Ethiopia Social Accountability Program (ESAP)

Rapid assessment guidelines

March 2022

MANAGEMENT AGENCYMulti Donor Trust Fund

 Rapid assessment guidelines
March 2022
Introduction
ESAP revised its strategy in 2020 to enhance the focus on institutionalization and
sustainability. MA terminated all previous grant agreements and is currently in the
process of awarding grants to a combination of new and existing partners. Due to the
long procurement process and security situations in the country, it has been more than
8 months since ESAP3 implementation ended. So, it is important to know and
understand the status in woredas where ESAP has been implemented before, regarding
the availability of WSAC, documentation, key stakeholders, and the like. The rapid
assessment is an opportunity to collect information before kicking off your SA activities;
it can also be used to complement or refine existing assumptions or data. The rapid
assessment should be conducted over a short period (possibly in a few days) per woreda
and aims to answer a few specific questions. 
Purpose: 
The purpose of conducting the rapid assessment is to collect information on the current
status of SA in a woreda. The woreda shall be where ESAP has been implemented, either
by another IP or your IP. This information will help to determine how best to resume SA
activities in the woreda, building on what is already there. The rapid assessment will
also verify the report submitted at the end of ESAP2 in July 2021.
Scope and Methodology  
While conducting the rapid assessment at the woreda level, IPs need to collect the
following information:
 Check WSAC composition, confirm WSAC members are available, and their
willingness to continue their activities.
 Collect the list of citizen representative groups identified by the institutional
mapping exercise or document/report and find out how the previous IP has used
the institutional mapping findings 
 Frequency of the WSAC regular meetings during the year. Collect the minutes of
the WSAC meetings. If not available, what were their challenges? 
 If the WSAC is active, what activities did the WSAC accomplish since June 2021,
what were their achievements? Ask for evidence to support their report. 
 Check the availability of woreda level signed JAP and take a copy.
 Visit the FTA and GRM focal points and ask them how they have been active in
ESAP so far, and if they are ready to collaborate in the future. 
 The PC, together with WSAEs, checks the availability of community radio or
other media platforms (woreda communication office, printing media,
 journalists, etc.) by physically visiting them or through telephone communication
with regional and woreda communication offices.
 The M&E expert, together with WSAEs, checks the availability and coverage of
internet infrastructure and its functions by asking woreda telecommunication
offices. 
 WSAEs check the functions of the woreda council, including regular quarterly
meetings and standing committee oversight activities, and explore the status of
the woreda planning and budgeting cycle by discussing with the speaker or vice-
speaker of the woreda council. Find out if citizens or citizen groups engage with
the planning and budgeting process.
 WSAEs check the security situation, drought, internally displaced people, and
other crises that can affect our project implementation by asking the woreda
administration head or representative. 
 What other situations do you think to affect our project implementation? 
To conduct the assessment successfully, the WSAE should contact the WSAC
chairperson and secretary and conduct a round table discussion and access the available
documents. 
In case ESAP2 was implemented by another IP than your own: Before the start of the
rapid assessment, IPs should contact the old IP and physically meet for a handing-over
meeting (if a physical meeting is not possible, for instance, because of distance, a virtual
meeting can be considered). IPs should get all available SA-related information
including the most recent reports. In doing so IP should also collect the previously
signed JAP and other information on specific activities that were undertaken in the
woreda during the last two-quarters of implementation (Jan – June 2021). 
Responsibility 
The WSAEs, with the support of project key staff members, are responsible for
conducting the rapid assessment and developing the report. As a ground preparation
activity, there is no allocated budget for this task.
NB: IPs need to include the summary of the findings of their consortium rapid
assessment reports in their quarter report in one or two paragraphs.
 Summary report of the Rapid Assessment

Date of assessment: _________________

Woreda name: _________________
Name of assessor/s: _________________

How was the rapid assessment conducted? (methodology used)

____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________

Summary of key findings:

Woreda social accountability committee
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
______________________________

Institutional mapping
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
___________________________________

Information communication technology (including community radios)

____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
___________________________________

Woreda council and planning and budgeting cycle

____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
___________________________________
FTA and GRM
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
________________________________________

Security situation and/or other crises

____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
______________________________

Other observations
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
___________________________________

Action taken by IP
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
______________________________

List of attachments:
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
________________________________________

Signature: ______________________