HAP in Dadaab (Northern Kenya)

‘We started working as a humanitarian group and not as single entities, we shared gaps and proposed joint solutions, we have a shared commitment for a way forward' (statement made by participant in a HAP workshop evaluation)

The three-month HAP deployment to Dadaab ended on 11th October 2010 with the active participation of agencies such as CARE International, Danish Refugee Council, Norwegian Refugee Council, Oxfam GB, Save the Children, Film Aid, Lutheran World Federation, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, International Organisation for Migration and World Food Programme.

For more details read the HAP Deployment to Dadaab Debrief Notes (pdf, 348 Kb) which outline the key activities, findings and recommendations made during the deployment to Dadaab in 2010.

A follow up mission to Dadaab and Kakuma refugee operations was undertaken in May 2010. The report of the efforts made by various agencies, the activities of the Dadaab Accountability and Quality Working Group and related findings and recommendations is now available and can be read at: Report of the HAP 2010 Deployment follow up mission.

Dadaab in northern Kenya is the oldest and largest refugee camp complex in the world. Established in 1991-1992, the three Dadaab camps (Ifo, Dagahaley and Hagadera) were set up to accommodate 90,000 refugees escaping the conflict in Somalia. Over the years, with the conflict in Somalia continuing unabated, and the unfolding famine in the Horn of Afica, the number of refugees fleeing into Dadaab has continued to rise. During the HAP deployment in 2010, UNHCR estimated that the overall population in the Dadaab camps was at 276,599 persons. In October 2011, it has risen to 525,000 refugees.

In essence, there are two operations running simultaneously in Dadaab: on the one hand, agencies are providing services for the 20-year-old protracted refugee crisis; on the other hand, they are conducting emergency operations for the influx of new arrivals. In addressing the needs of such a large refugee population, aid agencies face a number of operational challenges, such as coping with the growing influx of new arrivals; shortage of land; camp congestion; overstretched financial and human capacities; tensions with the host community and general state of despondency amongst the refugees.

The current level of attention to the Dadaab refugee complex has increased significantly since the declaration of the Horn of Africa famine. A number of stakeholders have referred to the current dynamics of the Dadaab response as the, 'CNN effect'. The media attention is perceived to be dictating agencies' level of attention towards the Dadaab response. The famine is affecting large areas of the Horn of Africa, but a significant proportion of the reponse is focused on Dadaab which is is easily accessible for media agencies and creates an environment in which agencies can easily gain exposure under the gaze of global media.

Focus of the deployment

Considering the unique nature of the humanitarian crisis in Dadaab and the feedback from agencies during a consultation visit in March 2010, agencies highlighted key accountability challenges which shaped the Terms of Reference of the Dadaab deployment. The agreed overall aim of the three-month deployment has been to
strengthen understanding and practice of humanitarian accountability and quality management with a particular emphasis on facilitating improved information sharing, participation and complaints handling (both at agency-specific and inter-agency level) for refugees and the host-community in Dadaab.

Secondment from the Lutheran World Federation - impacting Kakuma refugee operations

The deployment was carried out by the HAP Roving Representative Maria Kiani and by Rita Mamai, seconded from the Lutheran World Federation. As part of her secondment, Rita has drafted an action plan identifying agency-specific and inter-agency steps that need to be undertaken to strengthen accountability in the Kakuma refugee operations. An agreement to increase cross learning between the Kakuma and the Dadaab refugee operations was reached.

Inter-agency mapping and action planning exercise

An inter-agency mapping and action planning exercise was undertaken on 10th August 2010, which involved 13 agencies, 32 staff members and 126 stakeholders. Refugees, staff and volunteers were consulted through focus group discussions, interviews and survey questionnaires. The findings from the mapping exercise helped to identify the key areas that need to be addressed in the Dadaab refugee operations. These findings were discussed in a plenary to prioritise actions points that agencies need to take forward individually and collectively to strengthen accountability. Agency staff enthusiastically participated in this exercise and saw it as a good way to strengthen inter-agency understanding and collaboration.

This is the first time an inter-agency accountability mapping exercise and joint action planning of this scale has been conducted during a HAP deployment.

This innovative exercise was captured as a good practice in an article -Collective efforts to improve humanitarian accountability and quality: the HAP deployment to Dadaab for the Humanitarian Practice Network.

