| How DEC Members Performed | 07
All DEC member charities have made a commitment to a number of standards and codes designed to define good practice, including the Code of Conduct for the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and NGOs in Disaster Relief; the Core Humanitarian Standard on Quality and Accountability, which covers the essential elements of principled, accountable and high-quality humanitarian action; and the Sphere Standards, which define minimum standards for aid work in areas such as shelter, food, water and healthcare. Being accountable to the people affected by the crisis in Yemen is an integral part of the relief response. Where feasible, project teams set up community-based committees that included local leaders, older people, women and youth. In some instances, these committees helped select people to receive assistance, or identified water schemes that needed renovating and monitored the work. People who were identified to receive cash payments were told in advance about the project period, how the funds are managed, and when payments would be made. They helped to select the places where cash would be distributed, which helped minimize security risks. DEC funded-projects also made sure that the particular needs of women and girls were considered in all activities. Community health volunteers and committees were trained on gender issues, such as protection for women and girls during emergencies, early marriage and gender-based violence.
New approaches With ever-expanding need and limited funds, social media provides an easy, affordable and effective way to communicate with large numbers of people. One DEC charity used social media to reach local and international media, other charities, and the public in
Yemen, giving them an accurate picture of its work in the country and sharing personal stories from those who had received assistance, as well as press releases and situation reports. It quickly became many local news agencies’ main source of information about the charity and its Yemen posts attracted hundreds of likes across the country. Complaints posted on Facebook could be answered quickly, and misconceptions about its work addressed directly. Another member and its partner also made innovative use of ICT. As part of the response, they set up three mobile clinics to reach older people who couldn’t access other health facilities. But because of the remoteness of these sites, collecting data and reporting on time was very difficult. To tackle this, the partner adopted a mobile data collection system based on the Open Data Kit, using smartphones to transmit data from the field to a secure online server, which improved both data accuracy and reporting turnover. It could also be used to remotely monitor the daily activity and precise location of the mobile teams by just logging on to the server. The system is a simple, user-friendly, easy to re-design program to meet changing needs, and relatively cheap.
vulnerable groups’, they were effectively excluded. The DEC member provided training for staff on the particular needs of older people, and how to screen them for malnutrition. As a result, older people have now been incorporated into their work, and 1,300 older people have been screened for malnutrition, of whom 144 were referred for treatment, with a cure rate of more than 80%. Cash grants are a quick and costeffective way of providing people with the essentials they need. But getting it directly into the hands of the most vulnerable, such as women, older people, and those with disabilities, can be difficult. One DEC member’s local partner strived to ensure that all those in need, regardless of specific vulnerabilities, had equal access to assistance. To reduce travel times, cash was distributed from central locations, but if particularly vulnerable people were identified, home or specific village visits were made instead.
WATER AND SANITATION
Inclusion of people with special needs A review of DEC members’ response to the crisis concluded that, overall, members worked hard to reach disadvantaged groups such as women, people with disabilities and children. For example, they recruited women as community volunteers, used local radio to reach those who were housebound, and illustrated posters rather than text to get information to those who are illiterate. One DEC member charity made sure that the needs of older people were addressed in mobile clinics. Health workers there had traditionally focused on children and pregnant and breastfeeding women, and as older people were not formally recognized as one of their ‘particularly
© Moayed Al Shaibani/Oxfam
Accountability to affected populations and adherence to sector standards