their regular meetings. At Kushinga Farm, Hurungwe District, the focus group was made up of 13 males who were part of a garden project. A group discussion at Nyamambizi Farm ,Ward 5 (Hurungwe) had 8 men, two women and 5 boys. A list of categories of participants who made up the focus groups is attached (Appendix 4). Other discussions were also held with partner institutions and those that are involved in implementation various child-focused programme interventions. Additionally, there were also discussions with boys and girls without birth certificates as part of the consultations in FGDs. 3.8 Limitations to the research The Research Team faced some logistical and process challenges. Some of the encumbrances faced by the Research Team resulted in some aspects of the work not being covered as planned. Some of these limitations to the research were: • In Hurungwe District the researchers were denied permission to go into the schools where they wanted to meet with teachers and children. The District Education Officer insisted that the team (or JCT) needed a go-ahead from their Provincial Education Director (PED) in Chinhoyi. On meeting the PED the researchers were told to first obtain a letter for the head office in Harare for such activities to be carried out in the schools. • At the farms the researchers were quizzed by party youths as to their motives and agenda in carrying out the research. 3.9 Report format Chapter 1 of the report presents the introduction to the study and the situation analysis and information on some related researches that have been conducted on the subject. In Birth Registration Research Report/2007 32