Emergency|Humanitarian Aid

Call to Action Field Implementation (CAFI) II

CAFI seeks to catalyze the Call to Action on Protection from Gender-Based Violence in Emergencies (CTA) on the ground. The project works with women-led organizations (WLOs) to drive change and foster Gender-Based Violence (GBV) prevention, risk mitigation, and response in humanitarian emergencies.

In 2013, governments, donors, and humanitarian organizations launched the CTA, to fundamentally transform how GBV prevention, risk mitigation, and response are addressed. The CTA aims to strengthen accountability in policies, systems, and mechanisms.
The partnership has grown to more than 100 members, but consolidating CTA implementation in the field is a key gap that needs to be addressed. As a result, CAFI was launched to advance the Call to Action 2021- 2025 Road Map on the ground.
What are the main objectives of CAFI?
● Catalyze increased representation and leadership of women and girls, specifically WLOs, in decision making structures and humanitarian assistance
● Amplify GBV expertise: scaling existing capacity of WLOs
● Address GBV root causes and coordinate effective response and risk mitigation
How does CAFI work?
CAFI aims at contributing to WLO strengthening through capacity-sharing approaches between partners. WLOs are engaged from the beginning, allowing them to co-create and adapt the project according to their needs and contexts and ensuring
accountability and women’s voice and leadership throughout the whole project cycle.

CAFI works through a consortium of 10 WLOs across Latin America and the Caribbean, West and Central Africa, the Middle East/North Africa, and Europe, who coordinate national networks of WLOs: Arab Women Organization (AWO) of Jordan, Baghdad Women Association (BWA) in Iraq, Center Women’s Perspectives (CWP) in Ukraine, Comité des Jeunes Filles Leaders (COJEFIL) in Niger, Dynamique des Femmes Juristes (DFJ) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Fundación
para el Desarrollo en Género y Familia (GENFAMI) in Colombia, Global Media Campaign (GMC) in Mali, Himaya Daeem Aataa (HDA) in Lebanon, and Tinta Violeta in Venezuela. In Iraq, Lebanon, and Venezuela, project activities are co-led by WEO, Sama for Development, and Uniandes, respectively. Read More...

Final Evaluation: MACP Project – Disaster Ready Communities in Vulnerable Rural Areas of Guatemala

CARE Guatemala implemented during 2020 to 2023 the “Disaster Ready Communities in vulnerable rural areas of Guatemala MACP” project financed by the Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies Foundation, donating US$2,300,000.00 (Two million three hundred thousand dollars) for its execution. The initiative was executed in municipalities of Joyabaj, San Bartolomé Jocotenango and Sacapulas in the Department of Quiché; Aguacatán and Chiantla in the Department of Huehuetenango and Salamá, in the Department of Baja Verapaz.

Its general objective was increased empowerment and leadership of vulnerable communities, to provide an efficient, gender-sensitive emergency response, in a context of natural disasters and health crises at the end of the project.

Specific objectives were:

a) Communities after the first year of the project implement social measures to reduce vulnerability and risks. b) Communities execute social actions together with municipal governments to address the COVID-19 pandemic.

Additionally, the project defined five results:

1. During the first year of the project, communities have a well-informed and adequately trained, inclusive, and self-organized group responsible of leading disaster preparedness. 2. Communities have greater capacities for disaster response with the respective plans and inclusive systems implemented and updated, incorporating what they learned at the end of the project. 3. Communities are connected, for a second year, with the project, to municipal governments and have access to technical and financial assistance. 4. The project contributes to increase the capacity of nearby communities and local government units in disaster preparedness. 5. Communities respond efficiently to health crises and coordinate with health services for appropriate use of the respective protocols.

The team hired for this purpose carried out a series of capacity-building activities, investment in infrastructure, providing support and technical training to leaders. The project was executed by a multidisciplinary staff and some activities were implemented by hiring temporary, external consultants with expertise on related topics.

Upon completion, CARE Guatemala requested a final evaluation. This process has allowed us to identify a series of important findings related to the project cycle. Among them, a design and execution with a high level of pertinence, coherence, relevance, efficiency/effectiveness, impact and sustainability. A process to strengthen the capabilities of the Local Coordinators for Disaster Reduction COLRED was successfully carried out in 60 communities from 6 municipalities benefited.

