Listening to Communities in Insecure Environments

In insecure areas, access constraints limit opportunities for face-to-face interactions with
communities. While agencies express their commitment to accountability to communities, achieving this is more complex in insecure settings and often requires a mix of approaches. At the same time, effective communication is more important in unstable settings than in stable ones due to the fact that engaging affected people in programming and addressing their most-relevant needs increases local support, which in turn can lead to greater acceptance and motivate communities to protect organisations.

This report presents SAVE findings on the effectiveness and appropriateness of community
feedback mechanisms in Afghanistan, South Central Somalia and Syria. The research involved consultations with aid agencies, donors and crisis-affected communities, as well as a review of relevant documentation and literature.