Somalia, DANWADAAG: Improving the social contract through inclusive and transparent Disaster Risk Management

The wider objective of the project is to improve the social contract through increased resilience to external shocks.

The specific objective is to increase government legitimacy through efficient and effective Disaster Risk Management based on access to information, inclusive policies and services.

The expected results of the project are:

• Communities can contribute to inclusive and transparent Disaster Risk Management through equitable access to information, resources and decision making processes (Outcome 1)
• CSOs have the legitimacy and capacity to contribute to inclusive and transparent Disaster Risk Management (Outcome 2)
• Public authorities have the legitimacy and capacity to coordinate and implement inclusive and transparent Disaster Risk Management (Outcome 3)
• Media have the capacity to contribute to inclusive and transparent DRM through disseminating relevant information and creating spaces for inclusive dialogue between public authorities, civil society and communities (Outcome 4)

Disaster Risk Management is approached as a channel to improve the social contract between communities and public authorities. Danwadaag will have a specific focus on Somaliland and Somalia.

Danwadaag is implemented by a consortium composed of VNG International (lead), CARE Netherlands, Free Press Unlimited and MediaINK.

Danwadaag is financed by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Nairobi and runs from 1 January 2021 until 31 March 2025.

Type of services provided:

Outcome 1 “Communities” (CARE):

• Organize forums for community and initiate dialogue to educate them on those risks threatening their livelihoods, and ways to collectively address them through inclusive planning and decision making.
• Create greater awareness on inclusive and integrated disaster management using social media, radios and TV channels.
• Develop and strengthen community-based early warning systems, including Early Warning Committees and link with district disaster management
• Work with Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and local authorities to establish viable community governance mechanisms.
• Assess capacity gaps, risk and hazards threatening in respective communities and offer training to build stronger CSOs
• Link community priorities with district and regional level plans (Participatory Scenario Planning)
• Support the establishment of community centres to host events and communal Disaster Risk Management planning, dialogue and public authority engagements
• Social Exclusion Analysis and/or CVCA to understand the needs and concerns of marginalized groups
• Provide basic skills for advocacy and communication to voice needs for the community
• Facilitate forums for dialogue between communities and public authorities on Disaster Risk Governance
  Small grants for CBOs to engage their governments on inclusive and integrated DRM, working with media.

Outcome 2 “Civil Society Organisations” (CARE):

• Identify key existing CSO actors with advocacy focus based on the mapping results in the target regions and districts, and assess their efficacy in inclusive planning and contribution to local efforts
  Support CSOs with funds, skills and incentives required to develop, function well and maintain organisational plans, contingency plans and systems
• Strenghten CSO capacities to represent communities and marginalized groups, by conducting a CSO organizational capacity assessment & advocacy skills review, and developing a CSO capacity building plan on community representation and DRM, and on advocacy and strategy development in inclusive and integrated DRM
• Facilitate with LAs the registration and certification of CSOs to strengthen performance monitoring mechanisms for effective accountability
• CSOs are trained to analyse and voice the needs of their constituencies in an equitable manner
• CSOs to organize dialogue forums between community members and local authorities for inclusion of various community members, including marginalized groups for inclusive planning and decision making
• Training on inclusive and integrated DRM and DRM governance (to be linked with similar trainings for local authorities under Outcome 3)
• Revive existing and facilitate formation of new DRM advocacy alliances and CSO platforms at regional, district and community levels
• Facilitate the formation of new CSOs where necessary and strengthen skills and capacity of these new CSOs on advocacy, planning and coordination to contribute to inclusive Disaster Risk Management efforts
• Facilitate dialogue events between CSOs and local authorities on inclusive DRM planning, and CSOs take part in existing district and regional dialogues to voice needs/interests of communities
• Work with CSOs to develop communication and dissemination strategy on DRM information. Further, in partnership with media, this project will provide regular community broadcasting for awareness raising and messaging on early warning systems
• CSOs to organize local talk shows and radio debates on inclusive planning, response and coordination of DRM activities
  Partner with knowledge institutes to document best practices and learnings with CSOs, media, community & local authorities
• Partner with research institutions to support local government to improve techniques on EWS and knowledge management for disaster risk reduction (e.g. technical guidelines, training and educational programmes)
• Supporting networks of academics to strengthen research on DRM policy reviews and research
• Facilitate central coordination mechanisms on disaster risk management & collaboration with CSOs at regional and district levels.
• It will facilitate Disaster Risk Governance M&E framework and key benchmarks, indicators and well-defined M&E systems to monitor for CSOs for performance tracking and reporting
• Train CSOs and local authorities on accountability principles and inclusive governance (Community Score Card methodology).

Outcome 3 “Public Authorities” (VNG):

• Overall contract management, quality control, Monitoring Evaluation and Learning
• Sensitisation on relevant policy frameworks (local, regional, national, international, e.g. SPHERE, Sendai Framework for DRR), addressing challenges regarding overlapping mandates between decentralised structures and state/ministerial levels, rivalry and unclear communication roles.
• Develop district and sub-national level plans linked to the state-level framework for inclusive DRM governance, and facilitate M&E framework and key benchmarks, indicators and well defined
  M&E systems to monitor for public authorities to performance tracking and reporting
• Partner with HADMA and NADFOR on early warning information dissemination and accountability mechanisms, and train staff on inclusive DRM Monitoring & Evaluation, early warning accountability mechanisms and responsibilities
• Review of job descriptions within district administrations
• Workshops on the role of staff / local councils / leadership (executive directors, mayors)
• ‘VNG International dilemma games’
• TOT/Action Learning on Public Leadership in times of crisis”
• TOT/Action Learning on Sustaining Peace in times of crisis: the role of Local governance”
• Stakeholder mapping workshops targeting district, regional, state level
• Workshops and on-the-job coaching for public authorities to assist in establishing or reinforcing local DRM coordination structures
• Supporting the development of ‘protocols of engagement’ between public authorities, communities, CSOs and media, as well as finetuning of internal procedures and processes
• Development of tailor-made and optimisation mechanisms and tools for efficient coordination and joint planning/programming
• Assist governments in creating horizontal and vertical integration of DRM processes and stakeholders, and help unlock existing capacities in government, civil society.