Water for Women’s Gender Equality, Disability and Social Inclusion (GEDSI) Towards Transformation Continuum helps Fund partners to reflect on what a transformative approach to WASH programming looks like.

The categories from GEDSI unaware to GEDSI transformative are used for scoring in Water for Women’s Gender Equality, Disability and Social Inclusion Self-Assessment Tool. It encourages practitioners to reflect on, discuss and assess the status of their projects in relation to key domains of change in WASH programs: systems strengthening, universal access, empowerment and leadership, knowledge and learning, and organisational culture and practice.

A colourful GEDSI in WASH continuum that progressed from GEDSI harmful/unaware, to GEDSI aware, to GEDSI responsive/accommodating and finally, GEDSI transformative


A GEDSI unaware program

  • Does not recognise the different roles, interests and power of women and men and other segments of the community.
  • Does not address barriers to participation by all (particularly women and marginalised groups) in processes, decision-making and benefits relating to the issue/sector.
  • Will likely result in inequitable outcomes, as status quo, and existing social inequalities are maintained (and inadvertently reinforced).
  • Deliberately targets those who are easier to reach, hence further marginalising others.

Climate resilience

  • Does not acknowledge GEDSI related risks related to climate chnage.
  • Does not consider the differential response needs of women, people with disabilities and marginalised groups.

A GEDSI aware program

  • Demonstrates basic recognition that different segments of the community have different roles, responsibilities, needs, interests, and access to resources, and capacities.
  • Takes only minimal action to respond to these differences.
  • Inequalities are not specifically addressed, such as discriminatory gender and social norms, including the risk of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV).
  • Will likely focus more on practical needs (conditions) than strategic interests (position and power) of marginalised groups. 

Climate resilience 

- absorptive

  • Collects limited disaggregated data on GEDSI vulnerabilities related to climate risks, hazards and impacts, but tends to apply one-size-fits-all solutions.
  • Largely focuses on supporting absorptive resilience capacities in the community, without consultation of women, people with disabilities and marginalised groups.

 

 

A GEDSI responsive program

  • Recognises the importance of meaningful participation/ representation of women, people with disabilities and marginalised groups.
  • Clear understanding of barriers faced by diverse groups with intent to address them at multiple levels -  household, community, organisational, institutional.
  • Supports practical needs and strategic interests of diverse groups to have increased access and control over resources and benefits.
  • GEDSI twin-track approach is evident – mainstreamed strategies into sector activities, and targeted empowerment strategies for women, people with disabilities and marginalised groups, with Do No Harm approaches (including possible SGVB risks).

Climate resilience 

- absorptive and adaptive

  • Focus on different climate risks and their respective impacts on different groups. Identifies strategies to support both absorptive and adaptive resilience capacities of diverse groups.
  • Intra-community dynamics and inequalities are examined in relation to climate risks, and targeted strategies are identified to build the absorptive and adaptive resilience capacities of women, people with disabilities and marginalised groups.

 

A GEDSI transformative program

  • Explicitly challenges harmful social norms and power imbalances to change the position of women, people with disabilities, LGBTQIA+ people and other marginalised groups to support equal representation at all levels.
  • Seeks to support the voices with lived experience. Understands intersections between different oppressions.
  • Understands bias, resistance, backlash and risk of violence to challenging power, and has intentional approaches to address them (Do No Harm).
  • Twin-track GEDSI strategies are appropriately resourced, including supporting local RHOs in advancing their own rights agendas in social and climate justice.
  • Reflects the principle of transformation starting with oneself. 

Climate resilience 

- structural change

  • Builds on the transformative knowledges and experiences of women, people with disabilities, and marginalised groups, addresses participation barriers, creates opportunities and spaces for them to be active and valued participants in creating resilient environments and communities, and in building their absorptive and adaptive resilience capacities to risks they identify.

 

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