Sphere Project Phase
III: NARRATIVE REPORT # 3
Period: 1 October 2001–
30 April 2002
Overall, the Project is
running on course as we come to the middle of the second year of Phase III. All
the objectives are being met and the project continues to generate interest
from many sectors of the humanitarian system.
During this period, the
training program focused on Training of Trainers and support to agencies
organizing Sphere workshops. The Sphere implementation team consulted within
pilot agencies on the use of Sphere, specifically on the opportunities and
challenges these organizations are facing as they institutionalise the
Humanitarian Charter and Minimum Standards in Disaster Response. A Lessons
Learned draft paper was prepared based on these consultations, which will serve
as a working document for an important meeting in mid-May 2002 including pilot
agency representatives, trainers, Management Committee members and Sphere
staff.
The process of revising
the handbook is about to begin, with a focus on consolidation of the sectors
rather than expansion. Specifically, this means incorporating Food Security as
was originally planned from Phase I (1997).
Report against proposal
objectives:
1.
Training programme
Develop a training module
placing Sphere within the context of the Code of Conduct. This module would
draw on the knowledge and experience of the Red Cross /Red Crescent movement
and the NGOs who developed the code. While hundreds of agencies subscribe to
the code, many staff are not aware of the extent to which it provides an
ethical framework for the Sphere Humanitarian Charter and Minimum
Standards. This module would contribute
to increased understanding of the context provided by some of these core principles
that guide humanitarian work. It would also provide case studies that highlight
and describe these principles as well as illuminate the dilemmas that may
accompany them as they relate to t
1.1 Based on experience and feedback, continue to update and refine the
current training modules.
The process of revising
the four training modules has included the feedback from the past three
Training of Trainers (Morocco, Peru and Australia). Independent experts have
been contracted for this work in close collaboration with the Sphere training manager.
A Learning Guide is
being developed to assist users of the training modules. This guide will be
printed, bound and provided along with a CDROM including all the training
modules to the pilot agencies and MC members at the May meeting. If requested a
copy will be available to donor agencies.
1.2 Conduct
a Training of Trainers
Out of the concern of
keeping Sphere global, the project pushed to expand its language capacity and
consequently, organized Training of Trainers (ToTs) in French and Spanish,
which was not part of the original project proposal. The French language ToT
took place in Morocco in December 2001 co-hosted with BIOFORCE, and the Spanish
language was held in Peru in January 2002 co-hosted with Oxfam. Consequently, there is now a group of trainers who are native
speakers in French and Spanish and who are a useful resource to their respective agencies, networks and
regions. A third English ToT took place in March
2002 in Australia with a focus on Pacific Rim disaster response organisations
with substantial co-financing from AusAID and contributions-in-kind from the
Australian Council for Overseas Aid (ACFOA), one of Sphere’s pilot agencies.
Follow-up on these ToTs will be documented in the next narrative report.
1.3 Facilitate
15 inter-agency workshops worldwide.
The training focus is
moving away from Sphere Project generated workshops and increasingly oriented
to supporting individual agencies that organize both inter-agency and
intra-agency workshops. This support includes networking available Sphere
trainers to agencies to conduct training as independent consultants; helping
agencies identify learning opportunities; advice on how to incorporate Sphere
training materials into organisational context; and the on-going mentoring of
trainers.
In the reporting period,
no inter-agency workshops were organized by the project but to date 13 workshops
have been given, it is possible that one or two will take place at the end of
2002.
2.
Outreach
2.1
Pro-actively engage with the humanitarian community with a particular
emphasis on southern/eastern situations and voices.
2.2
Facilitate incorporation and ratification by UN
operational agencies with a focus on co-ordination with implementing partners.
Outreach continues with
most of the operational agencies. Sphere staff has participated in OCHA CAP
training workshops where Sphere is increasingly mainstreamed. Relevant UN
operational agencies have expressed strong interest in participating in the
revision of the handbook.
2.3
Develop generic work plans and support packages adaptable to
country-based consortia wishing to create Sphere focal points.
N/A at this time
2.4
Review, update and maintain website.
The commitment to
making the site available in three languages continues with regular updates in
English, French and Spanish. The website has been a vehicle to post TORs (i.e.
Evaluation, Focal Points) and hits continue to be over 100,000 per month.
Edited Case Studies have been included in the three languages, as well as a
Frequently Asked Questions section. Narrative reports prepared for donors are
also posted.
2.5
Produce a 60-minute video based in real-time disaster situations that will graphically illustrate the
practical application of the Sphere handbook in field use.
