Ensuring aid quality in Jordan – Firas Saleh

CARE Jordan Programme Quality Manager Firas Saleh believes that humanitarian standards enable accountability to beneficiaries and donors alike. Photo: © Bilal Jarekji / The Sphere Project

“One out of four people in Jordan is a Syrian refugee,” says Firas Saleh, Programme Quality Manager at CARE International in Jordan. In addition to Syrians, there are some 50,000 Iraqi, Somali and Palestinian refugees, explains Saleh, whose family is originally from Jerusalem. “The issue of refugees is part of our life.”

A computer specialist, Saleh also holds degrees on project and quality management. His dissertation is about how total quality management practices can be implemented in the not-for-profit sector.

“I remember during my first week with CARE, my manager told me about the high-level humanitarian standards followed by the organisation; the , People In Aid’s Code of Good Practice and the HAP Standard were used at that time,” says Saleh. “I took it from there through my own research and readings.”

Saleh used the HAP Standard and Sphere’s six Core Standards to develop CARE’s quality and accountability framework, which has been agreed upon, documented and communicated. Later on, all the organisation staff signed off on it.

Within that framework, beneficiary focus, one of the Sphere Core Standards, has been interpreted to mean and implemented as a formal, clear, accessible feedback and complaints mechanism. “But that’s not enough,” explains Saleh. “One needs to be proactive, so we have refugee committees that meet regularly.” They help design and evaluate aid programmes, expressing their own priorities.

Other emphases are working with appropriate partnerships, a focus on continuous improvement, as well as on evidence-based decisions.

The quality and accountability framework guides CARE’s work and, Saleh believes, has a significant impact on the quality of aid. “The quality of humanitarian response involves two aspects: effectiveness and efficiency; the donor is looking for efficiency and the beneficiary is looking for effectiveness. Based on the standards, we are able to reach both goals: it’s proven that we are effective and efficient, so we satisfy our beneficiaries and our donors.”

Syrian refugees in Jordan number more than 1.5 million people, of which only 627,000 are registered with the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR). Of those who are registered as refugees, some 100,000 are resident in camps while the rest live in urban areas.

CARE’s work in Jordan is largely focused on protection. Saleh himself works in the Urban Emergency Response, a comprehensive protection programme which accounts for 75% of the organisation’s humanitarian budget.

CARE also offers psychosocial support as well as vocational training activities. “The goal is to provide refugees with sustainable solutions through home-based income-generating activities and encourage them to engage with the host community,” explains Saleh. In line with Sphere standards and as part of CARE’s social cohesion programme, these activities also target host communities, not just refugees.

Challenges remain, though. The main one, Saleh explains, is programme sustainability. “A few years ago, we used to have mostly short-term programmes, three to six months maximum. Today, thanks to our advocacy with donors, we have been granted longer-term funding, which allows us to retain our staff and sustain high-quality services to the neediest among the refugees.”

“As a result, we do have many success stories,” Saleh says, “notably in terms of beneficiary engagement and participation. And that, too, is in line with Sphere standards.”

[Firas Saleh participated at the .] 

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