In collaboration with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Office of Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment, Banyan Global has developed a job aid tool under the USAID-funded Gender Integration and Technical Assistance (GITA) II task order to support USAID missions to carry out COVID-specific gender analyses of activities focused on COVID-19 risk mitigation and response. The tool provides an overview of USAID’s gender-analysis requirements, sector-related considerations, illustrative questions, and programmatic measures. Missions can use this tool to gain insights on different gendered effects of COVID-19 (advances, constraints, and opportunities) that will help form recommendations for the activity. The tool harnesses lessons learned from the Zika, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), and Ebola Virus Disease pandemics. It also addresses gender-based violence risk mitigation and sexual exploitation and abuse as key priorities.

Banyan Global is also using the tool to carry out 17 COVID-specific gender analyses for USAID activities in Latin America and the Caribbean, sub-Saharan Africa, and Asia. On July 16, 2020, Banyan Global trained 20 of its consultants on how to carry out this type of analysis, using the job aid tool as well as a report template. Currently, Banyan Global research teams are carrying out analyses using the tool in Burkina Faso, Democratic Republic of Congo, Dominican Republic, The Gambia, Niger, and Peru.