Humanitarian – C4D Network

Communication and community engagement in humanitarian response (Humanitarian Exchange Special Feature, February, 2019)

April 14, 2019

This edition of Humanitarian Exchange, co-edited with Charles-Antoine Hofmann from the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), focuses on communication and community engagement. In 2017, UNICEF, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and other partners came together under the auspices of the Communicating with Disaster Affected Communities (CDAC) Network to establish the Communication and Community Engagement (CCE) initiative. The articles in this edition take stock of efforts to implement this initiative.

Click here for full edition.

Dignity and humanitarian action in displacement (ODI report, 2019)

April 3, 2019

This report draws on the findings of a two-year HPG research project on ‘Dignity in displacement: from rhetoric to reality’. The goal of the project was not to define dignity, but to understand what it meant to affected people in different places, with different cultures and at different times. It explores how refugees, internally displaced people (IDPs) and returnees in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Colombia, Lebanon, the Philippines and South Sudan understand dignity, and whether (and how) they feel that their dignity has been upheld in displacement.

It then compares their understanding with that of humanitarian workers in these responses, analysing what this means for humanitarian policy, programme design and implementation more broadly, and the localisation agenda more specifically.

It suggests six recommendations for incorporating dignity into a humanitarian response including:

Invest time and resources in listening to the affected population from the start of the response, and use this information to inform project design and implementation.
Use more face-to-face communication, especially in the assessment phase of the humanitarian response, and pay attention to what means of communication are appropriate at each stage.
To better understand the local culture and language, include anthropologists, sociologists, translators and others in the response, who can help in understanding the affected population and the dynamics of their situation.
Invest in programmes that promote self-reliance, where possible, and encourage more participation by affected communities in project design and implementation.

Click here for full report.

Participatory Mapping Toolkit: A Guide For Refugee Contexts ( Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team, 2018)

March 17, 2019

This practical How-To Guide contains three separate sections.

Section One: The Power of Participatory Mapping explains how these methods are in fact a means of mainstreaming protection into operations.
Section Two: Refugee Contexts reviews all of the different factors an organization should consider before engaging in a project.
Finally, Section Three: Tools and Processes is the true heart of the toolkit – it is a series of powerful tools and processes that span the lifecycle of mapping, from remote to field mapping, quality assurance to map creation. It has everything you need to begin, and links out to more in depth resources such as our growing Github toolbox.

Click here for full toolkit.

Big Data for Social Good Toolkit (GSMA, 2018)

March 17, 2019

Backed by 20 operators accounting for over two billion connections in over 100 countries, the GSMA’s Big Data for Social Good initiative is developing a consistent approach and processes mobile operators can use to share insights with public agencies and NGOs, while building an ecosystem to support timely planning and response.

The Big Data for Social Good online toolkit, is a comprehensive guide to the key components needed to implement mobile data-driven solutions. It has been designed so that it may read from start to finish or with direct access to the subjects of particular interest. There are a number of ways to navigate the toolkit, based upon interest area within the Big Data for Social Good topic.

Click here to access the full toolkit.

Collective Communication and Community Engagement in humanitarian action: How to guide for leaders and responders (CDAC Network, 2019)

February 11, 2019

This guide describes the framework, minimum actions and services for communication and community engagement, and the vision for a collective approach. It provides practical guidance on implementing the minimum actions and services, setting up national, multi-stakeholder platforms and providing leadership, championing and advocacy for change in this area.

The guide is intended primarily for practitioners and leaders working in national and international humanitarian and media development organisations as well as other entities involved in preparedness, response and recovery. Experience in the humanitarian sector and prior knowledge of relevant policies, plans and processes is assumed, as is familiarity with the humanitarian architecture, the humanitarian programme cycle and accountability to affected populations. The content is illustrated by numerous case studies, in order to contextualise some of the practices outlined.

Click here for more information and to download a copy of the guide.