Somalia Drought Response2011/12 Effectiveness Review – Management Response Oxfam GB Project Effectiveness Review Management Response Regional Director: Fran Equiza Country Director: Adan Kabelo Name of Response reviewed: Oxfam’s Somalia Drought Response Date: 26th September 2012 Participants in the Management Response: Somalia team Please return the Management Response form to the International Programmes Director within 4 weeks, copied to PPAT. Summary of results Number Quality standard Timeliness – rapid analysis within one day of getting reports of raised alarm, assessment within one week and assistance started within one week of assessing need to response Coverage – 25% of the total affected population but in exceptional circumstances then: Total number of beneficiaries is at least 5% of the disaster-affected population and selected areas the most-affected or marginalised Technical aspects of programme measured against Sphere and Oxfam quality standards Met (score 4) Partially met (score 2) Not met (score 0) 0 1 2 4 2 3 Number Quality standard Met (score 2) Partially met (score 1) Not met (score 0) Somalia Drought Response2011/12 Effectiveness Review – Management Response 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Indicators (both process and impact) in place and being measured 1 Feedback/complaints system in place and functioning and documented evidence of consultation and participation Partners fully engaged in all aspects of the project cycle 2 Programme reflects measures to address dignity and protection issues 1 Programme delivery addresses gender and specific needs of vulnerable groups Exit strategy/recovery plan in place Evidenced utilisation of contingency plan in last humanitarian response 1 Programme addresses advocacy issues Programme is linked to/will be linked to DRR interventions in area 2 0 10 7 0 17 1 1 2 Final rating 1. Did the HIT identify areas that were particularly strong overall in the Region or in a particular country? (i.e. standards fully met)? Yes: Strong areas identified by the HIT Coverage: The HIT identified the courageous decision by the management to expand the program into new geographic locations and working with organization that Oxfam had no prior experience of to deliver the much needed humanitarian aid at the time of famine in addition to the programmes focusing on significant proportion of areas that were amongst the worst-affected in Somalia. Participation & Accountability: The HIT identified beneficiary hotline set up in the cash transfer intervention as well as the actions/or methods used in monitoring aid delivery that brings out complaints and feedback from targeted beneficiaries. Innovativeness to financial risk management is something also identified as way to ensure accountability. Though the report highlights the difficult to make judgment on the Somalia Drought Response2011/12 Effectiveness Review – Management Response level of beneficiary consultation and participation, it has identified the inclusion of such activity in various documents such as proposal, donor reports and baseline report what might be termed as a good practice in program management Partnership: The establishment of mature partnership over a number of years that has enabled Oxfam to deliver in Somalia through remote management, the speed with which the exercise of identifying new partners in an emergency situation was conducted, review of partnership model to improve delivery of humanitarian aid and documents put in place that have a bearing on partnership issues such as Somalia strategy papers. Advocacy: The HIT identified development of advocacy strategy 2011-2013 that provides compelling evidence of action taken or in process to agitate for change in Somalia and in so doing meets the Oxfam standard and addressing proposal to develop a plan for quick sourcing of information to inform the media and policy work as well as holding regular sessions with the partners on long term plans. We now have a 3 year campaigns strategy which builds on many of the learnings from the emergency response. There was also an in depth evaluation done of the campaign response to the overall crisis in the Horn of Africa including many recommendations and learnings for Somalia. The campaigns team is working these learnings into our practice going forward. Technical quality on Public health & EFSVL – Although mentioned as partly met, it’s felt that issues to do with proposal for funding for both public health and EFSVL projects based on needs, good practise targets and standards, monitoring despite lack of qualified PHEs and PHP in the field especially in public health, documentation e.g. assessment reports, donor reports, handover notes amongst other areas identified effectiveness and efficiency of both intervention themes (Public health & EFSVL) taking into consideration Oxfam Somalia implemented the program in an upscale scenarios in a very challenging environment as Somalia and especially on the EFSVL component. Somalia Drought Response2011/12 Effectiveness Review – Management Response 2. Did the HIT identify areas that were weak or very weak in the Region or a particular country (e.g. standards partly or not met)? Yes: Weak or very weak areas identified by the HIT Dignity, protection, gender and vulnerability - Despite the strong points highlighted in these areas in terms of reference in the PIP, to MEAL, existence of gender strategy and proposals, there are number of weak areas such as not updating the gender strategy, baseline at times doesn’t capture the needs of women as desired, at times sex-disaggregated data lacks as well in some proposals a fact that can be attributed to the challenge of getting appropriate numbers in the context of Somalia. There is limited analysis that exists within the Somalia team on these issues and lack of awareness about OI minimum standards within Oxfam GB and partners that led to the country program receiving support during famine response from the regional gender advisor and Humanitarian Global Gender Advisor though limited. The