Participants made the following comments in the evaluation of the mapping exercise:

The focus group discussions were enlightening. Would be nice to have such frequent meetings with the community.
I liked the interaction with the beneficiaries, listening and discussing issues of gaps and points of improvement.
HAP is very useful and relevant to project implementation. It has improved my perception towards accountability. The response was sincere.
I liked the participatory approach of developing the questions and the involvement of all agencies, HAP and non-HAP members, in the exercise.
Beautiful exercise to collect beneficiaries’ opinions. Do it often.
The exercise has pointed out reality on ground.

Various agency specific and inter-agency activities

The team also undertook various inter-agency and agency-specific activities to increase staff awareness and strengthen practice. Different workshops have taken place between July and October 2010, with a particular focus on establishing complaints handling mechanisms. A total of 212 practitioners from different agencies have participated in these capacity building activities.

In addition to the orientations and trainings, the team has been involved in a full range of activities to provide hands on and direct support. Some of these include:

Visits to the camps to observe agency programmes activities
Home visits to gather the views of refugees
Visits to mobile courts to understand legal assistance and counselling provided to refugees
Visits to police stations to meet with refugees who have been arrested on arrival
Food distributions visits
Registration of new arrivals
Discussions with beneficiaries in safe havens, transit sites, community centres and meetings with leaders of various committees
Joint Assessment Mission 2010 (led by the World Food Programme and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees)
Heads of Agencies meetings
Stakeholder Steering Group Meetings (including the host community, the agencies and the Government of Kenya)

Dadaab Accountability and Quality Working Group

12 agencies have joined hands to form an inter-agency "Accountability and Quality Working Group" (AQWG). The group has been established to act as an agent of change and a resource to strengthen quality and accountability of the Dadaab humanitarian operations. The working group meets twice a month to discuss issues of importance, plan joint activities and make recommendations to the heads of agencies on particular accountability and quality issues related to humanitarian accountability and quality in the Dadaab operations. To increase ownership and ensure equal partnership, the responsibilities of hosting, chairing and rapporteuring are rotated and shared by all of the participating agencies. Support and oversight to the working group is provided by the Dadaab-based heads of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the World Food Programme, following the terms of reference of the Dadaab Accountability and Quality Working Group.

Consultations with the host community in Dadaab

An important stakeholder in the Dadaab refugee operations is the host community. The HAP team participated in various meetings to strengthen host community relations and also undertook consultations with the community members of Lagdera, Jarajilla and South Wajir.

Watch 'Our Say' - A documentary on accountability made by the youth in Dadaab camps

"Our say" - a documentary made by refugees in Dadaab, Kenya

HAP has collaborated with FilmAid International to showcase the voices of beneficiaries and their perception on humanitarian accountability in a short documentary.

The short video, titled "Our Say", can be viewed on HAP Youtube channel.

This documentary has been created under FilmAid’s Participatory Video Project (PVP), which aims to help youth within the refugee camps achieve their potential through the use of photos and films. The Participatory Video Project team received an orientation training about accountability and the HAP 2007 Standard by the HAP team, before talking to the refugees in the camps.

Read more about the energetic Participatory Video Project team from the Dadaab refugee camps in the Refugee Newsletter, which is also written and published by refugees under the auspices of FilmAid.

We would like to extend special thanks to FilmAid International, particulary Jackie Oreta and Samuel Mwendwa for their support on this project.

Funding and support

HAP would like to acknowledge the financial and in-kind contributions made by HAP Members and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNCHR) in Dadaab. The HAP team has been co-hosted by UNCHR (providing office space and logistical support) and CARE International (providing accommodation). The Lutheran World Federation has covered all the costs of the secondment, while financial contributions have been made by CARE International, the Danish Refugee Council, Save the Children and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

After-Action Review

An After-Action Review (AAR) is a key component of every HAP deployment. The After-Action Review for Dadaab was conducted by Elie Gasagara, Accountability and Protection Advisor at World Vision’s Food Programming and Management Group. World Vision is a HAP member, but is not operational in Dadaab. Therefore it was considered that Elie could carry out an independent After-Action Review. World Vision contributed to this deployment by offering Elie's time and services. The report of the After-Action Review deployment - with findings and key recommendations, along with the After-Action Review outcomes - has been shared widely.

Follow-up visit

A follow-up visit to Dadaab was carried out in May 2011 by the HAP Roving team and aimed at providing further support and reviewing the progress of the agencies against the accountability action plans that they developed. Read the report: Report of the HAP 2010 Deployment follow up mission.

Photos

For photos about the HAP deployment in Dadaab, go to the HAP Flickr photostream.

More information

For more information or feedback on the Dadaab deployment please contact:
Maria Kiani, Senior Quality and Accountability Advisor
Email: mkiani@hapinternational.org