Learning from engaging with affected communities in Kenya's arid lands

Panel Chair: Nicolas Seris, Transparency International Kenya

1. Lessons learned from engaging communities in joint assessments in Dadaab
   
   Presenter: Miriam Warui, Care International
   
   Joint assessments aim at assessing interventions and making recommendations to address identified gaps, continuously improving impact of projects and creating sustainability. In Dadaab, assessments help agencies to understand the situation, needs, risks, capacities and vulnerabilities of refugees with regards to their basic needs. There are various joint assessments that are conducted in Dadaab. For example, every two years, CARE participates in a joint assessment exercise organised by WFP/UNHCR aiming at assessing the food security and related interventions to refugees and making recommendations to address the identified gaps. Other joint assessments are conducted yearly involving all implementing partners in Dadaab refugee camp at the same time engaging all other stakeholders.
   
   To ensure that the system responds to the needs of refugees, they also participate in the assessments through focus group discussions, key informant interviews and household level interviews.
   
   This discussion looks at stakeholders views on joint assessments. It also challenges encountered and lessons learnt on community engagement.
    

2. Lessons learned from complaints and feedback received from Cash and Voucher Programmes

   Presenter: Sara Belfrage, WFP

   One of the first steps to actively reinforce accountability to affected population (AAP) in WFP Kenya has been to open a feedback channel for beneficiaries and their communities. WFP Kenya’s Complaints and Feedback Mechanism (CFM) – nick-named the ‘hotline’ – is much more than just a number to call; it is an active network of WFP staff involved in following up on calls to ensure beneficiaries have the right information, and are receiving the assistance they are entitled to. It has helped WFP to detect programme and service delivery issues, including corruption and misconduct, early on and to take appropriate actions to improve programme quality and to meet the needs of the affected communities.

   In order for the CFM system to be effective, efficient and trustworthy it needs to have support all the way from the management to the field level, as well as the affected population who needs to inform about the most preferred and trusted channels to use for raising complaints. 

   Furthermore, in order for the system to truly serve its purpose, beneficiaries need to know their rights and that they can hold WFP and cooperating partners accountable. It is therefore critical that a clear and well understood communication strategy and sensitisation process is undertaken before a complaints system is rolled out.
    

3. Lessons learnt from inter agency integrated feedback mechanisms

   Presenters: Miriam Warui, Care international and Nicolas Seris, Transparency International Kenya

   Joint complaints and response mechanisms in Dadaab Refugee camp: Receiving feedback and responding to complaints from stakeholders, particularly our beneficiaries, is an important part of improving quality and accountability of our programmes. Joint complaints and response mechanisms (JCRM) provide specified number of channels through which beneficiaries and community members can raise concerns and provide feedback on activities related to member agencies. This explicitly communicates that agencies are committed to the right of beneficiaries to complain and the right to receive a response. To avoid confusion among beneficiaries on how to raise concerns and duplication due to multiple channels in Dadaab refugee camp, there are two JCRM in use:

   Referral system for complaints handling at County Level (Turkana multi agency pilot project): Transparency International Kenya developed an automated web-based Integrated Complaint referral mechanism. The system is linked to the county authorities and establishes linkages with the oversight institutions and law enforcement agencies to facilitate the resolution of complaints.

   This discussion addresses the benefits, challenges and lessons learnt of establishing, implementing and monitoring multi-agency complaints mechanisms.
    

4. Q&A