Why Needs Assessment is ImportantThe project should come out of what people say they want and not from assumptions that we make.Sometimes the needs are not immediately clear or cannot be easily understood.By talking to different people, we will be able to understand how problems affect people differently. For example, poor access to clean water may affect women more than men because women have to walk a long way to fetch water.Circumstances may change, for instance;There may be new people in the communityThere may be new needsOld needs might have been addressedProblems might be affecting people differentlyNeeds assessment gives people the opportunity to prioritize their needs, which leads to a more sustainable development project.
Useful Tools in carrying out a Needs Assessment
Listening- this involves listening to issues that people may have the strongest feeling about. Issues that they most want to address and those that they are likely to participate most in. Questions should be open ended
Interviewing
– this involves talking to key people in the community to discuss their knowledge, experience and understanding of the issues. These people might already be involved in development projects or might be people the community turns to in times of crises. Such people might include health workers, traders, religious leaders, village chiefs and teachers.
When choosing people to interview, make sure their views and opinions are likely to represent those of others in the community.Use open-ended questions like:What are the main problems you face in your area of work?What are the main pressures that people in the community face?What simple things could be done to improve the situation?
Focus groups
- this is used with a group of 10-20 people. It helps them to understand and voice some of the problems they face and the needs they have.
Community Mapping
– this involves community members drawing a map of their community to tell their story together
Agreeing on prioritiesOnce the needs have been identified, community members should be given the opportunity to say which needs they feel is a priority. Ask them to group their needs into general issues like health, land, food etc. once these needs have been grouped, the community members can decide which of these should be given a priority.
Capacity AssessmentCommunities should be encouraged to use their own capacities and resources to address the problems they face. It is important therefore to carry out a capacity assessment after needs assessment to identify strengths that the community could use to address the problems they identified earlier. The project should focus on strengthening the community’s capacities to address their problems.
Capacity assessment involves six types of assets:
Human
– enables people to make use of their other resources like skills, knowledge, ability to work and good health. Eg construction skills, strong self help tradition
Social
- these are based on relationships and include organizations and groups within the community, political structures and informal networks. Eg community center, church building, local primary school
Natural
- these form the local environment like land, trees, water, air, climate and minerals. Eg river
Physical- man-made, such as building, transport, water supply and sanitation services, energy sources and telecommunications. Eg good access to city center, internet café, water pipes
Economic
- things that people can use to sustain their livelihoods, such as money and savings, grain stores, livestock, tools and equipment. Eg revolving fund, income from trading in city- square
Spiritual
-include faith, scripture, guidance and prayer. Eg servant leadership, unity among church members
