Gender‑Responsive & Social Inclusion Project Design Training Course

Introduction
Creating truly inclusive and equitable development outcomes requires projects to be designed with deliberate attention to gender dynamics and social inclusion. The Gender Responsive & Social Inclusion (GRSI) Project Design Training Course equips development practitioners with the tools, frameworks, and strategies to embed equity and inclusion into every stage of the project cycle. By integrating intersectional approaches that consider gender, age, disability, ethnicity, and other dimensions of social identity, participants will learn how to develop transformative programs that leave no one behind and meet global equity standards, including SDG 5 and the Leave No One Behind agenda.

Spanning 10 days, this course blends practical design skills with policy-level understanding of inclusive programming. Participants will work with participatory analysis tools, design inclusive theories of change, set equity-focused indicators, and craft budgets and implementation strategies that prioritize marginalized voices. Whether you're developing education, health, climate, or governance projects, this course will help ensure your programs respond to real needs, promote gender equality, and foster social justice in meaningful and measurable ways.

Duration

10 Days
Target Audience

  • Project designers and program managers in NGOs
  • Gender and inclusion advisors
  • M&E and learning officers
  • Donor agency staff and grantmakers
  • Local government and community development teams

Course Objectives

  • Understand key concepts in gender responsiveness and social inclusion
  • Apply gender and social analysis to inform inclusive project design
  • Develop inclusive logframes, indicators, and outcomes
  • Integrate GRSI principles into budgeting, staffing, and implementation
  • Promote participation and empowerment of marginalized groups in program cycles

Course Modules

Module 1: Foundations of Gender Responsiveness and Social Inclusion

  • Key concepts: gender equality, equity, intersectionality
  • Social exclusion and its impacts on development
  • International frameworks (CEDAW, SDGs, CRPD)
  • Rights-based vs needs-based approaches
  • Addressing unconscious bias in program design

Module 2: Gender and Social Inclusion Analysis Tools

  • Conducting participatory gender and power analysis
  • Using social inclusion frameworks and vulnerability mapping
  • Tools: Harvard Framework, Moser Matrix, GESI analysis
  • Identifying barriers, assets, and enablers
  • Engaging excluded groups in data collection

Module 3: Inclusive Needs Assessment and Context Analysis

  • Disaggregating data by sex, age, disability, etc.
  • Designing inclusive surveys and focus groups
  • Community-led problem identification
  • Identifying systemic inequalities and root causes
  • Translating analysis into design priorities

Module 4: Designing Gender-Responsive Theories of Change

  • Building inclusive logic models
  • Integrating pathways to empowerment and agency
  • Identifying and challenging discriminatory norms
  • Outcome mapping with inclusion in mind
  • Testing ToC assumptions with diverse stakeholders

Module 5: Inclusive Project Planning and Workplans

  • Translating inclusion priorities into activities
  • Sequencing activities to support behavioral change
  • Allocating time and resources for inclusion work
  • Aligning deliverables with GRSI milestones
  • Risk analysis for exclusion and backlash

Module 6: GRSI Budgeting and Resource Allocation

  • Gender-responsive budgeting (GRB) principles
  • Costing for inclusive participation and accessibility
  • Budget tagging and tracking inclusion spend
  • Allocating funds for local gender and inclusion partners
  • Reporting financial commitments to inclusion

Module 7: Stakeholder Engagement and Power Sharing

  • Mapping inclusive stakeholder groups
  • Building alliances with women, youth, and disability networks
  • Co-creation and participatory planning methods
  • Power analysis and safe space creation
  • Redressing power imbalances in decision-making

Module 8: Staffing and Organizational Capacity for Inclusion

  • Inclusive recruitment and retention strategies
  • Building staff capacity on GRSI principles
  • Role clarity: technical vs mainstreaming staff
  • Internal policies on safeguarding, diversity, and harassment
  • Incentives for staff to promote inclusion

Module 9: Inclusive M&E and Data Systems

  • Designing indicators for gender and inclusion outcomes
  • Collecting and using disaggregated data ethically
  • Measuring empowerment, transformation, and access
  • Community-led M&E methods
  • Inclusion-focused learning and adaptive management

Module 10: Mainstreaming GRSI Across the Project Lifecycle

  • Entry points for inclusion in each project phase
  • Embedding GRSI in MEL, procurement, and reporting
  • Sector-specific integration strategies (e.g., WASH, education, health)
  • Creating inclusive tools, templates, and checklists
  • Accountability mechanisms for GRSI outcomes

Module 11: Donor Requirements and Policy Alignment

  • Donor GESI policies (USAID, EU, DFID, UN Women)
  • Integrating GRSI into proposal writing
  • Responding to donor indicators and reporting templates
  • Compliance with gender action plans and safeguards
  • Managing donor expectations on transformative results

Module 12: Building Inclusive Institutions and Partnerships

  • Organizational audits for gender and inclusion
  • Supporting local women's and rights-based organizations
  • Building feedback loops with marginalized communities
  • Sustaining GRSI beyond the project cycle
  • Creating inclusive legacies and institutional change

CERTIFICATION

  • Upon successful completion of this training, participants will be issued with Macskills Training and Development Institute Certificate

TRAINING VENUE

  • Training will be held at Macskills Training Centre. We also tailor make the training upon request at different locations across the world.

AIRPORT PICK UP AND ACCOMMODATION

  • Airport pick up and accommodation is arranged upon request

TERMS OF PAYMENT

Payment should be made to Macskills Development Institute bank account before the start of the training and receipts sent to info@macskillsdevelopment.com

 

Gender‑responsive & Social Inclusion Project Design Training Course in Maldives
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