The Coalition for Accountability and Integrity (AMAN) has launched a training course on “Managing awareness campaigns on the anti-corruption index in humanitarian assistance” in the context of its concerted efforts to raise awareness of the values of integrity transparency and accountability. The course targeted the local community committee of Al Moghraqa and Al Malalha, an offshoot of Tajaawob Program in Gaza.
Members of the local community of Al Mighraqa and Al Malalha participated in the course extending for 18 training hours.
In her opening remarks, Tajaawob’s coordinator in Gaza, Marwa Abu Odehdefined the goals of the course as boiling down to enhancing “the understanding of the committee's members of the concepts of fighting against corruption in public services.”
Being representatives of disadvantaged areas, the members need to be empowered in the modertaion and implementation of such awareness sessions on the index of anti-corruption in humanitarian assistance, she stressed.
The course is just the kick-off event of a broader anti-corruption index awareness campaign to be implemented by Tajaawob local committee members in December covering 25 awareness workshops for individuals and sectorial institutions in Al Moghraqa and Al Malalha.
The campaign addresses the priorities of people in Gaza, particularly in Al Mighraqa and Al Malalha, in the wake of the latest offensive against the strip. Humanitarian assistance had become increasingly important, particularly for the impoverished inhabitants of disadvantaged areas in need for public services.
Trainer Mahmoud Abdul Hadi highlighted the significance of anti-corruption index as a national benchmark.
“The benchmark should be prepared by AMAN in cooperation with the Ministry of Social Affairs with the purpose of streamlining those values and norms governing all segments of the society.”
The content of the index having been reviewed, the participants were taken by Abdul Hadi through the theoretical framework of corruption and such factors necessary to curb it. He also discussed the nature of humanitarian assistance and how it is delivered.
On the practical side, Abdul Haditackled the empowerment of the committee members in terms of the Guiding Principles to combat corruption in humanitarian assistance. He used, in the presentation, interactive techniques of training to engage the participant throughpresentations, constructive dialogue and simulation exercises on public awareness session moderation.
The appreciative participants interacted well in the exercises showing interest in raising societal awareness of anti-corruption values and all other such values that enhance the integrity of public service delivery. They showed keen interest in particularinstarting up awareness sessions for individuals and sectorial institutions to improve public awareness of the norms of distribution o assistance and the values of integrity and transparency that need to be upheld to secure fair distribution of assistance. They also stressed their communal commitment towards Al Moghraqa and Al Malalha and undertook to play a role in improving the standards of living in those two disadvantaged and impoverished areas.
Tajaawob carried out training on societal accountability targeting the community committee in mid-November. The training aimed to promote social accountability among the members and enable them to use its tools in advocating the concerns of Al Moghraqa and Al Malalha.
The training on anti-corruption index in humanitarian assistance is delivered along with other activities and events implemented by Tajaawob, funded by the UK Department of International Development (DFID) in partnership with a consortium headed by the British Council. The consortium is made up if the Coalition for Accountability and Integrity (AMAN), the Palestinian Initiative for the Promotion of Global Dialogue and Democracy (Miftah), Palestinian Vision and the BBC affiliated International Development Fund.
