Obliged to be Grateful: How local communities experienced humanitarian actors in the Haiyan response

The Typhoon Haiyan response has been noted for its investment and creativity on initiatives around accountability to affected people (AAP). As part of the learning and research component of Pamati Kita (“Let’s Listen Together”), this report discusses affected communities’ experiences with agencies’ AAP efforts and interventions at large. Adopting a qualitative approach in the spirit of listening projects, this study draws on three months of fieldwork with affected people in 22 villages in four areas affected by Haiyan. We interviewed over 221 respondents representing a cross-section of the population, including those who were excluded from agency interventions, in order to develop a bottom-up understanding of issues that mattered most to communities. This report should be read alongside the case study report,

“Who’s Listening?”

, which compares and contrasts agencies’ accounts of AAP interventions with those of affected communities. The aim of both reports is to contribute to current debates within the sector to improve efforts to be accountable to affected populations.