Dear ACD Programs,

As requested please find below the plan that could be used by the assessment planning team. Based on my preliminary RGA I recommend additional information is gathered on WASH, GBV and health using different participatory methodologies to gather critical information to ensure the response is gender sensitive and responding to the specific need’s men, women, boys, girls, elderly and the differently abled.

Methodology:

The proposed methodology for this assessment is:

FGD with different sex and age groups with specific focus on cultural beliefs, roles and responsibilities and decision making.
Community Mapping tool to identify community resources, using a gender and protection lens. Both the community social and resource mapping and mobility analysis will be used to determine access to community resources based on sex and age, and barriers to mobility for specific sex and age groups within the family and specific community groups.
Individual story tool to capture individual stories to understand the impact of crisis on specific groups /individuals and provide anecdotal evidence for the data gathered.

Tools:

Different tools used for various assessments for the Kirkuk crisis will be reviewed and used to identify areas to be further explored to design the FGD guiding questions. The community mapping guide designed by CARE will be used for the mapping.

The tools will be translated into the local language and reviewed by a team of experts to ensure accuracy and sensitivity to local beliefs and values.

Training:

The training will focus on gender sensitive questioning, gathering consent and language

Assessment Team:

To overcome the constraint of availability of staff in Care, 8 staff (4 men and 4 women) required for the assessment will be as follows:

2 training staff from Care ( half day training)
Field notes, translators, briefings: staff from Care 2 ( 1m, 1w) could be used to gather field notes and 2 staff from local partners. ( the team will accompany enumerators to the field to guide the FGD ,discussions on community mapping( as necessary), capture notes and make briefings to the RGA team
Field work (enumerators from local partners) 4 (2 m, 2 w) from local partners who know the language.

All the 8 members of the team will be required 5 full days for the assessment.

The team facilitating FGD with women, girls and elderly will be women and men will engage with men and boys in the field.

Note: during mobilisation of the community the objective of the assessment will be clarified and consent sought from families to engage with the women, boys and girls (depending on community culture)

Groups for FGD and community mapping:

Four groups discussions and community mapping will be organised over 3days.

1 women group: made up of women from the community married, divorced, widowed and elderly. Care should be taken to ensure they are from different shelters, example camps, critical shelters, informal settlements and host communities ( based on community profile in Kirkuk) . The group should be made up of a maximum of 15 women.

1 group girls: girls from different shelters ( 12- 18years ) 10-15 girls

1 men group and boys group made up of community members from different shelter conditions. (maximum 15)

Location and timing:

The location and timing for the FGD will be identified and determined by security and safe space for discussion. Since the time of the FGD has to be between 10 to 15hrs, during engagement with the community a suitable timing for the discussion will be agreed upon mutually.

Time line:

3 days: FGD and Community mapping will be spread over 3 days

1 day for in-depth Interview to gather stories ( 3-4 based on those identified through FGD)

1 Day: interview with 2-3 community leaders around ( Men and women)

1 day: briefing

My advice is to prioritize as much as possible by focusing on a few key areas of inquiry that can impact across our specific sectors of interest (WASH/Protection).

Probable Focus areas:

WASH

What cultural practices affect women’s hygiene and sanitary needs, especially during menstruation? (e.g. Considerations around belief of impurity implies that access to certain spaces is limited/restricted.)
Are water points and sanitation facilities safe for everyone to use (especially women, children and other vulnerable groups like pregnant women, older people and persons with disability)?
Are water points, toilets and bathing facilities located and designed for privacy and security? Are water points and sanitation facilities easily accessible and secure for vulnerable groups who have mobility problems as well as communication problems?

GBV risks

What are the specific protection needs of women, men, boys, and girls and individuals with disabilities? What is the breakdown by age and sex? What are the continued risks for each group?
Can people safely report and seek redress for violations of humanitarian law? (This includes Sexual Exploitation and Abuse)
What are the community’s laws and customs on abductions, trafficking of humans, sex work, slave-like practices, SGBV, early/forced marriages, elder abuse and property rights? How do these affect women, men, boys and girls and individuals with disabilities?

Should there be any other queries i am available for discussion.

Madhumita