Communication in aid
In Dahlia we believe that improving the quality of the response, both in terms of coordination and ensuring its relevance, requires stronger communication.
Strategic use of two-way communications leads to more effective humanitarian response and development. Communication in response that is field oriented, context specific and mainstreamed throughout humanitarian and development processes early on makes actions more relevant and appropriate.
Lack of information is disempowering. Affected populations need information as much as they need other forms of aid. They also need reliable mechanisms to convey their feelings, ideas, opinions, facts or grievances to aid actors. Development and humanitarian actors need to be better guided by the people they intend to serve. Despite efforts and improvements, communication from beneficiaries, accountability to them and empowerment of the vulnerable are still broadly insufficient.
So, how can we contribute to operationalising two-way communication in response?