The CBM team of the “Phase 3 – Leave no one behind!” project organized a training for 17 program managers, practitioners, and technical advisors of CVA programs of 11 different humanitarian organizations on inclusive Cash and Voucher Assistance (iCVA) in Berlin on 1st and 2nd February 2023.
The aim of the training was to increase the understanding of the IASC Guidelines on the Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities in Humanitarian Action and how to apply them in CVA programming. A special focus was put on needs assessments and addressing the specific needs of persons with disabilities.
The training followed a blended approach: before the two-day-face-to-face training, participants were invited to an introductory online meeting and self-paced learning exercise on January, 24 to familiarize themselves with disability mainstreaming in humanitarian action, the IASC guidelines and key terminology of cash and voucher assistance.
The face-to-face workshop included a mix of input sessions from the Leave no one behind! project team as well as guest speakers from disability-focused iNGOs (CBM Global), UN agencies (UNDP Bangladesh) and Organizations of Persons with Disabilities (National Assembly of Persons with Disabilities of Ukraine) who intervened virtually. It combined group work and plenary discussions. The participants had the chance to learn about and discuss practical studies from Bangladesh, Ukraine, and Zimbabwe, as well as practical tools and guidelines for planning and implementing disability-inclusive CVA.
Participants gained a deeper understanding of the importance of disability-inclusive programming general, the need to address and reduce barriers for persons with disabilities in humanitarian programs.
The outcome of the evaluation, which was done one week after the training, showed that participants liked in particular the comprehensive, tailored approach which combined knowledge on disability-inclusion in humanitarian action with CVA, the tailored content and the practical inputs from experts and practitioners, such as the session on “Calculating top-up amounts to address specific needs of persons with disabilities”.
The phase 3 of the “Leave no one behind!” project aims at mainstreaming disability in Humanitarian Action through operationalizing the IASC Guidelines. One important activity stream is sector-specific and tailored capacity building for mainstream humanitarian actors.
