Gender Equality, Disability and Social Inclusion Self-Assessment Tool

The cover of the GEDSI SAT shows a climate risk discussion among community members, the Rural Municipal Vice Chairperson, and Water for Women partners from SNV and IWMI, in Dailekh, Nepal.

The Gender Equality Disability and Social Inclusion Self-Assessment Tool (GEDSI SAT) is a facilitation guide for climate resilience and development program managers, GEDSI advisers, researchers and interested members of staff that is designed to support individual and collective reflective practice on the extent and quality of gender equality, disability and social inclusion work in programs and organisations. Drawing on a wealth of experience from across Water for Women (WfW) projects, partners and cross-sectoral collaborators, and building on the original WASH focused GESI SAT co-created by WfW and the Sanitation Learning Hub (SLH) in 2021, this revised cross-sectoral GEDSI SAT has an explicit climate resilience focus and is grounded in locally led approaches and deep learning.

A thumbnail cover of the GEDSI Self-Assessment Tool

What does it include?

A step-by-step process for in-person facilitation
A new online delivery methodology for virtual/remote facilitation
Printable and editable participant worksheets
Printable and editable facilitator template for sharing outcomes
A GEDSI Action Plan template
Sample meeting and workshop agendas
A GEDSI glossary, language notes and guiding principles from Edge Effect for working with LGBTQIA+ / SOGIESC people and communities
Revised GEDSI Towards Transformation Continuum
Resources lists - and more!

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This revised GEDSI SAT represents the culmination of years of comprehensive collaboration from and among WfW partners, as well as experts from a range of development sectors. The SAT was originally developed collaboratively by WfW and Fund partners for use within WfW and by the wider water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) sector. It was trialled by WfW with SNV in Bhutan in 2019. Over the life of WfW, SAT facilitators from Asia (Pakistan, India, Bhutan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Lao PDR, Cambodia) and from the Pacific (Papua New Guinea) have been trained on the SAT and promoted its use in their organisations and with other Fund partners, in so doing strengthening the SAT through local adaptations. In 2021, the SAT benefitted from further improvements due to the SLH incorporating the SAT into its GEDSI audit process.

In 2024–25, the SAT was redeveloped from a WASH development tool into this cross-sectoral tool with an explicit climate resilience lens. Redevelopment occurred via an iterative process of consultation and inputs from a WfW SAT working group, which consisted of organisational partners who had co-designed and delivered the original WASH-oriented SAT. The revised cross-sectoral SAT has been strengthened significantly, informed by the

experience and expertise of the in-country GEDSI advisors and in-country application of the SAT. A group of ‘critical friends’ from a range of sectors reviewed the redeveloped tool within their discrete areas of expertise before this revised GEDSI SAT was finalised in April 2025.

Citation: Water for Women. (2025). Gender Equality, Disability and Social Inclusion Self-Assessment Tool: Towards Transformation in Development and Climate Resilience Programs – Facilitation Guide. https://www.waterforwomenfund.org/en/news/gender-equality-disability-and-social-inclusion-self-assessment-tool.aspx

First published in August 2021. This revised edition published in April 2025.

This revised GEDSI SAT was co-authored by Joanna Mott, Water for Women GEDSI Advisor; Di Kilsby, GEDSI Consultant; and Emily Eller, Water for Women Program Coordinator, with contributions from working group members and critical friends.

The co-authors led the working group, which included: Sabitra Dhakal (formerly SNV Nepal), Ugyen Wangchu and Jigme Choden (formerly SNV Bhutan), Malaphone Inthilath (SNV Lao PDR), Gabrielle Halcrow (SNV Australia), and Proshanto Sharma Roy (SNV Bangladesh); Sanju Koirala and Darshan Karki (International Water Management Institute (IWMI), Nepal), and Mamata Aryal (formerly IWMI); Ravikirankumar Bokam (Centre for Advocacy and Research (CFAR), India); Nancy Wobo (World Vision PNG); Glenda Yakuna (WaterAid PNG); Betty Amos (Live & Learn Environmental Education PNG); Geraldine Valei (Plan International PNG); and Melita Grant (University of Technology Sydney – Institute for Sustainable Futures (UTS-ISF)).

Critical friends, who reviewed the SAT and provided input based on their area of expertise (agriculture, water resource management, climate, GEDSI) included: Tshering Choden (formerly SNV Bhutan), and Ami Reza (SNV Global); Ruhil Iyer and Jamie Myers (SLH); Vanh Mixap (Yes, Everyone Matters); Shreya Giyawali (Australian Water Partnership); Michael Simon (consultant); Aaron Buncle (WfW); Aleisha Carroll (CBM-IAG); Emily Dwyer (Edge Effect); Ian Hay, Craig McVeigh, and Sarah Boyd (Climate Resilient Communities Support Unit); and Tammy Malone (Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT)).

Acknowledgements and thanks go to the authors of the original GESI SAT: Joanna Mott and Emily Eller (WfW); Tshering Choden (formerly SNV Bhutan); Heather Brown and Di Kilsby (GEDSI consultants). The following people and organisations are also acknowledged for their contributions to its development: Renee Paxton (DFAT); Nadira Khawaja, Harishova Gurung and the SNV Nepal team; Kencho Wangdi and the SNV Bhutan team; Gabrielle Halcrow (SNV Australia); Soumya Mishra, Ravikirankumar Bokam and the CFAR India team; Proshanto Sharma Roy, Hasina Ferdows and the World Vision Bangladesh team; Sitara Zeb and Shamsa Kanwal Qureshi (IRC Pakistan); Gitta Shrestha and the IWMI Nepal team; Juliet Willetts and the UTS-ISF team; John Kelleher and Tom Rankin (Plan International Australia); Aleisha Carroll and Asahel Bush (CBM); Lana Woolf (Edge Effect); Jamie Myers, Samantha Reddin, Stacey Townsend, Ruhil Iyer, Mimi Coultas, Naomi Vernon, Elaine Mercer, and Alice Webb (SLH).

Water for Women acknowledges the Australian Government’s support via DFAT in providing funding to our partners to support climate-resilient inclusive WASH projects and research across the region and for the GEDSI SAT. The views expressed in this publication are the contributing authors’ alone and are not necessarily the views of the Australian Government.