Community Engagement and Accountability (CEA) is a way of working that recognises and values all community members as equal partners, whose diverse needs, priorities, and preferences guide everything we do. We achieve this by integrating meaningful community participation, open and honest mmunication, and mechanisms to listen to and act on feedback, within our programmes and operations.
Since 2010, the Bangladesh Red Crescent Society (BDRCS) has been working towards institutionalizing Community Engagement and Accountability (CEA) within the organization to achieve operational excellence towards its humanitarian work throughout the country. In 2021, pivotal steps have been taken to cement CEA as part and parcel of the National Society, CEA approach has gained recognition as a core element in the organization’s 6th strategic plan 2021-2025. CEA is playing as a bridging tool to enhance trust between the recipients and the providers of humanitarian assistance. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent (IFRC) and IFRC membership always provide collaborative support in attaining this commendable progress by providing coaching, training, and technical assistance. This includes guidance on improving community participation and accountability mechanisms across various programmes and operations. BDRCS is continuously improving programme/project/operation quality through different systemic approaches by increasing its reach, acceptability, impact, and levels, as well as, most importantly, community trust.
This report illustrates the vast activities undertaken to integrate CEA within the BDRCS, particularly on the management of feedback and complaints response mechanism (FCRM), capacity development of staff and volunteers, the promotion of two-way communication, risk communication and community engagement (RCCE) and the integration of CEA into the BDRCS CEA framework. The report also highlights successes, challenges, and strategies to overcome them.