CONEX Balkan Project Rapid Gender Analysis Report Western Balkan Region – Albania, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia

CONEX is a regional project implemented in six Balkan countries designed to support the marginalized groups of people in the targeted communities that have suffered the most during the Covid-19 crisis, namely the elderly, unemployed women, minorities, refugees, internally displaced persons (IDPs) and persons with disabilities to transition from relief to recovery and onwards to development.
The Rapid Gender Analysis (RGA) has been conducted to provide essential information about gender issues and concerns that should be addressed and will not only be used to define concrete action points and possible adaptations of project design but also as a learning tool and advocacy platform with national NGO networks and local/national authorities. The RGA objectives are to:
 Assess the ways and the extent to which women and other vulnerable groups are affected by social and economic deprivation due to consequences of the COVID-19 crisis;
 Explore how the prevailing gender norms and roles relate to the project activities and objectives, in particular with regard to the access to information, ability to access services, employment and effects of gender based violence (GBV) and
 Increase the gender analysis and integration related capacities of project staff (gender-sensitization, RGA data collection training).
The RGA was conducted in the period May-October 2021 and consisted of three main segments facilitated by the CARE team: 1. Capacity building of partners on gender and how to conduct the RGA; 2. Coordination of data collection, analysis, and validation 3. RGA report writing.
In total, 28 implementing partners’ staff members from nine organizations in 21 locations in six target countries organized and facilitated 53 events (focus group discussions - FGDs and key informant interviews -KIIs) during which they directly talked to 195 persons (66% female), 21% ethnic minority (Roma and Ashkali), over 29% persons from rural areas and 11% persons with disabilities – PWD.