ECBinter-active Horn of Africa BLOG

Daniel Seller   3 February 2012 10:48 AM

Two days of "pure ECB". What have we learned? Where are we going from here? Many ideas and good energy in the room. It will be a challenge to carry it forward from Kampala.

For CARE Somalia the main question will be how to apply all the good ideas when working with and through partners. We are not alone with the challenge. Let’s continue learning from each other and collaborate – for the benefit of the people we work for.

Lars Peters   2 February 2012 10:46 AM

Highlights from Lars Peters presentation at the ECB inter-active conference:

We tend to see assessments as very technical processes and get lost in questionnaire design and sampling frames. We need to work with a much more simple, manageable approach, which will empower field staff responding to emergencies not intimidate them.

Assessment is not a technical issue. It is at the heart of the humanitarian agenda. It is about understanding the needs of the disaster and/or conflict affected populations and telling their story in such a way that the organisations in the humanitarian sector make better responses.

The Assessment Capacities Project (ACAPS) & ECB Project Partnership aimsto address both the needs of field staff, working directly with communities as well as targeting decision makers within the organisations.

Assessments are often seen as the process of going to the field and collecting information, but we need to work with a much broader approach, including a more systematic use of secondary data. That is the reasons we began our collaboration with ECB in the Horn of Africa by doing a Secondary Data Review (LINK TO SDR), which analysed the situation based exclusively on what we already new.

Next steps and questions for the ECBinter-active conference participants: How can we work together to move forward this partnership, broaden and deepen stakeholders engagement and improve our approach to assessments?

Lars Peters, Director, The Assessment Capacities Project (ACAPS)

Astrid de Valon   2 February 2012 10:07 AM

The Horn of Africa crisis has faced us with a paradox : while the early warning system has worked, it has not led to at scale preemptive actions . We can ask ourselves why ? The funding and response architecture is not minding the gap between emergency and development .

Emergency Funding is too short term - only 3-4 months. This results in very high transaction costs. The CNN effect that was triggered by the famine declaration in Somalia distorted the perception of needs, insisting on massive needs for lifesaving interventions. But we know from several past experiences that livelihoods support is key to lifesaving too. And is leading to much needed resilience building.

We need to improve our response analysis, screen the different options for responses, and consider whether they are sustainable and can be appropriately adapted to the current changing context. We need to find innovative solutions based on all the lessons learned, to tackle the paradox of a recurrent crisis in a rapidly evolving environment with a complex security situation

Can we also improve on the 'cosmetic' approach to consulting with beneficiaries and improve our approaches to capturing and responding to the feedback from communities? This approach is at the heart of the ECB Project - how can we continue to work together to improve this situation during this conference and in the future...

Noor sheikh Abdullahi   1 February 2012 5:48 PM

it is the first time that I'm attending an ECBinter-active event. But I did participate in other humanitarian meetings and things were not very clear. However the facilitation process has created wonderful clarity and has been helpful in heightening the level of participation, and with very interesting feedback and information on past events.The event has indeed been fruitful and a success to me.

Noor sheikh Abdullah, safety-foundation.org

Paul Gol   1 February 2012 2:00 PM

This is the first time I am attending an ECBinter-active event. I did participate in the initial planning process and things were not very clear, however the facilitation process has created clarity and has been wonderful in heightening the level of participation. The event has indeed been fruitful and informative and with very interesting feedback on past events.

Paul Gol, H-Accountability Advisor, World Vision

Raymond Kirungi   1 February 2012 12:37 PM

Our partners include ECB NGO agencies, the UN, other NGOs. We have had good opportunities to collaborate for example through Simulations, through doing assessments together and hopefully in the future through developing more training together.

Capacity and resources remain one of our greatest challenges with disaster. We need household items, education, clothes, but also we need support with accountability and feedback mechanisms.

Collaboration has developed around many common themes for example: Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR), Emergencies, community-based preparedness and better communications with affected populations.

I do hope that we should continue to collaborate, it has been great work.