As an immediate result of the strengthening process, 60 COLRED have the capabilities to identify, monitor and act during emergencies caused by disasters and have higher levels of cohesion compared to the beginning of the project. They have also complied with all the steps to obtain CONRED accreditation and have prepared and received approval of its Local Response Plans. They are articulated to community and municipal processes through the Municipal Instances of

Comprehensive Disaster Risk Management IMGIRD, spaces that have different levels of development based on their management and formalization, starting as units to Municipal Directorates. This municipal space was strengthened by COMRED whose members were trained and strengthened. Participating communities received support to renovate facilities that could potentially become shelters, School Committees were trained and organizational support that will allow them to adequately manage disaster risks in the context of their educational process.

Since its formulation, the project had a solid approach and was committed to promoting equity in participation processes including women and men. However, disaggregated analysis tools and specific gender action plans were prepared after the project had begun. This caused, in part, that gender implementation suffered some limitations during activities. However, it has been satisfying to note that, despite these limitations, the women involved in the process are empowered, have an understanding, defend the importance of their participation and identify the basic actions related to community management and mobilization for disaster reduction and emergency action.

The findings documented in this report were verified by implementing a comprehensive work methodology that reviewed documents produced by the project, analyzed the activity cycle, reviewed the financial and administrative aspects of the project, as well as documents and systematizations prepared, carried out interviews with three levels of execution involved in the project (senior management, middle management and operational team), with focus group, and made field visits to execute direct observation and interviews with participants. At the end of the document, there are pertinent conclusions and recommendations. Read More...

IPC & Rapid Gender Analysis Pilot – Somalia: Gender, Food Insecurity & Drought

Acute food insecurity (AFI) in Somalia has deepened amidst a prolonged humanitarian crisis that is further amplified by the climate crisis, conflict, disease outbreaks, and the ripple effect of government instability. The interconnection between gender equality and food security on the local, national, and global level is well established; wider gaps in gender inequality in the public and private sphere heighten the likelihood of food insecurity within a country.1 Yet most global data sets on food insecurity are not disaggregated by sex. Primarily, gender-disaggregated approaches have been applied most consistently regarding indicators related to women’s reproductive role – such as anemia in women of childbearing age – and overlook key questions around women’s access to resources, safety,mobility,andparticipation. Thesespheresbroadenthelensofdatatoprovideamoreholistic understanding of the experience of food insecurity, and most importantly, can inform strategic responses that target the needs of the most vulnerable. Thus, this objective Rapid Gender Analysis (RGA) is to strengthen and operationalize mixed methodologies that integrate gender analysis into global food security measurement systems, such as the Integrated Food Security and Nutrition Phase Classification (IPC), to account for the differential vulnerabilities of men and women and provide concrete and actionable recommendations that inform both the process of data collection and the implementation of more effective humanitarian programming. This study was conducted from February 25 to March 11, 2023 and focused on four districts in Somalia, each situated within two distinct pastoralist Livelihood Zones.

The Integrated Food Security and Nutrition Phase Classification (IPC) serves as a pivotal analytical instrument, guiding decision-makers in understanding the magnitude and extent of both acute and chronic food insecurity as well as acute malnutrition.2 This assessment, which aligns with international standards, demonstrates a shortfall in the absence of consistently incorporating gender- disaggregated data and analysis, an aspect that is crucial for fostering a more inclusive approach to addressing food and nutrition insecurities globally. The IPC analytical approach comprises of data from governments, UN agencies, NGOs, and other stakeholders that have applied the most rigorous and technical methodologies aligned with the IPC Technical Manual 3.1.3 Recognizing the profound impact of gender dynamics on the escalating global acute food and nutrition crises, CARE implemented an adapted strategy that combined both quantitative and qualitative instruments and disaggregated by sex as well as individual and household level data. This pilot study engaged 1,708 respondents, encompassing both women and men, and incorporated quantitative surveys and qualitative data gathering techniques such as key informant interviews, focus group discussions, and individual stories. This synergistic fusion of methods illuminated the complex and diverse experiences of men and women, as well as the underlying themes associated with acute food insecurity in the specified two Livelihood Zones (LZs) and the subsequent four districts. The quantitative component incorporated IPC-approved indicators such as the Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES), the Household Hunger Scale (HHS), and the reduced Coping Strategies Index (rCSI), complemented by the WFP's adapted Gender Equality for Food Security (GE4FS) questions. Meanwhile, the qualitative analysis primarily utilized CARE's proven Rapid Gender Analysis (RGA) toolkit. Triangulation across quantitative and qualitative data sources underscores the importance of mixed method approaches and enables a more comprehensive understanding of the impacts of the prolonged drought on men and women and the development of more targeted programming that meets the needs of the most vulnerable crisis-affected populations.