weak areas especially on gender can be attributed to the lack of a designated staff in the OGB Somalia team. However, both the Nairobi and Hargeisa office have nominated gender focal persons who will ensure the integration plans are followed through. Furthermore, another problem relates to the fact that there is no protection adviser in place within the Oxfam Somalia programme as a whole or embedded within the partners. It is very difficult to dictate protection standards from Nairobi and it would be preferable to have a protection adviser embedded within the partners to ensure the necessary attention is given to protection issues. Preparedness, Disaster Risk Reduction, Recovery and Exit – In preparedness, there was ‘disconnect’ between regional warning and HQ triggers and Oxfam had to ‘scramble’ to identify partners in a country where partnership is complex. A clear reference to DRR in Oxfam drought response in majority of the proposal was in some cases driven by the immediate urgent needs by the community and donors focus although this is not an excuse not to include DRR and resilience since it’s referred to OI Somalia strategy and Oxfam firmly advocates for it. On recovery and exit, there is no coherent strategy and planning for recovery continues to be work in progress. Measuring indicators (process & impacts)- The patchiness of data being collected despite the final version of the PIP being authorised 4 weeks of CAT 1 being called and documenting them in OPAL was in a way contributed by the nature of operational, administrative and programmatic pressure or workload that came with CAT 1 which had the persons bestowed with responsibility to ensure data collected is reflected in the system and that is why Oxfam staffs trip reports, independent monitoring reports and donor reports went along way to fill the gap in data collection and provide evidence of process and impact. Somalia Drought Response2011/12 Effectiveness Review – Management Response 3. What actions are being planned in response to the unmet or partially met benchmarks identified? Dignity, protection, gender and vulnerability - Updating the gender strategy, ensuring gender issues are captured at the baseline/or needs assessment stage and followed to the letter during implementation. Capacity building on these key issues for Oxfam and partners. Analysis on these issues and ensuring existing staffs are oriented afresh about OI minimum standards as well as partners including new staffs and partners. Additionally, engaging and interacting more with the regional gender advisor and Humanitarian Global Gender Advisor on a need basis. Going forward, recruit a gender focal point person for the program to work with program counterparts and partners on gender matter and similarly work with advocacy and policy team to address issues of dignity, protection and vulnerabilities. It may be necessary to resource a protection/ gender adviser to be embedded within the partners in order to take protection forward, given the fact that yet another staff member in Nairobi will place more demands on partners without the relevant support at field level. Partners capacity will be built in protection skills to ensure sustainability of protection activities within Somalia. Preparedness, Disaster Risk Reduction, Recovery and Exit – To have improved preparedness plans, to ensure a response and scale up can happen quickly should the need arise. A need to develop thorough preparedness plans with links to other external actor/s such as the clusters, to include all areas of business support scale up and clarity on roles and responsibilities. To include DRR in needs assessments and follow them to the letter in implementation and on recovery and exit, Oxfam GB through the Somalia HCT (Humanitarian country team) has contributed it’s thoughts in a 2 pager paper on ‘transition to long tern developments’ that seeks to show what needs to be done going forward besides other internal Oxfam strategies such as the Oxfam in Somalia strategic change goals that highlight recovery approaches to problems affecting Somalia. Measuring indicators (process & impacts) - Finalising recruitment of a competent MEAL and EFSL Managers to work closely with existing program teams (technical public health and EFSL) and partner counterparts to ensure process and impact are addressed. Conducting refresher training on OPAL for existing Manager as well as new ones who either joined the program in the middle of CAT 1 and after. Ensuring number of staffs in place matches the workload so as to ensure data collection is conducted and documented. 4. Are there HIT findings that you would recommend for action by the Humanitarian Department? And how can HD support the Region’s response to the HITs? Advocacy – To agitate for change in Somalia at global level not necessarily change that will bring in funds but bring about change in vulnerabilities, dignity, gender and resilience issues among other critical areas to improve the humanitarian situation in Somalia. Supporting the region’s efforts by way of technical advice, guidance and consultation would be helpful in attaining the aforesaid tasks. The campaigns team has a 3 year strategy on gender, security and livelihoods which will provide structure for our long term work along with space for our short term advocacy on the humanitarian emergencies. The humanitarian department should continue to engage in the overall RIC campaign which the Somalia campaign strategy feeds into Preparedness- To strengthen the link between regional warning and HQ triggers to avoid hasty decisions. On recovery and exit, inputs/or Somalia Drought Response2011/12 Effectiveness Review – Management Response contribution of ideas based on other Oxfam global practises that have worked into the development of a coherent strategy and planning for recovery. Partnership – Simplified approach to indentify partners in a complex situation as Somalia especially on sudden onset of emergencies as borrowed from other workable best practices in Oxfam’s work globally.