Ground Truth Solutions

Even before the recent US funding cuts, humanitarian actors in Sudan were forced to make impossible choices—deciding who would receive limited assistance and who would be left behind. Now, those choices have become even more devastating. Together with DataQ, we spoke to 850 people in Gedaref and South Darfur. Here's what they want those decision makers to know and to do: 🔹 Clearly explain who you’re targeting and why. 🔹 Provide better information on what will be distributed, when, and to whom. 🔹 Understand what we most need before deciding what to give. 🔹 Do everything possible to minimize corruption and ensure aid reaches those who need it most.   𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙨𝙚 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙞𝙢𝙥𝙤𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙙𝙚𝙘𝙞𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙗𝙚 𝙨𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙚𝙙 𝙗𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙚𝙤𝙥𝙡𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙤𝙨𝙚 𝙡𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙖𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙘𝙩. Read and share the report: 🔗 https://lnkd.in/dv955re8   🤝 Get in touch to discuss these findings further. * 𝘛𝘰 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘷𝘰𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭. This project was made possible with the support of H2H Network and Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

You already know that Sudan is the biggest humanitarian crisis ever recorded, with more than 30 million people in need of humanitarian assistance, 11.5 million forcibly displaced, and horrifying levels of violence, including sexual violence, being carried out against civilians. 𝘽𝙪𝙩 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙗𝙚𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙨𝙚 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙨? 𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙨, 𝙝𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙥𝙧𝙞𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙚𝙤𝙥𝙡𝙚 𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙚𝙙 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙗𝙧𝙪𝙩𝙖𝙡 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙛𝙡𝙞𝙘𝙩? 𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙙𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙡 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙢𝙪𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙮 𝙩𝙤 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙙𝙤?   Our reports based on face-to-face conversations with 800 people in South Darfur and Gedaref are now available. Here’s a glimpse of what they told us  👇   Please read and share the report, the people we spoke to deserve to have their views listened to. 🔗 https://lnkd.in/dvC8cJAy 🤝Get in touch to talk about these findings in more detail.   * 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘸𝘦 𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘷𝘰𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘥.

To support humanitarian organizations to facilitate more effective and people-centred anticipatory action programmes, Ground Truth Solutions, in collaboration with the Centre de Recherche en Anthropologie et Sciences Humaines, conducted research on community perceptions, preferences and priorities on #AnticipatoryAction in Hajder-Lamis, #Chad, and developed a survey tool to allow for more large-scale and robust data collection. This report highlight the existence of community-based anticipatory action systems rooted in traditional knowledge, and the strength of mutual aid and solidarity. Communities who are regularly affected by #floods in Hajder-Lamis acknowledged the benefits of anticipatory action programmes, but advocated for assistance that strengthens their existing systems, takes into account their knowledge and experience, and is sustainable over time. Read the report here: https://lnkd.in/e79VHGUK

📢 𝗪𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗻𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗽 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘂𝗽 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗰𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗶𝘀. Aid is not charity—it’s justice. And in times of crisis, people deserve support that works for them, designed around their realities and priorities. 💰 Shrinking funding is no excuse for shrinking accountability. Now more than ever, humanitarian action must be: ✅ Transparent ✅ Community-led ✅ Responsible Not everyone has the privilege to speak up. 𝗧𝗵𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘂𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗰𝗮𝗻, 𝗺𝘂𝘀𝘁. 🔗https://lnkd.in/diwjfGaM

'The humanitarian imperatives must come first. Decisions about aid must be determined by communities themselves on the basis of need, not dictated by far removed political interests. But the capacity of local organizations to step up to the plate is under threat, many unable to withstand this period of financial uncertainty. As we move into the first months of 2025, we must not let the urgency of our mission slip...' Statement re US aid from Jamie Munn Christina Bennett Tanya Wood William Anderson Kim Scriven Mary Ana McGlasson Juliet Parker and myself

“𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞'𝐬 𝐚 𝐦𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭'𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐟𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐬𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐝𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞. 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐬𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐲.” 🔊 Listen to our CEO Meg Sattler's thoughts on the US aid freeze of the Trumanitarian podcast alongside Lars Peter Nissen, Harpinder Athwal Collacott and Michael Barnett🔗 https://lnkd.in/e44CwVub 𝗞𝗲𝘆 𝗽𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁𝘀:  🔴This crisis is wider than the US aid freeze. Almost all major donors are cutting humanitarian aid. This is a major turning point for our sector.  🔴An attack on multilateralism amounts to an attack on the spaces which enable a common understanding of basic rights and dignity. That children have a right to live no matter who they are. That women have a right to look after their bodies. People have a right to dignity. All of that is now under threat.  🔴We must all come together to protect humanitarianism, because so many lives are depending on it. But that doesn’t mean pretending it’s perfect. This must be a moment of self-reflection on how we do better.  🔴This experience is showing us the worst of humanity but we are also starting to see the best of humanity step up and say how can we help? Including people from outside our systems with the fresh ideas and perspectives to drive change. What do you think? What do you want to see humanitarian leaders prioritising in the days and weeks ahead? What does coming through this crisis stronger look like? Comment your ideas below 👇

🔊 𝘼𝙞𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙙𝙤𝙚𝙨𝙣’𝙩 𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙣, 𝙛𝙖𝙞𝙡𝙨. In a global funding crisis, communities know best what they need – but too often, they aren’t heard. From Bangladesh to Gaza, Chad to CAR, people are telling us the same thing: aid must start with listening. 📢 Read our CEO Meg Sattler’s response to the US Aid Freeze and hear directly from people living on the frontlines of crisis about the cost of aid that doesn’t start from their priorities. 🔗 Read the full response here https://lnkd.in/dfZu7T8N * 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘸𝘦 𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘷𝘰𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘥.

One of the most important things we do at Ground Truth Solutions is making sure the insight communities share with us leads to action.   In December we brought communities and humanitarian responders together in Bria in the Central African Republic to co-create solutions to the challenges people had identified. These included:   ⚡️Challenge: Communities had been given materials to build shelters just as farming season began, leaving them to choose between securing shelter or tending to their crops.  💡Solution: participants agreed to involve communities in the planning phase to align aid delivery with seasonal priorities.   ⚡️Challenge: a lack of transparency in the targeting process. Some vulnerable groups miss out on the aid they need because they are not included in the project's criteria. 💡Solution: participants agreed that a community-elected committee should define and communicate targeting criteria, assisting in identifying eligible individuals.   Where aid recipients and aid providers work together we see better, more effective and more inclusive assistance. Thanks to UNICEF République Centrafricaine and United Nations OCHA for their invaluable support in making these conversations possible.

In Chad, anticipatory action against flooding is becoming an increasing priority. In 2024, nearly 2 million people were impacted by devastating floods caused by torrential rains and record-high river levels.   Our latest report captures the voices of communities living near the Chari River in Hadjer-Lamis, highlighting their perspectives on anticipatory action and the support they see as essential to act ahead of disasters.   Here’s what they shared: 🌊 Early warning systems rooted in traditional knowledge help plan and implement early actions like constructing dikes to slow the advance of floodwaters or dig ditches to protect their neighbours.  💪 Flooding has increasingly devastating consequences for populations, and despite community initiatives they emphasise the urgent need for support to bolster community efforts and complement local knowledge.  🤝 They are calling for better collaboration between organisations and communities to boost resilience against the growing impact of the climate change.    Read our report in FR🔗tinyurl.com/r936edme and EN🔗tinyurl.com/3bxwxaen to learn more. In 🤝 with H2H Network, USAID - Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance and CRASH - Tchad.

Are you on our newsletter list?    Here's a sneak peek at our last letter for 2024: ✨ Whose voices count when it comes to anticipatory action?  📑 New reports from Chad and Ukraine (in French, English and Ukrainian) ✍️ Comparing the experiences of cash recipients  📚 Recent blogs, discussions and reflections from us and our partners - from the new ERC and brutal prioritisation, to community-centred protection in the Democratic Republic of Congo and mutual aid in Gaza and Lebanon.   Subscribe 👉 tinyurl.com/ekdybusr   When community influence feels more threatened than ever, let’s make the new year one where community priorities truly count.