Needs Assessment Template

• Conducted on

  Date

• Project Start Date

  Date

• Project Title

• Target Audience

• Potential Project Partners (if applicable)

• Prepared by

• Location
  Address

Economic, Social and Environmental Factors

• Consider the economic factors affecting the people you are working with:
  

• What sort of economic trends are occurring? Consider seasonality of prices, production and employment opportunities.

• What are the industries or major sources of employment in the area?

• What is the average income of the people you are working with? How does this compare to others in the area?

• What is the unemployment rate of the target audience? What is the major cause of this unemployment?

• What other economic factors are applicable?

  Select Unemployment Lack of Job Opportunities Seasonal Employment Poor Business Growth Poverty Other

  • Unemployment
  • Lack of Job Opportunities
  • Seasonal Employment
  • Poor Business Growth
  • Poverty
  • Other

• Specify

• Notes

• Consider the social factors affecting the people you are working with

• What are the demographics of the community? Example: gender, age, life expectancy, etc.

• What are the population trends affecting the community (birth rates, family-size, etc.)?

• Do the people you are working with have access to affordable education?

• What health-related issues and trends are present in the community?

• What role does the government play in the lives of the community?

• Is there a history of conflict or discrimination in the community?

• What cultural norms and practices are present in the community?

• What other groups or organizations are doing development work within the community?

• What other social factors are applicable to your beneficiary community?

  Select Population Growth Discrimination Health-Related Issues Education Social Isolation Others

  • Population Growth
  • Discrimination
  • Health-Related Issues
  • Education
  • Social Isolation
  • Others

• Specify

• Notes

• Consider the environmental factors affecting the people you are working with:

• Describe the physical location of the community – What are the climate and topography like?

• What sort of disease, pollution or natural disasters affect or might affect the community?

• Describe the infrastructure available to the community.

• What sort of industrial facilities and commercial areas are present?

• What other environmental factors are applicable to your beneficiary community?

  Select Climate Change Pollution Waste Management Others

  • Climate Change
  • Pollution
  • Waste Management
  • Others

• Specify

• Notes

Livelihoods Assets & Strategies

• The goal of livelihood development is to increase access to and/or protection of financial, social,
  natural, physical, and human livelihood assets. The assets are relational, and often developing one means development of others. It is also necessary to look beyond the categories into the structures, processes and strategies that transform the assets into livelihood outcomes. The purpose of the section below is to identify what assets the people you are working with have currently, and how they are using them (or not using them) to achieve their desired livelihood outcomes.

• 1. What financial assets do the people you are working with have currently? How stable are these assets?

• 2. What social assets do the people you are working with have currently? How stable are these assets?

• 3. What natural assets do the people you are working with have currently? How stable are these assets?

• 4. What physical assets do the people you are working with have currently? How stable are these assets?

• 5. What human assets do the people you are working with have currently? How stable are these assets?

• 6. What are the desired livelihoods outcomes of the people you are working with? Which outcome(s) will be the focus of your project?

• 7. What strategies are being used by the community currently to achieve these outcomes? What is and isn’t working?

• 8. Given the economic, social and environmental factors and livelihood assets of the people you are working with, what are potential internal or external challenges for your Enactus project? Are there possible negative consequences?

Completion

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