HAP in Myanmar

HAP and Sphere deploy a joint mission in response to Cyclone Nargis

Humanitarian Accountability & Quality Support Team - (HAP and Sphere)

Throughout the humanitarian sector we have seen a clear and growing demand from agencies and their staff for integrated and coherent support to improve quality and accountability in the context of emergencies, such as the Myanmar Cyclone Nargis Response.

During this deployment, HAP and the Sphere Project provided support staff. This goes beyond conducting inter-agency trainings side by side but will explore new modalities to provide joint support in future interventions, to maximise the expertise and resources of the two initiatives. HAP and Sphere support staff will be jointly identifying and responding to the individual and collective needs of agencies working in Myanmar. The HAP Standard and Sphere Handbook will be presented as complementary tools that can be used separately or together.

The full Terms of Reference for the joint response are available here.

Click on the covers below to access the Sphere Project Handbook (2004) and A Guide to the HAP Standard (2007).

Skip to the Reports and Updates from each phase of the Joint Deployment:

Background Information

In December 2008, the Inter Agency Standing Committe (IASC) produced a report entitled Inter Agency Real Time Evaluation of the Response to Cyclone Nargis. The report is the third in a series of an IASC-mandated pilots to conduct real time evaluations in the aftermath of major humanitarian disasters in order to provide an overarching analysis of the international community’s response and recommend improvements for ongoing activities. The evaluation and final report was managed and funded by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

Reports from Phases I and II of the deployment

Monica Blagescu's Report on the deployment of HAP Field Representative to Myanmar (29 July 2008)

This report highlights some HAP's key observations, learning points and main recommendations resulting from the first phase of a HAP/Sphere Project Joint Deployment to Myanmar (7-25 July 2008) under the HAP New Emergencies Policy.

A second phase (25 July to 29 August 2008) led by Ester Dross, HAP's Complaints Handling Training Officer, held three key training priorities:

a focus on the 6 benchmarks included in the HAP 2007 Standard
Complaints and Response Mechanism
Investigations on allegations of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse

Follow the link to the Phase II report, Quality and Accountability in the Nargis Response by Ester Dross (29 August 2008).

Two international consultants, Kelly Wooster and Annie Lloyd, along with Shabana Bhatti of HAP's member agency, Church World Service Pakistan/Afghanistan, shared the role of the Sphere support person for a period of three months. Their reports can be found here or on the Sphere Project website

Kelly Wooster's Report for 5-15 July 2008
Shabana Bhatti's Report for 16-29 July 2008
Annie Lloyd's Report for 20 July - 28 September 2008

Phase III Inter-agency Q&A co-ordinator appointed

Further HAP/Sphere in country support, in the form of a Quality and Accountabiltiy Co-ordinator, has recently been agreed with Save the Children in Myanmar (SCiM) and funded by DFID for a period of six months.

Appointed Inter-agency Quality and Accountability Co-Ordinator

SCiM hosted both Sphere and HAP staff members during Phases I and II of the joint deployment and will continue to host the co-ordinator. The appointment of Deborah Bickler for 6 months, to this new quality and accountability co-ordination role, is based on the learning and identification of needs derived from those earlier experiences.

Deborah will receive advice and support visits from both HAP and the Sphere project staff. This inter-agency initiative will support all interested agencies to strengthen skills, capacity, commitment and knowledge to deliver improved quality programming, that considers accountability to people affected by the disaster at all stages of their work. The initiative will also strengthen field level coordination between HAP and Sphere, develop joint tools where possible, and raise awareness amongst participating agencies of their complementarities.

Four key aspects of Deborah’s role are:

To support participating organisations to improve their quality and accountability practices through the provision of tailor-made solutions, including agency-specific programmes
To support and build on current inter-agency operational approach to quality and accountability in Myanmar, which enables agencies to integrate HAP and Sphere across all programmes
To facilitate sharing of good practice, tools and lessons learnt and prepare relevant documentation
To advocate and facilitate collaboration and integration between complementary initiatives (particularly the INEE Minimum Standards) with a view of improving the quality and accountability of humanitarian action in Myanmar.

Basic training in Sphere and HAP Standards will be open to all agencies committed to using these tools, whether or not they are HAP members or already using the Sphere Handbook.

All activities will be undertaken with a view to ensuring sustainability of the projects. A principal means of doing this will be through the support of local quality and accountability resource teams (including the Capacity Building Initiative and the Local Resource Centre) who have a good knowledge of HAP, Sphere, and key facilitation and training skills. These people will be available to support humanitarian actors in Myanmar beyond the 6 months of the quality and accountability coordinator position. Although the project will work at the organisational level, with agencies and their staff as the direct beneficiaries, the overall aim is to increase the quality and accountability of humanitarian response now, and in the future. This would therefore have a very direct impact on disaster-affected populations in Myanmar.

Over the following months both the Sphere and HAP in Myanmar websites will be updated with Deborah’s monthly Field Reports, activity updates, and Case Study analyses.