Gender inequalities are both a cause of and the result of the differentiated experiences of acute food insecurity. Gender norms and dynamics impact men and women’s social, economic, and political participation, as well as their access to resources and services. When shocks hit, they can both reinforce and exacerbate existing barriers and discriminatory practices and/or create new opportunities and pathways for resilience, adaptation, and recovery. This report notes multiple shifts in gender dynamics that have occurred since the start of the drought that have shaped the capacity of men and women to participate in the drought response and recovery.

Structural inequalities in Somalia are based on the patriarchal clan-based system that is the foundation of social systems. Numerous indicators demonstrate how - from an early age - women are socially positioned to face risks and barriers that significantly reduced their agency in accessing opportunities, participating in household and community decision making and improving living conditions. Simultaneously, men’s roles towards their family defined by customary law and clan systems has been challenged due to the loss of livelihoods that has created increased vulnerability in accessing food and asserting their traditional roles.

The study explores nuanced gender disparities in acute food insecurity experiences within these LZs, highlighting the vulnerabilities exacerbated by the recent drought. The following highlight key findings:

• Gender Disparities in Acute Food Insecurity: There were distinct gender-based discrepancies, particularly in the Hawd LZ. In this LZ, the data indicated that men are facing a higher degree of acute food insecurity compared to women; the majority of women are grappling with conditions corresponding to IPC phase 3 (Crisis) or worse, whereas men are predominantly experiencing hardships consistent with indicative IPC phase 4 (Emergency). Conversely, in the Addun , both groups are contending with similar levels of acute food insecurity, at indicative IPC phase 4 (Emergency).
• Gender Analysis and Cultural Factors: Remarkably, the gender disparity observed in Hawd contradicts the traditional, cultural, and social norms that are prevalent in Somalia, which typically favor men. Thus, gender analysis of qualitative and secondary data provides critical nuance, with qualitative interviews indicating that men and women both generally perceive women as more vulnerable to acute food insecurity. Likewise, interviewees surfaced trends and cultural factors that may have influenced how men and women experienced or perceived acute food insecurity, such as customary eating habits, khat consumption, and humanitarian assistance. Further study is warranted to determine to what extent these factors are shaping IPC analysis in Somalia writ large.
• Severe Acute Food Insecurity: The findings from the study confirm a dire scenario, where over 70% of the population in the surveyed LZs are facing IPC phase 3+ (Crisis) or worse conditions, as confirmed by FIES, HHS, and rCSI outcome indicators. Disturbingly, there are households and individuals within these LZs confronting even more dire acute food insecurity circumstances consistent with IPC phase 5 (Catastrophe) levels.
• Collapse of Livelihoods Impacts Gender Roles: Drought conditions and the associated collapse of core livelihood pathways due to the loss of livestock has severely impacted traditional roles. The near total collapse of pastoralist livelihoods associated with the drought has threatened men’s traditional role of “provider” and has led some men to report strong feelings of mental health distress. Women have increasingly expanded outside of their traditional roles in the home to seek income opportunities, however, disparities remain that continue to limit their decision-making power at the household and community levels.
• Health Access: Respondents frequently drew connections between the food insecurity and malnutrition situation in their area to the lack of access to basic and life-saving health services. Health services, particularly for pregnant women, were noted by many to be dire, as was the need for better access to clean water to mitigate risks of increased diseases from contaminated sources.
• Protection: Increased tensions within the household due to growing limitations around access to resources heightens risks for gender-based violence within the household, especially as the scope of women’s roles expand around income generation and increased access to humanitarian aid. Culturally accepted practices around early and forced child marriage, as a coping method, also creates added stressors for women and families. Read More...

Rapid Gender Analysis on Power and Participation Shafiullah Khata, Ukhiya, Cox’s Bazar Bangladesh

The current Rohingya refugee crisis is regarded as one of the world's worst humanitarian crises of the twenty-first century. Myanmar's Rohingya Muslims are a stateless Muslim community that have faced systematic discrimination and targeted persecution in Myanmar’s Rakhine State for decades. As the Myanmar government refuses to give Rohingya any citizenship rights, the vast majority of Rohingya have no legal documentation which is effectively making them stateless and trying to escape from the military’s campaign of violence, killing, rape, arson, and other grave abuses.

Bangladesh has taken in the greatest number of refugees thus far. Since 25th August 2017 a large number of Rohingya people has fled into Bangladesh from Myanmar after facing statelessness, targeted violence and discrimination. As of February 2022, there are 923,179 people and 194,091 households in 33 camps in Kutupalong and Nayapara area of Cox’s Bazar District.

There is limited to no participation and/or influence of Rohingya women in decision making or leadership roles within the humanitarian response in Cox’s Bazar Refugee Camp. Societal and religious norms of the Rohingya are patriarchal and tend to favor men’s participation and leadership over that of women; however, there are opportunities identified to support greater participation and leadership of women in public life.
Read More...

