Breaking Barriers: Overcoming Exclusion In Humanitarian space

Category

Capacity Building IASC-Guidelines Pilot Countries
Training participants discussing during group work session.

HI’s South Sudan Leave no one behind project team conducted its third Review, Adapt and Action Learning laboratory (RAAL-Lab) workshop to Protection cluster and Gender and Inclusion Task Team (GITT) members in Juba Regency hotel, Juba, South Sudan, from 29th to 31st May 2024. The three–day training drew 17 participants from four National, four International Non-Governmental Organizations and four UN agencies.  

The training was tailored based on the Disability Reference Group (DRG) training modules on Introduction to Disability-Inclusive Humanitarian Action, inculcating insight to concept of disability,  IASC – Guidelines on inclusion of Persons with Disabilities, twin-track approach, four Must Do Actions, inclusive project cycle management, and used the Review, Adapt and Action Learning laboratory (RAAL-Lab) methodology developed by our project to identify disability-related gaps in the assessment tools shared by participants prior to the workshop.  

The RAAL Lab methodology is a process that gives participants a chance to review, develop, learn jointly, and adapt the existing assessment tools to align them with the recommendations of the IASC Guidelines. During the workshop, participants reviewed three assessment tools harvested from the participant organizations, and each group identified the existing disability-related gaps on each tool. Besides this, the participants acquired knowledge on disability-inclusive humanitarian action through Must Do Actions, twin-track approach, and use of the IASC Guidelines, which they applied during the practical review of the assessment tools.   

As part of sustainability and meaningful participation of person with disabilities, two members from South Sudan Association of Visually Impaired (SSAVI) were engaged as co-facilitators and facilitated sessions on disability concept and Must Do Actions, and shared a lot of examples and real-life experiences which has not only enhanced participants’ understanding but also gave them the confidence to begin engaging persons with disabilities in their programming. One of the participants concluded:   

‘‘We have learnt a lot from this training, and we will transmit this knowledge to other staff as well as improve our programming in term of proposal writing to have disability specific indicators and budget for disability inclusion during project design’.  

participants pose for group photo during three-day RAAL-lab training at Juba Regency hotel, Juba, South Sudan on 29th May 2024.

Text and photo by Obale Musa / HI