How can we measure our progress toward a goal unless we know where it all started? This saying is adapted from the original exchange between Alice and the Cheshire Cat in Lewis’ Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland, and summarizes our approach to assessments as a baseline.
Prometheus begins each project…
with a Partner Nation baseline self-assessment among our Emergency Management Community. We don’t merely seek any path to self-sufficient emergency management, but instead, we prioritize the most effective and efficient path. Addressing this critical need can only be done by recognizing the pre-existing baseline through an assessment.
By analyzing the Partner Nation self-assessment responses, we’re able to consider the strengths and weaknesses of a community – and their connections. By identifying weaknesses among our partner nations, we’re able to drive future, multi-year plans to address these concerns effectively. Once completed, the analysis is presented to the nation’s emergency management community for discussion and approval, allowing key players to contribute to the end result. Occasionally, Prometheus might also provide a standalone baseline assessment to eliminate bias and offer additional opinions or perspectives.
This baseline assessment is coupled with periodic reassessments to measure any trends that will allow us to improve our disaster response capabilities, especially as new technologies are developed and new strategies are introduced to the world. These assessments may also be conducted in regional, international organization-levels (e.g. via Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), or Organization of American States (OAS)). Partner nations own their assessments and are able to decide on sharing arrangements with potential donors (e.g.bi-lateral, internal organizations (IOs), non-governmental organizations (NGOs), or commercial donors) in order to paint an accurate picture, which can be used to provide budgetary or operational information.
Without an initial or ongoing assessment, we’d be merely throwing darts at the wall – while blindfolded – hoping to make a significant impact. Doing so would cause partner nations to risk precious resources and emergency management efforts with no cohesive plan. At the end of the day, donors feel more assured investing in nations with a sound, secure plan that moves the emergency management gauge forward.
Prometheus prioritizes assessments before, during, and after working with a nation because we know it serves all parties involved along the way. By knowing where it all started for a nation, we can measure our progress towards a goal, and in our case, that goal is life-saving response plans to protect communities against tragedy.