Alimentación no tiene límites: Mejorando la seguridad alimentaria de los hogares venezolanos en Perú: Reporte encuestas de satisfacción

Objetivo general:
Conocer el nivel de satisfacción de los participantes del servicio del componente Cash Transfer y sesiones de nutrición en las regiones de Lima, Tumbes, La Libertad y Piura.

Objetivos específicos:
• Recoger la percepción de los participantes del componente Cash Transfer y nutrición respecto al servicio de las transferencias en efectivo y sesiones educativas de nutrición en La Libertad, Tumbes, Piura y Lima.
• Recopilar información sobre la atención brindada durante la entrega de tarjetas y seguimiento realizado por el personal de World Vision y Care en La Libertad, Tumbes, Piura y Lima.

La aplicación de encuestas de satisfacción se realizan en periodos bimensuales. La presente encuesta se aplicó en junio a un total de 432 participantes que fueron registrados en el mes de abril y mayo. El 36.34% (157) de las encuestas fueron aplicadas por llamada telefónica y el 63.66% (275) fueron aplicadas de manera presencial en Lima, Tumbes, La Libertad y Piura a participantes registrados por World Vision y Care Perú. Las encuestas presenciales se aplicaron durante el segundo momento o tercer momento de sesiones educativas de nutrición y las encuestas aplicadas mediante llamada telefónica se dirigieron a participantes que han recibido su tarjeta y que han asistido a su segundo y tercer momento de entrega.

Se contó con encuestadores en las regiones de Piura, La Libertad, Tumbes y Lima, quienes coordinaron con el equipo MEAL y los facilitadores en cada región para la aplicación según el protocolo designado. Read More...

Mid-term Review: Women, Peace, and Security in Yemen

The civil war in Yemen has led to the greatest humanitarian emergency in the world, disproportionately impacting women and girls. The crisis has further deepened gender inequalities and women’s vulnerabilities to violence and harassment. Further amplifying the situation are poor policy implementation, a shrinking civic space - particularly for women’s organisations - and a retreat in recent hard won gains around women’s voices and leadership within peacebuilding processes.

Despite these realities, the context in Yemen offers significant opportunities for advancing the Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) agenda. Recognizing this need and opportunity, SOS Foundation for Development (short: SOS Foundation), CARE Yemen, RNW Media, and two implementing partners (Manasati30 and Generation without Qat), as part of an international consortium led by CARE Nederland, have been implementing the WPS3 in Yemen since 2021. The WPS3 is a strategic partnership funded by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) under the Strengthening Civil Society Policy Framework. It is a five-year initiative that seeks to contribute to lasting peace and to building a more equal society through addressing both women’s immediate needs and the underlying causes of their limited inclusion in relief, recovery and peacebuilding processes.

The Consortium commissioned Optimum Analysis to conduct a mid-term review of the WPS3 programme, covering the first half of programme implementation (1 January 2021 – 30 June 2023). The main purpose of the mid-term review is to assess the overall achievements and effectiveness of the WPS3 programme at the mid-point and provide recommendations on how the Partnership could be improved in moving forward. Read More...

Rapid Gender Analysis: Gender, Conflict and Internal Displacement in and from South Lebanon

The overarching objective of this Rapid Gender Analysis (RGA) is to highlight the differential impacts of the growing insecurity at Lebanon’s southern border for men, women and other vulnerable populations such as migrant domestic workers, refugees, and those with diverse sexual identities. The specific objectives are to: (1) Unpack potential shifts in attitudes, behaviours, roles and responsibilities among men and women within the household and community that may enable or prevent more equitable participation in humanitarian program planning and response, especially among internally displaced populations; (2) Identify the gender-based constraints (including gender-based violence and mobility restrictions) that hinder equitable participation or access to humanitarian services/resources/programs; (3) Understand the direct and indirect impacts of the conflict on health, livelihood, shelter, safe access to essential services and resources, including solidarity networks; (4) Generate actionable recommendations for CARE and other humanitarian stakeholders to design and implement more inclusive, equitable and targeted program interventions around key priority areas.

Key Findings
• For domestic migrant workers, refugee and IDP and those identifying as LGBTQI+ mutual aid groups and seeking local solidarity networks are essential in securing essential services, creating advocacy channels and build social safety nets.
• Women in urban regions hold more influencing power over household decisions than those in rural areas.
•Female refugees/IDPs, domestic migrant workers and LGBTQI+ individuals reported barriers to accessing sexual and reproductive health services as well as other essential health services.
•The psychological toll of the current violence is triggering overwhelming levels of stress, anxiety, and fear across the community, especially affecting children and those with memories of migration and conflict.
• Overcrowded shelters lack gender-sensitive considerations and amplify risks of GBV, particularly exploitation and harassment.
• Economic coping strategies from the long-standing economic crisis is taking a toll on livelihoods and the ability of households to save, leading women and other vulnerable groups to be exposed to disproportionate safety and protection risks. Read More...

