How we Engage with Community Feedback
Published: Jun 26, 2024 Reading time: 2 minutes
Have you ever wondered how our organisation maintains its dedication to accountability and transparency? At People in Need (PIN), we take these principles seriously and have established a robust system to uphold them. In Ethiopia, community feedback is essential to our work.
Our Community Feedback & Response Mechanism (CFRM) is the cornerstone of our accountability framework. This structured and independent system is designed to receive feedback from project participants, community members, and stakeholders, allowing them to share their experiences with PIN and the broader humanitarian and development sector.
From its inception, our CFRM departments have placed a high priority on fostering trust within the communities in which we work. We want individuals to feel assured that we respectfully handle their feedback and concerns and address them earnestly. To achieve this, we conduct awareness campaigns during project launches and throughout their duration, emphasising the significance of feedback in shaping our programmes to address the community's needs better. To ensure the accessibility and responsiveness of feedback collection, our CFRM team utilises various channels. In Ethiopia, we use the following:
📞Toll-freenumber: 6223
📱 Mobile phone number: 0955264531 (for phone calls, text messages, and Telegram communications)
📮 Suggestion boxes: Accessible to beneficiaries and stakeholders for sensitive and anonymous complaints
✉️ Email: cfrm.ethiopia@peopleinneed.net
Furthermore, to be more inclusive, we translate CFRM messages into five local languages (Amharic, Sidamigna, Gedioffa, Wolayta, and Oromiffa). We collaborate closely with our project staff to ensure comprehensive feedback collection and response.
At PIN Ethiopia, we firmly believe that accountability and transparency are not just ideals but fundamental principles that drive our work. Through our Community Feedback & Response Mechanism, we remain committed to cultivating an environment of openness, trust, and continuous improvement.
The Role of Community Feedback in Ethiopia
Community feedback plays a crucial role in our operations. It helps us understand the impact of our programmes and guides us in making necessary adjustments to meet the evolving needs of the communities we serve. By actively engaging with feedback, we strive to create more effective, relevant, and responsive programmes.
Through the various channels of our CFRM, we ensure that all voices are heard and that all feedback is valued. This approach fosters a sense of ownership and involvement among community members, reinforcing the trust and collaboration essential for the success of our initiatives.
In essence, community feedback is not just a tool for assessment but a vital component of our continuous improvement process. At PIN Ethiopia, we are dedicated to maintaining a transparent, accountable, and responsive organisation that prioritises the well-being and perspectives of the communities we support.