Filming in Sierra Leone
and Guinea took place in January 2002 with substantial support from the IFRC.
Filming arrangements for the second shooting have been hampered by insecurity
in potential filming sites (Pakistan, Afghanistan, Ingushetia). Efforts
continue and the video is expected to be ready by early 2003.
2.6 Prepare, in consultation with the academic community, suggested scenarios for use of handbook in academic curricula, with particular emphasis on universities based in the Southern Hemisphere.
Following the Peru ToT,
requests of materials and guidance have come from some Latin American
Universities (i.e. Universidad de Antoquia, Colombia; Universidad Nacional de
Córdoba, Argentina). Sphere presentations continue to take place (i.e. at the
International Diploma in Humanitarian Assistance) and the number of
universities incorporating the handbook in their curricula is increasing.
2.7
Continue distribution of the newsletter and other
informational material.
The e-mail newsletter
continues to be sent on a quarterly basis and is posted in English, French and
Spanish on the website. The new 25-page brochure (available in English, French
and Spanish) has been widely distributed (over 8000 copies), and reprinting the
English version is underway. The project received many orders from around the
world after announcing the new brochure in the newsletter (sent to donors with
the latest report) and very positive feedback on its usefulness has been
forthcoming.
3. Agency incorporation (the Pilot programme)
The implementation team completed a round of visits
to pilot agencies in Central America, East Africa, South Asia, Europe and the
United States during the reported period.
They held meetings with representatives of
pilot agencies and worked through a standardized questionnaire on awareness and
implementation of Sphere, and considered broader questions of dilemmas and
issues in applying the Humanitarian Charter and Minimum Standards.
In all, over 300 individual meetings took place and
more than 100 four-page questionnaires were completed. The overall impression
from the visits and the responses to the questionnaire is that there is
considerable enthusiasm for Sphere and a growing awareness of it amongst
individuals within organizations, especially at country-level HQ level. This preliminary and partial feedback also
suggests significant challenges remain.
In each country, pilot agencies together
came to discuss issues arising and debate next steps for Sphere. There was a
very impressive turnout of pilot agencies in all countries; virtually all
agencies invited attended. In addition to meeting pilot agencies
representatives, Sphere staff met with government representatives in Ethiopia,
Kenya and Rwanda, with the support of pilot agencies.
Common themes have arisen in all countries
and amongst the three regions visited:
· Although
awareness of Sphere is growing, there is a very long way to go in terms of
dissemination and training
· There
is still relatively limited application of Sphere around the project cycle –
although there are a few excellent examples in which the quality and
accountability of disaster response has certainly been enhanced by applying
Sphere
· The
role of the government is extremely important. National and local government
must be aware of Sphere to ensure that there is a common currency of terms and
expectations in the event of a disaster
· Sphere
presents an excellent opportunity for pilot agencies to coordinate around
common goals and objectives, although there are many factors that make this
difficult to achieve (competing priorities, differing organizational
culture/experience, timing –whether the context is in the middle of disaster
response or not).
A Lessons Learned paper
that reflects the institutionalisation of Sphere is being prepared for the May
meeting. This paper includes many examples related to the four points below and
will be debated at the meeting and completed by September 2002.
3.1 Achievable
systems of monitoring and evaluation;
3.2
Document experience of Sphere
implementation in disaster response;
3.3
Document experience of Sphere
implementation in disaster preparedness
3.4
Participation of southern
agencies
i)
Relationships with northern partners and how effective these could be in
extending the knowledge and understanding of Sphere
ii)
Analyse experience of working with umbrella and networking bodies in helping to
broaden awareness of Sphere
4. Sphere Handbook Management
4.1
Identify,
second, and support
sector team-leaders
for review and revision of handbook in the third year of the project.
The review process of the
handbook is underway. Focal points for all sectors have been identified (see
enclosed flyer) and the agencies which focal points work for (Catholic Relief
Services, Oxfam GB, CARE-USA, Save the Children UK and the International
Refugee Committee) are seconding these staff resources. An editor has been
selected from a pool of applications. Part of the revision includes
incorporation of cross-cutting issues and initial contact has been made with
specialists on children, disabled, gender, elderly, HIV-AIDS and the
environment.
The first focal point
revision meeting will take place in Geneva in June 17-21 2002.
4.2
Support and facilitate efforts
world-wide to produce local-language publications of the handbook following the
successful initiatives of Phase II.
The spontaneous
translation of the Sphere handbook continues with the recent addition of a
Korean version.