Hunga Tonga- Hunga Ha’apai Disaster Response Program End of Program Evaluation Evaluation Report

This Evaluation Report presents the end of program evaluation (the evaluation) of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai Disaster Response Program (the program), implemented in partnership by CARE Australia, MORDI TT and Talitha Project (the partnership). The evaluation was conducted between July- November 2023 by Iris Low and Leaine Robinson (Collaborate Consulting Pte. Ltd (CoLAB)); Katrina Fatiaki (Tapuaki Mei Langi Consultancy) and Dr. Rev. 'Ungatea Kata and Ofa Pakalani (Tupou Tertiary Institute). The evaluation focused on evaluating the merit and worth of the program implemented by the partners by identifying the achievements of the program, strengths of the partnership modality to build on, and lessons to inform and improve future humanitarian programming.

Based on what stakeholders define as high quality humanitarian response, the evaluation finds that majority of communities, staff, and stakeholders interviewed stated that the assistance provided by CARE, MORDI TT and Talitha Project represents a high-quality humanitarian response as it met affected communities immediate needs (water, agriculture, hygiene kits), reached those in the community who needed assistance the most, was led by local organisations who coordinated and worked with existing national processes and systems in Tonga and who will continue to remain engaged in communities post-disaster to support communities to recover.
Impact: What difference did the program make?
The program has made an impact and positive difference to affected communities in helping to address their immediate needs and quality of living and recovery in the aftermath of the volcano and tsunami disaster. The targeted assistance has contributed to communities improved access to clean drinking water and their knowledge and skills on how to maintain Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) infrastructure; enhanced food security in communities through more options for healthy eating from the community gardens, helping communities to recover quickly, and increased livelihoods for women who sell the surplus produce; motivated communities to work together so that they are better prepared for future disasters and supported different groups (women, young people, adolescent girls, elderly and persons with disabilities) in the community. The program reached 20,182 people (5,593 women; 4,524 girls; 5,149 men and 4,916 boys) across the affected areas of Tongatapu, ‘Eua and Ha’apai, with material and technical support to restore community rainwater collection systems, a significant impact in the aftermath of the disaster which left communities without access to clean drinking water. Read More...

Breaking the Cycle: Food Insecurity, Protection and Armed Conflict in Colombia

Conflict. Hunger. Protection risks. In Colombia, these three phenomena have been interconnected in a reinforcing cycle for decades. Efforts to address each component of this negative cycle are vital, but approaches are often disconnected, leading to short-term or incomplete solutions. As a result, communities struggle against growing odds to build resilience or stability.

Using participatory methods, a research team led by CARE, the World Food Programme (WFP), and InterAction interviewed 16 focus groups in 2 departments of Colombia to learn directly from diverse perspectives what threats, vulnerabilities, capacities, and risksi affected people faced. Though the negative cycle effect was widespread, differences between and within communities meant that often people experienced armed conflict, hunger, and protection risks in vastly different ways, indicating that one-size-fits-all solutions won’t be enough to bring lasting positive change.

Despite the differences in personal and communal experience of risk, two categories of variables emerged that defined how individuals were affected by conflict, hunger, and protection risks: context-specific conflict dynamics and institutionalized discrimination. Read More...

SELAM 1 Early Recovery and Socio-Economic Stability in Tigray: FPI MONITORING REPORT

In June 2023, Altai Consulting, the Third-Party Monitor (TPM) for the EU FPI, was tasked by the Nairobi Regional Team (RT) to research and
communicate the progress and impact on the ground of the project NDICI CRISIS FPI/2021/427-921 – “SELAM 1 Early Recovery and Socio-Economic Stability in Tigray”, implemented by CARE and REST.

The project is implemented in Tigray as part of a cluster of projects alongside CST and MdM projects also montiroed by Altai during this visit. These interventions focus on responding to Tigray’s post-war challenges, mostly related to livelihoods support, access to health services, and trauma healing.

The monitoring team looked to capture progress towards the project’s intended objectives at the mid-stage of its implementation. During an earlier monitoring conducted in December 2022, the Altai team found that progress had stalled due to security challenges on the ground but that the projects were gaining momentum due to the peace agreement signed in November 2022. Read More...

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