The 6th global Profiling Coordination Training (PCT) proved to be a success, both in terms of the positive feedback from the 24 participants and in regards to the sharing of experiences and lessons learned between participants and facilitators.
The Training brought together colleagues from a wide range of partners from various backgrounds representing non-governmental organisations, UN agencies, and civil society organisations, including DRC, UNHCR, IOM, NRC, OCHA, UN-Habitat, ICRC, iMMAP, NORCAP, ReDSS, UNDP and the Mariupol Development Fund. Challenging perspectives from field operations as well as headquarters, the PCT served to build champions for profiling beyond exercises supported by JIPS.
This time we have had the pleasure to hear from Sophie Everest (DRC Myanmar), Ushant Lalla (UNDP Sudan) and Rufus Karanja (ReDSS) about their key moments from the Training:
Ushant Lalla (UNDP Sudan, Return, Recovery and (Re)integration (RRR Sector): We recently hired a Profiling Coordinator to come out to Darfur, Sudan, and are currently piloting the profiling approach in two locations. So the PCT comes in timely and will be very beneficial for me when going back to the field and working together with the Coordinator on the profiling process for the coming 6 months.
Sophie Everest (DRC Myanmar, Camp Coordination and Camp Management (CCCM) Coordinator): [In Myanmar], we are in between two profiling exercises at the moment, just having wrapped up on one and are about to expand this project later this year. For me, it has been really useful to go through the profiling process from start to finish. It also allowed me to share lessons learned from our current programme, and more importantly get feedback from the JIPS team as well as all the participants. Building on the tips and inputs from the others I can now go back and work e.g. on refining our methodology and improving the planning and data collection processes.
Rufus Karanja (Regional Durable Solutions Secretariat (ReDSS), Durable Solutions Manager): The PCT has been very helpful for me, in particular to better understand the importance of data in providing an evidence-base for durable solutions programming. More specifically it has helped me to improve my skills with regards to the analysis phase. This will inform the solutions analyses that we are currently conducting for different countries in the East and Horn of Africa, including Somalia and soon Ethiopia.
Sophie: I came in to the current profiling project half way through, we were just starting the data collection. For me it was important to better understand the steps that come before that, e.g. the planning and the engagement with stakeholders, and more globally speaking to follow the process from start to finish. I have now the institutional knowledge to go back and help improve the next step of the profiling project
Ushant: In April of this year we initiated a profiling exercise with support from JIPS, and we just assigned a Profiling Coordinator. The PCT helps me greatly in having all the steps in place, as my colleague Sophie mentioned. I was also able to reach out to colleagues at the Training and exchange experiences, as well as speak to the JIPS team and guest speakers from other organisations. So I am very excited to go to the field and put my newly acquired knowledge to practice.
Rufus: Beyond acquiring new skills sets, one of my biggest highlights was improving my knowledge about data analysis and interpretation. Some aspects were new to me, e.g. in regards to how to do the data collection and how to conduct focus group discussions. While at ReDSS we collaborate a lot with consultants to work on the solutions analysis, the new expertise will inform how we are moving forward with solutions analysis, including defining a methodology.
JIPS regularly organises Profiling Coordination Training at the global, regional and country levels, which in the past has brought the PCT to Geneva, Tunisia, Jordan, Ethiopia and Iraq. The latter are adapted to the region/country in question, in order to work with participants on context-specific displacement issues. Watch out for the PCT evaluation report coming soon as well as a second interview set with participants.
