3.3.1 Accountability do’s and don’ts for assessments

Do:

  • Take a good enough approach.
  • Be prepared to introduce CARE as an organisation and describe our mandate and objectives (refer to The good enough guide , Tool 1).
  • Involve women and men affected by the disaster.
  • Ensure assessment team is gender balanced as much as possible.
  • Provide appropriate assistance at the same time as assessing wherever possible.
  • Consider joint assessments when appropriate.
  • Share assessment objectives, plans and results with the community, and clearly communicate the organisation’s mandate.
  • Coordinate assessments, and share plans and results, with other agencies and local authorities wherever possible.
  • Ensure the assessment adequately analyses gender, violence, discrimination, protection and ‘do no harm’.

Don’t:

  • Duplicate the work of other agencies and contribute to assessment overload.
  • Put communities or staff at unnecessary risk.
  • Continue assessing without providing assistance, if assistance is urgent and is able to be provided.
  • Be a humanitarian tourist (visiting and observing with no purpose or assistance)
  • Make promises that cannot be kept.