Papua New Guinea Red Cross Society (PNGRCS) with the support of International Federation of Red Cross (IFRC) currently has a surge delegate here in Papua New Guinea to support PNG Red Cross in the area of Community Engagement and Accountability (CEA).
Ms. Jess McGrath, a CEA advisor from Australia, has come to support PNGRCS with the rolling out and strengthening of the community engagement and accountability activities with the support of the PNGRCS team at the head quarter in Port Moresby as well as branch officers and volunteers on ground.
Ms. McGrath who is now focusing on the designing and coordinating of community engagement assessments in PNG said, “Over the month of March and April, we will aim to have approximately 1000 individual needs assessments conducted across NCD, Milne Bay, Madang and East New Britain. And by mid-year, we anticipate this will have occurred across all 12 branches of PNGRCS in the country.”
The assessment was carried out in Milne Bay and East New Britain Red Cross branches last week. This week, the Red Cross team will continue with NCD & Central Province branch followed by Madang, Mt. Hagen and Bougainville next month.
The assessments include; Focus Group Discussion, Household Survey, Key Information Interview, and Covid-19 Community Feedback Survey.
Ms. McGrath said the assessments were focus on collecting information and feedback needs and channels as well as insights on socio-cultural and contextual factors that can inform our future planning and guide community engagement efforts moving forward.
Ms McGrath and the team from PNGRCS will be holding various trainings, and ongoing capacity building activities during the term of her deployment in PNG and ensuring that PNGRCS have the required recommendations on operational strategies to ensure strengthened engagement of and accountability to people and communities.
Ms. McGrath as the CEA delegate to PNGRCS will also be focusing on the setting up of an appropriate feedback system in PNGRCS in consultation with the relevant programme colleagues and the region, ensuring PNGRCS teams are communicating clearly to communities about who they are and what they are doing. This would further provide opportunities for participation and listening, respond and act on feedback, questions and complaints.
Other priority areas Ms. McGrath and the team will be focusing on for this deployment includes; Information as Aid (Sharing of timely, actionable and potentially lifesaving information with communities quickly, efficiently and at scale) as well as Social and behaviour change communication (Understand people’s behaviours and use innovative and participatory communication approaches to support communities adopt safer and healthier practices).
The assessment is the first of its kind in PNG and PNGRCS is pleased to pilot and roll out this program in the communities.