***Latest UPDATES ***

November 2009 The final report from the independent consultant details the joint efforts of HAP and Sphere to assist agencies with their response in Myanmar. This report looks at the Quality and Accountability Initiative in Myanmar, the first attempt of HAP and Sphere to work jointly in the context of a humanitarian emergency. It is based on interviews, by phone to HQ and in country, to a set of stakeholders involved in the initiative. Methodological challenges included lack of access to the field operations of the agencies involved, as well as timing (the evaluation happened as the Q&A initiative was still in the process of completing and rounding up its activities).

This report looks at the evolution of the initiative in its entirety. A first phase (July 2008-Nov 2008) was carried on by a number of consultants / staff by HAP and Sphere and financed by CWS Pakistan/Afghanistan and Save the Children.

Some of the conclusions drawn are that overall it helped to put accountability on the agenda, through awareness raising. It also provided much demanded assistance on accountability and quality (mainly through trainings, especially on Sphere, but also with organization support / introductory sessions by HAP). The initial visits also assessed space and opportunities for further assistance. Joint deployments helped to build a sense of common purpose amongst the initiatives, even if – in practice – the overlapping amongst them remained minimal. The support was appreciated, but it was suggested the “revolving doors” approach – i.e. different support people visiting the country for short periods – should be discouraged in the future.

July 2009 The HAP Humanitarian Accountability and Quality Management Standard is now available in the Myanmar language, to download the translation click here.

June 2009 marked the end of the third phase in the joint HAP and Sphere deployment to Myanmar. On Tuesday, 30 June, a debriefing session was held at the Save the Children offices in London with the purpose of presenting summary reports from the independent evaluator of the DFID funded inter-agency quality and accountability initiative and from the quality and accountability coordinator, Deborah Bickler.

All eight agencies that received one to one support and representatives from other agencies with operations in Myanmar attended the event. There was active discussion on the lessons learnt from the two initiatives working together, the support provided to agencies in a collaborative manner as well as on how HAP, Sphere and the agencies can continue their engagement in Myanmar and build upon this collaboration. The discussion also covered issues such as the ‘humanitarian space’ and questions of access relating to the deployment.

One of the outcomes from the meeting was the clear message that providing staff training was not enough; there needed to be senior management buy-in, which enables the agency staff to move forward in their efforts to strengthen quality and accountability. Other suggestions included, that agencies would require ongoing support from their head office, and that HAP and Sphere should identify opportunities for a follow-up support visit, perhaps, in six months’ time. This visit would be to assist those agencies that participated in guided self-assessment training as they prepare for their first self-assessment exercise and to support them in implementing any recommendations developing from the process.

As part of future plans, it was recommended that the Accountability & Learning Working Group (ALWG) in Myanmar provide a forum for networking, sharing experience and peer support.

Finally, those taking part in the meeting agreed that additional tools are needed to ensure that support can be provided to agencies in a more pragmatic way. It was felt that these tools could be developed as a means of continuing future joint operations by HAP and Sphere, bringing together their training and communication materials.

Click to read Deborah's summary of activities during her deployment from January to June 2009.

In May 2009

Save the Children produced this Children's Feedback report from an External Evaluation entitled 'Young Voices, Big Impressions'. This child friendly report was designed by Apple in its role as external consultant focused on children's participation during the evaluation. It will be translated into Myanmar and provided to the children who were consulted during the evaluation. Alongside the Evaluation report, Save the Children in Myanmar also prepared a brief note on the Process and Methodology used.
Click the link to read the May Update on activities and progress from Deborah Bickler, Inter-agency Quality and Accountability Co-ordinator.
Case study: Disaster Response and Resilience Learning Project was developed by Save the Children in Myanmar to enhance humanitarian capacity following Cyclone Nargis. The project targeted staff from national and international NGOs, using an innovative learning approach to increase awareness of concepts and principles related to humanitarian work.
Case study: Creating information centres in Myanmar outlines the experience of Save the Children in Myanmar operating Information Centres in the Delta region along side their food distribution services. The Centres provide information on the programme, distribution process and locations, as well as allow community members to feedback to agency staff with questions, complaints and suggestions.

In April 2009 the Terms of Reference for Evaluation of the DFID funded Inter-agency quality and accountability initiatives by HAP and Sphere in Myanmar June 2008-June 2009 was advertised. The purpose of the evaluation is:

to document the success, gaps and lessons learnt, the successes and the gaps from the deployments of both HAP and Sphere from the outset of the Nargis Response and inclusive of the longer term Inter-agency Quality and Accountability Coordinator against the project objectives.
to make recommendations as to how to sustain the efforts towards increased quality and accountability work in Myanmar.
to make recommendations on how future joint HAP/Sphere support is provided to agencies at the onset and in the recovery period following a humanitarian crisis.

On a broader level, the evaluation should achieve appropriate analysis of whether or not any chances have been influenced by the joint deployments and joint role of HAP/SPHERE, on wider organisational strategies and management systems, so that more accountable approaches are implemented in the future.

In March 2009 Save the Children Myanmar produced the HAP Principles of Accountability Poster in the Myanmar Language.

