Written by: Michael Paratharayil¹, Email:  This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it , Regional Emergency Officer- Central and South East Asia and Middle East, Christian Aid, London, UK

Christian  Aid (CA) has been pro-active in promoting and applying Sphere Standards in humanitarian programmes since the  project was launched. It implements humanitarian programmes through 600 national NGOs in more than 60 countries across the world. CA’s approach to implementing humanitarian programmes is to  accompany partners in their work and to provide staff in country to work with the  partners. Since 1997, CA has ensured that all staff are trained on Sphere Standards and the Humanitarian Charter.  Our humanitarian programmes are based on Sphere and monitored and evaluated against them. From an organizational experience, this approach has resulted in greater quality, accountability, co-ordination and the participation of the beneficiaries. We have highlighted  5 examples below, on how CA and partners have applied Sphere Standards and the Humanitarian Charter in different parts of the world.

2. LESSONS LEARNED

CA and its partners have used Sphere as a tool for quality assurance, in assessment, capacity building, and co-ordination process.  This is explained in the following sections below:

2.1 Sphere- A Tool for Quality Assurance

The staff of Christian Aid and partners have used Sphere as a tool for quality assurance. When the capacity building programmes are organised,

Promotion of Sphere Standards- Approaches that have worked with CA Training, coaching and working alongside partners and community based organisations.  Training of trainers within CA, National NGOs and Government Departments (Sphere Training is part of the  Corporate Training programme in CA). Ensuring that Sphere standards are applied in humanitarian project design and monitoring Country Level  Emergency Preparedness Plan (CLEPP) based on  Sphere

the first question that is often asked is how do you apply Sphere Standards; ‘how do you ensure quality  is assured while implementing humanitarian programmes?’ When staff share their experiences of applying Sphere Standards,  participants who are new to humanitarian programmes, are able to see evidence of its added value. It has been felt as one of the best tools in quality assurance. Case Study 1 narrates the experience of Harold Paul, Regional Emergency Officer, Caribbean, Christian Aid, Haiti. Case study 2² shows  how it has helped CA partners in Burundi in improving the quality of humanitarian programmes.

During the East Africa drought 2005/06, CA initiated a drought mitigation programme. When CA staff conducted partner capacity assessment, it was clear that most of the partners were aware about Sphere Standards, but had not applied them in their project planning and implementation. Subsequently, CA staff organised training for partners on project cycle management and Sphere Standards. This led to the development of a needs-based drought mitigation programme which is explained in Case Study 3³ . CA has also invested in facilitating regular capacity building programmes for effective humanitarian programmes not only in the rest of Africa, but in other regions around the world.

CA and its partners have seen the firsthand value and importance of Sphere as an effective capacity building tool. After the Tsunami hit Sri Lanka in 2004, there was a need for national NGOs to scale up to meet the humanitarian needs on the grounds. Christian Aid partners were new to the management of humanitarian programmes. Christian Aid’s approach to Tsunami was therefore to accompany partners in their  work. This approach proved very successful . The Sphere Standards were useful in helping the partners design their immediate relief programme. Case Study 4 gives an over view of how CA helped partners in Sri Lanka to design their emergency relief programme using Sphere. Since most of the partner staff were not well versed in English, CA staff had to act as the translators and facilitators to ensure that the Sphere Standards were understood and applied for the effective management of the humanitarian programme.

The Sphere Project has led to various interagency co-ordination forums. This has resulted in a co-ordinated approach to humanitarian programme development and management, in addition to collective advocacy. The collective advocacy approach has helped in  lobbying and thereby generate interest among donors, particularly for emergencies which did not receive extensive media coverage. The Case Study 5⁴ illustrates  how Sphere has influenced this collective approach in the context from  Northern Uganda.

While Sphere has ensured the rights of the people affected by the humanitarian crisis, it has also raised challenges. The main reasons are: lack of adequate funding and lack of enforcement mechanisms. There is a gap between the regular standard of living and Sphere Standards. When the humanitarian programme is completed, communities are forced to live below the minimum standards of living. It is important to continue to advocate on the rights of victims of humanitarian crises and to ensure that these standards are adhered to in the development context.

There is a need to ensure that the Sphere is integrated into the development and disaster risk reduction measures and  linked to initiatives like HAP-I and Dynamic (Quality) Compass. There is a need to have an enforcement mechanism both for  Government and non-government agencies to adhere to Sphere Standards in development and humanitarian programmes.