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Sphere in a day

By Sean Lowrie

Aid workers have asked: "What am I supposed to do with the Sphere handbook?" Here's the short answer: "it is a tool" - use it in assessments, problem analysis, program planning, monitoring and evaluations. You can also start a learning process to improve your effectiveness as an aid worker with the Sphere handbook. This article describes three easy ways to get started.

 
ORIENTATION BRIEFING (90 MINUTES)

* Obtain a copy of the Sphere introductory video and show it to newly hired staff

* Ask the new staff: Are you aware of Sphere? Have you used Sphere? What did you learn when you used it?

If you can, provide a copy of the Sphere handbook to each person. Then spend one hour exploring the handbook. Find the Humanitarian Charter, the Code of Conduct, and each of the technical chapters in turn, and the acknowledgements. Use post-it notes to mark interesting technical indicators. Be sure that everyone understands the difference between Minimum Standards, Key Indicators and Guidance Notes.

 
SPHERE CLINIC (3 HOURS)

Chose a project. Obtain a document from that project - preferably the annual work plan, although a proposal could do as a second choice. If you can, make a shortened version that can be read in 10-15 minutes. Call a meeting of stakeholder such as project staff, partners, and perhaps local authorities and beneficiaries. Make one photocopy of the document for each participant of the meeting. Divide the group into small teams of four people to review the document, and to discuss and debate the following questions.

* Does the project use objectives that have been informed by the Sphere handbook? Where? How?

* Does it use indicators from the Sphere handbook? Where? How?

* Does the project meet the Minimum Standards ?

* Do you have questions for the staff of the project? What are they?

When finished, bring all the teams together and ask:

* What have you learned from this exercise?

 
FIELD SCHOOL (ONE DAY)

First stage: Preparation

1. Choose a project that you are interested in studying and arrange a visit by you and a group of project stakeholders. Get advance permission and involvement from the project beneficiaries and authorities. Ensure that you have enough copies of the Sphere handbook.

Second stage: The afternoon before get ready

2. Start with a meeting of everyone who will participate in your field school

3. Ask a staff member to give a short briefing of the project to the group

4. Divide the group into teams of four. Assign each team a relevant Minimum Standard

5. Ask each team to discuss and agree 2 key indicators from that Minimum Standard relevant to the project. Discuss what data collection methods to use

6. Sub-divide the teams into pairs, each taking responsibility for one key indicator. Have each pair plan how they are going to collect data for that key indicator.

Third stage: The next morning project visit

7. Early in the morning travel to the project site. Ensure that each pair works with a representative from the project beneficiaries. Allow up to four hours for everyone to collect data on their key indicator.

Fourth stage: Lessons learned meeting

8. After a few hours, return to your meeting room to review and analyse data in the original teams of four

9. When ready, each team should give a short presentation on whether their Minimum Standard was met. After each presentation, discuss and share knowledge about local project practice. What works? What doesn't work?

10. Have a good facilitator lead a discussion. Ask: "What is good about this project? How close is this project to meeting the Minimum Standards? Can any action be taken to improve?"

11. When all groups have finished, discuss findings, and reflect upon what was learned

Fifth stage: A wider learning process

12. Try inviting partner agencies to learn from and contribute to your field school. If your field school has been useful, propose that another project be audited next month.

Sean Lowrie (s.lowrie@scfuk.org.uk  or sean_lowrie@hotmail.com) is training manager for the Sphere project, an inter-agency initiative to improve the quality of assistance provided to people affected by disasters. The Sphere guidelines are a set of minimum standards in each of the key life-sustaining sectors: water supply and sanitation, nutrition, food aid, shelter, and health services. See www.sphereproject.org 

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