Listening to the voices of local communities in humanitarian response

In this video with BBC Media Action, HDPI Member Nigel Fisher speaks about the importance of listening to populations affected by humanitarian crises:

“Actually, people who are affected by disasters, people living in communities and local organizations, they’re usually the first responders anyway. And quite often, what they think needs to be done may or may not match what the international folks think. If we listen, we will perhaps not come with our lorry-loads of stuff.”

The video focuses on experiences of Nepalis affected by the earthquake that struck their country in 2015, and illustrates the challenges they faced in communicating their priorities to responders.

HDPI is committed to helping governments and humanitarian partners learn how to better engage with affected populations, build institutional capacity in crisis-affected areas, and work with organizations coming from crisis-affected communities.