Raymond Kirungi, DRR Preparedness Officer, Ugandan Government

Kassie McIlvaine   1 February 2012 12:28 PM

National Staff Development Programs: We've got a second phase of training programs available to our staff in the Horn of Africa ENHAnce (Expanding National Humanitarian Capacity). We really hope that this conference provides us with some interest from ECB agencies, and other NGOs, to join these new courses in 2012.

As one of the facilitator's on the last course, I watched this training course change the lives of the staff that attended.

Find out more at www.ecbproject.org/enhance

Kassie McIlvaine, Emergency HR Coordinator, CARE International, Horn of Africa

Gerry and Paul   1 February 2012 12:20 PM

For P-FiM the starting point is people(in collaboration with the Joint Standards Initiative) and not projects or organisations. It brings about a deeper understanding of the context within which impact takes place without project or organisational bias.  It identifies what impact differences have taken place and to what or who are these differences are attributable to and whether they are positive, negative or neutral.  

Exercises are carried out on a totally inter-agency basis (up to 54 in one case) by trained national staff who speak the local language, fully understand the culture and who are trusted and accepted by affected representative groups. The P-FiM inter-active training allows front line agency personnel to identify themselves as ‘sons and daughters’ of the area while respecting their agency roles.

The process really changes the front line staff perspective on how to engage and communicate with communities. It makes them deeply aware of the challenges and responsibilities that affect all their agencies. The approach has been highly appreciated by communities and staff.

P-FiM approach has been successfully used by CARE and Save the Children during a joint evaluation after the Haiti earthquake, with UNHCR in South Sudan, War Child Canada in Darfur, UNICEF in Liberia, ACT Alliance in Haiti and an FAO impact assessment in Eastern Province, Kenya (in collaboration with the Joint Standards Initiative).

To find out more about this contact the ECB Project and they will share our contact details.

Paul O’Hagan and Gerry McCarthy

Marten Mylius   1 February 2012 12:04 PM

This conference provides an opportunity to combine the expertise of NGOs and the government to find 'good enough' approaches that deal with the current crisis uncertainty in Uganda. We also need to work together to empower communities. Field staff and communities need approaches that are practical, implementable and simple enough to understand rather than intimidating.

Marten Mylius, Lead Coordinator, ECB Uganda Consortium. Oxfam GB Uganda.

Andrea Stewart   1 February 2012 11:42 AM

Jonathan Potter, Director of People in Aid, is sharing the story about the history of the Quality and Accountability initiatives.

People in Aid is supporting the sector to improve their practices and adhere to specific standards that will improve their performace and prioritise the wellbeing and development of their staff.

Question: how can ECB agencies and their partners work together to support the development and support by different NGOS of these different standards initiatives? How can we support the consultation process to review the status and potential integration of the standards?

Andrea Stewart, Communications Manager, ECB Project

Keith Buck   1 February 2012 11:33 AM

I am enjoying meeting new people and discovering what they do and what brought them to that role in their agency. How does this fit in with the ECB Project?

Keith Buck, World Vision, ECB Agency Manager

Samuel Madul   1 February 2012 11:29 AM

I am really enjoying meeting new people from the ECB Project, I am the new UNICEF WASH (Water Sanitation and Hygiene) specialist / Emergency Coordinator for Uganda so this is really helplful for me learn about the ECB themes such as accountability to beneficiaries.

I used to work with Mercy Corps (South Sudan), so know I can also share some of this learning with my new colleagues at UNICEF.

Samuel Madul, UNICEF, Uganda

Emmanuel Kivunga   1 February 2012 9:58 AM

Arrived at the ECBinter-active for the Horn in Kampala Uganda and it's an awesome experience sharing with colleagues on the Accountability and Impact Measurement (AIM) Standing Team. A superb theme of strengthening the link between people in emergency response and the processes of the ECB experience. I am looking forward to sharing more with my colleagues and the community.

Emmanuel Kivunga, Accountability, Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, World Vision Kenya/AIM Standing Team member - ECB