Project Details.

Concern Worldwide implemented the USAID-BHA–funded RAPID III programme to strengthen Pakistan’s humanitarian response capacity and provide timely, coordinated, and principled assistance to disaster-affected populations. RAPID III supports emergency responses through small, flexible grants to local, national, and international NGOs while simultaneously building the technical and institutional capacities of local organizations and Disaster Management Authorities. 

The programme covers all four provinces—KP, Punjab, Sindh, and Balochistan—and has supported responses to major emergencies including drought, COVID-19, and the 2022 floods, reaching more than two million people through interventions in WASH, health, shelter, MPCA, nutrition, and food security. 

The purpose of the performance evaluation is to assess the effectiveness, efficiency, coordination, coherence, and impact of RAPID III from October 2018 to August 2024. It examines how well the programme delivered timely and principled humanitarian assistance, strengthened local response systems, and improved preparedness and coordination capacities among NGOs and DMAs. The evaluation sought to identify best practices, challenges, and lessons learned, and to provide actionable recommendations for enhancing the sustainability, quality, and future direction of the RAPID mechanism in Pakistan. 

HIMAT Consulting carried out the independent performance evaluation of RAPID III across all four provinces. The team conducted a comprehensive desk review of programme documentation, grant records, MEAL reports, capacity-building outputs, and historical response data from 2018–2024. Fieldwork included consultations with implementing partners, DMAs, government stakeholders, and affected communities across representative emergency-response districts. 

HIMAT assessed the programme against targeted criteria including timeliness, coordination, relevance, coherence with national humanitarian policies, cost-effectiveness, programme effectiveness across sectors, and the contribution of RAPID III to saving lives and reducing suffering. The evaluation analyzed the impact of RAPID-supported interventions across drought, COVID-19, and flood responses, including the scale of assistance delivered and the degree to which it improved access to essential services. 

HIMAT also evaluated the capacity-building component, reviewing how training, institutional support, and technical guidance enhanced preparedness, communication, collaboration, and operational effectiveness among local NGOs and DMAs. Findings, lessons learned, gaps, and strategic recommendations were synthesized into a comprehensive evaluation report, providing Concern with evidence to strengthen future humanitarian programming and the RAPID funding mechanism.