Table 5 Challenges and limitations captured in qualitative interviews with YRI facilitators

Giving the travel allowance upfront

7 (44%)

▪ “Because if you give them all the money, they would just go and never come back.” (MBF1)

▪ “We give them the money on the very first day of the session. Some of them, they are only interested in the money. When they collected the money, some of them like you will never see them again. Or one, two or three sessions.” (FBF1)

Non-participants posing as participants

8 (50%)

▪ “People take other people's name.” (FKF2)

▪ “We found it very difficult is because a single name, three or four participants will come and answer to it.” (MBF2)

▪ “When you are there, I'm called Rosie, you're called Rosie. As a facilitator, how am I able to distinguish these two Rosies … It sometimes creates a big headache … At the end of the day, there will be people that come that don't have their training or their transport ticket because other people have benefited.” (FKF4)

Participants arriving late

5 (31%)

▪ “The greatest challenge for us is with time. You know, like because we are supposed to start our meetings at 9:00 and sometimes they wouldn't be there up to nine thirty, nine thirty-five. Sometimes we even start at 10:00.” (MBF4)

▪ “We don't even start on time. Maybe if we have session at nine, maybe it will be eleven, twelve before even they start to come.” (FBF1)

Participants not attending

7 (44%)

▪ “Sometimes we'll go, we'll have one person absent today, another one absent tomorrow.” (MKF6)

▪ “Some we find out they don't come as a result of the distance. That's another challenge. Some are coming from far villages to meet the session. So some because of the distance, they tend not to come.” (MKF6)

Training is too short

5 (31%)

▪ “Two weeks for twelve sessions is not enough, really. It is not enough. Because some of us are slow learners and you will not capture quick until second or third day. So the two weeks is not enough.” (MBF4)

▪ “Extend the time of training. Instead of two weeks, at least to prolong it to three weeks or so.” (MKF3)

Time to deliver modules is too short

9 (56%)

▪ “Ninety minutes is not enough to cover all this issue. Not so that everyone can understand.” (MKF4)

▪ “It will also be good if the time has been increased to like two hours instead of one hour thirty minutes.” (MKF6)

Supervisors stretched thin

9 (56%)

▪ “Supervising two sets of groups which is very, very difficult. So if you increase the number of supervisors I think the YRI will go on very smoothly.” (MBF1)

▪ “I don't think it's helpful because Unisa will be supervising one team whilst the two teams are doing sessions and he will not know whether they will deliver that session well.” (MKF3)

Language & educational barriers to understanding

8 (50%)

▪ “Some of them can't understand Krio at all.” (FBF1)

▪ “Especially those that didn't go to school, you know, and some of them, they will understand but they don't know how to speak the Krio.” (FBF2)

▪ “It's not easy to teach someone that has never gone to school. You have to teach her like a baby. You have to say the thing over and over and over and over again.” (FKF4).