erHerat second testing session with Agency for Humanitarian and Development Assistance for Afghanistan (AHDAA):

(07-08 December 2020)

Afghanistan Institute for Civil Society with WHH recently traveled to the Herat province to visit AHDAA organization to conduct second prototype testing session of Seal of Trust – Dynamic Accountability of CSOs.

Afghanistan Accountability Initiative project’s second component – Seal of Trust – intends to enhance trust between community and CSOs which eventually leads to greater influences and opportunities for civil society organizations. Seal of Trust prototype which was tested for the second time in Herat province, beside a certification scheme, is a technology based online platform, a peer-to-peer learning platform which would be based by a group of early adaptors (CSOs) to ensure CSOs’ dynamic accountability to community and relevant stakeholders (covering upward and downward accountability).

Applying design thinking approach, the team visited AHDAA organization in Herat, presented seal of trust for dynamic accountability application process and standards 1-4, and then received feedback and inputs. These application process were  ‘filling Seal of Trust certification eligibility check, application, self-assessment check, field assessment’ and four core dynamic accountability standards including “proactively committed to systematically receiving and collecting feedback, learning and reflection”, “transparency and openness”, “for citizens with citizens” and “professional staff who are managed and supported to do their jobs” and 16 sub-standards of SoT including:

• There is a systematic and transparent complaint receiving mechanism
• There is a systematic and transparent complaint response mechanism
• Complaints are systematically resolved
• Have a systematic feedback mechanism
• Have a systematic learning system from complaints & feedback
• NGO share achievements/ and success stories with community
• NGO Engaging community in participatory monitoring visit
• The NGO shares project proposal (Exclude details operational cost) with community before submitting to donor.
• NGO establish information management system (info-graph) where communities can also use
• NGO provide information to the public widely
• NGO has a mechanism for voluntarism management.
• NGO and community jointly Plan volunteer activities properly.
• NGO builds capacity of its external/ internal stakeholders continuously.
• NGO staff adhere to the code of conduct (attitude guideline)
• NGO inducts its staff to understand and practice community culture and social values.
• NGO staff feels safe and secure in working environment

These sub-standards have been tested including their scoring and certification decision.

Consequently, the team documented AHDAA’s inputs, feedback and suggestions to revise the concept and use it in a new prototype testing session. Mostly the feedbacks were positive and realized the importance of these standards for NGOs learning and practices and also promised to put in practice all the standards introduced in this session.