You click the link to read the March Update on activities and progress from Deborah Bickler, Inter-agency Quality and Accountability Co-ordinator.

Background to HAP's response

(June, 2008) Despite challenges faced after Nargis, HAP members are using different approaches to improve the quality and accountability of their response programmes.

On the 2nd and 3rd May 2008 Cyclone Nargis struck the coast of Myanmar with winds of 190 km per hour followed by a 12-foot wave of water. The category four cyclone swept across the Ayeyararwady delta, hitting Myanmar’s largest town Yangon. The official death toll as of 16th May stands at 77,738 with 55,917 missing although unofficial estimates are considerably higher. 2.4 million people are thought to be affected (OCHA).

Twelve HAP members are currently responding or preparing to respond to the cyclone: ACTED, CAFOD, CARE, Christian Aid, Concern Worldwide, DanChurchAid, Muslim Aid, Oxfam GB, Save the Children UK, Tearfund and World Vision. Of these, CARE, SCUK and World Vision were already operational with each having 500-600 existing staff in country; Christian Aid, DanChurchAid and Tearfund had been working in the country through partners.

As part of the commitment by HAP members to make a special collective effort to apply the HAP Principles of Accountability from the outset of all new humanitarian emergencies, a series of NEP teleconferences were held in order to:

Discuss members' strategies for promoting quality and accountability in the Myanmar context.
Explore action points for members and support from the HAP Team.

For more details see the minutes of the teleconference held on 14th May and 30th May; for a handy field tool for staff in new emergencies see Quality and Accountability in New Emergencies, Quick Reference for Staff.

Approaches of HAP members

Despite the challenges of access and information flow, HAP members are employing a variety of different strategies to promote quality and accountability as part of their response to Cyclone Nargis. From inductions to ensure deployed staff and partners understand the basics; to using ‘friendly local contacts’ to access disaster affected populations; to integrating quality and accountability into the emergency response strategy and employing specialised staff, HAP members are striving to implement their commitment to the Principles of Accountability.

CARE – CARE has been working in Myanmar/Burma for 14 years and, when the Cyclone hit, the agency had 500 staff working in over 120 villages and towns across the country. CARE has incorporated quality and accountability into their Cyclone Nargis Emergency Response Strategy, which includes an accountability framework (with reference to the HAP Standard); sitreps and reports are being used to capture good quality and accountable practice. CARE’s Myanmar emergency staffing structure includes a specific accountability position (under recruitment), and support is being offered remotely with suggested approaches for action.

MERCY Malaysia – to overcome challenges of access to beneficiary communities, MERCY Malaysia has been working with ‘friendly local contacts’ who are able to engage with beneficiaries in the identification of locations, community leaders, and immediate needs; arrange logistics; and facilitate distributions on MERCY Malaysia’s behalf. MERCY Malaysia has shared basic necessary information with these local contacts, and they have been asked to convey to local communities what MERCY Malaysia is doing in relation to the local situation, for example why hygiene kits are being distributed.

In addition, MERCY Malaysia has trained 180 doctors who are travelling into the delta region on the Code of Conduct, HAP Principles of Accountability, and ‘building safer organisations’ to prevent sexual abuse and exploitation.

Muslim Aid – deployed staff and partners are being given inductions on accountability, and a “things to do, things not to do” guidance has been developed for staff, which includes reference to quality and accountable programmes.

Save the Children UK – had 500 staff on the ground to respond to the disaster, and set up operations in fourteen of the fifteen affected townships, all of which were areas that Save the Children did not operate in prior to the cyclone. Within the Cyclone Nargis response programme, Save the Children has a staff member specifically tasked to address quality and accountability.

Tearfund – prior to the cyclone, Tearfund had supported World Concern, one of their partners in Myanmar, with a visit to Tearfund’s project sites in Kashmir in order to see firsthand the steps Tearfund’s Disaster Management Team had taken to strengthen accountability as part of their earthquake response project. In Myanmar, the Tearfund Country Representative has conducted training to three local partners on the Code of Conduct and accountability, and World Concern is translating the Sphere guidelines into Burmese.

World Vision – previous to the cyclone, World Vision Myanmar was operating long-term development and relief programs in Myanmar, including in Yangon and Ayarwaddy divisions, and as such already had 600 staff on the ground. World Vision is exploring different options on how to provide technical support to staff, including on accountability to beneficiaries and local communities. Within the response programme, World Vision has established a specialised accountability function and is planning to bring accountability staff from their Sri Lanka programme, where they have significant experience.

At present information is being shared with local communities through verbal channels, and World Vision is exploring establishing more ‘informal’ mechanisms to receive community feedback.

The dialogue between HAP members will continue in the coming weeks and HAP Secretariat are planning to deploy two members of staff, pending successful visa application.

For more information or to share your organization’s strategy for promoting accountability to disaster affected peoples during the response to Cyclone Nargis contact: Monica Blagescu, Field Representative mblagescu@hapinternational.org OR Jamie Munn, Research & Communications Manager jmunn@hapinternational.org

Updated June 2009