We are developing an
arrangement for a South Asia-produced and distributed low price edition of the
English version of the handbook. This agreement has come out of a request by
national NGOs working in India and will expand the market for Sphere. This
distribution channel will not include the second edition until a few years
after its release (analogy of hard cover to paper printings). (Unfortunately,
this is not an option for Africa - India has a long publishing and distribution
history that works well in Asia and enjoys the capacity and financial incentive
to do it cheaply and with quality.)
4.3 Undertake
specific language productions if not produced during Phase II of Arabic,
Chinese and/or KiSwahili.
A distributor for the
Arabic version of the handbook has been identified with the valuable help of
the IFRC delegation in Jordan. The books will be available by June 2002 and
information on how to order the handbook will be published in the Sphere
website, announced through our contacts database, and through the Management
Committee and Pilot agency networks. Complementary copies of the handbook will
be sent to strategic reviewers, universities and training organizations in the
region.
Not
part of the Sphere Project direct work, the Chinese version of the handbook has
been completed by a group of Chinese NGOs and 1000 copies printed. Distribution
is taking place locally.
4.4 Liaise
with, and encourage other humanitarian consortia who are consolidating and
producing Minimum Standards on other sectors and promote the Sphere process of
broad-based collaboration and sector expertise and consensus.
Other than Food
Security, no other sectors will be added to the second edition as the Sphere
Management Committee members are committed to the consolidation and use of the
current sectors.
However, inspired by the Sphere process,
various groups of practitioners are working on developing guidelines in other
humanitarian response areas and exploring if the Standard-indicator structure
fits the sector in question. The
project manager has worked closely with an Education in Emergencies working
group from NGOs and the UN, which it is pursuing agreed standards in education
in emergencies.
4.5 Minimum Standards and key
indicators regarding food security in disasters and calamity could be incorporated into future
editions of the handbook if they have been developed through a broad, collaborative, evidence-based process.
The Sphere
Management Committee agreed to fulfill a commitment from Phase I of the project
and include Food Security to the extent the technical experts advise (a report
of an expert group meeting held in July 2001 is available on the website).
4.6
Handbook general sales
The handbook continues to
sell well in English with increasing demand for the other languages that has
led to second printings of Russian and Portuguese (with index) and a fourth
reprint in English. Income from handbook sales is paying for indexing and
re-prints.
5. Evaluation
The Mellon
Foundation is providing funds to support an evaluation of the Project.
The
Evaluation Request For Proposals generated 19 submissions from seven countries
and included four academic institutions. The selection process was carried out
during December 2001 – January 2002 and Columbia University
in partnership with Makerere Institute of Public Heath in Uganda was selected
as the Evaluation team.
The evaluation will
consist of five basic activities: 1) the development of survey tools with which
to interview, in person and by telephone, mail, and e-mail, donors, NGO
personnel at different levels, and intended beneficiaries; 2) the collection,
review, and analysis of appropriate documents from both the Sphere Project, its
users, and its detractors; 3) the conduct of the survey and its analysis; 4)
the design and conduct of the case studies; and 5) the preparation,
presentation, and submission of the final report. Quarterly interim reports
will be available on the Sphere website. The evaluation will start in the summer 2002.
The Sphere Management Committee (MC) has discussed on the role and
composition of an Advisory Group. It was agreed that there is significant added
value of a small group who have a light and simple relationship to the
evaluators and who can act as a sounding board for midterm review; caution if
the MC tries to exert undue influence; provide expert guidance/peer counselling
on methodology and monitor progress against plan. To this end, a slate was suggested, confirmed and
includes:
Niels Dabelstein, Chair – Danish
Government Aid Agency
Mary B. Anderson – Collective for
Development Action (Do No Harm)
Zia Choudhury – Oxfam (Thailand)
Arafat Jamal, UNHCR
Hugo
Slim – Oxford Brookes University
6.
Project management, staffing and funding
The Sphere Management
Committee met for two days in January to oversee general policy and management
functions.
Funding
The budget for year 2 and
3 was fine-tuned and approved by the Management Committee in January 2002
(enclosed to this report). The project has received income and pledges equal to
92% of the revised Phase III budget.
As pointed out in the
cover letter accompanying this report, the financial reports to date (all
phases of the Sphere Project included) have not reflected the significant
in-kind services (administrative, technical, logistical, etc.) provided by the
International Federation of the Red Cross (IFRC). The IFRC is considering a
cost-recovering scheme based on a percentage of our Phase III budget, which
needs to be factored into the total budget.
The
fourth financial and narrative reports, covering 1 May – 31 October 2002, will
be available in December 2002.
END