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Methodology for Participatory Assessments: Linking Sustainability with Demand, Gender and Poverty

This methodology breaks new ground in three important ways. First, it mainstreams gender and poverty indicators into a participatory methodology that can be used to monitor key aspects of sustainability. Second, it provides a means for stakeholders at various levels — community, project and service provider, and policy-making — to clearly visualize how their actions can contribute to the goal of sustainability. And third, it uses quantitative statistical methods to analyze qualitative data obtained from communities through participatory techniques.

The MPA, used properly, gives consumers a greater voice in the service delivery process. It helps project and task managers engage all parts of the community, not just the leaders and more vocal members. Communities benefit because they learn about their services through the process, and may identify problems and agree on solutions. The methodology and indicators are applicable not only to monitoring, but also to project preparation, and their potential use extends well beyond the water and sanitation sector to any service which would benefit from the poor’s active engagement.

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Uploaded on: Jan 27, 2014
Last Updated: Dec 04, 2015


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Resource Type: Practitioner Resources Issues: Environmental Justice