Introduction
LWF Ethiopia is committed to receive feedback and respond to complaints about its work from right holders and other stakeholders in a safe, confidential and timely manner. LWF Ethiopia believes that having a well-managed mechanism for handling feedback and complaints can improve the quality of its work, enhance the trust and confidence amongst stakeholders, identify areas of improvement and enhance its accountability. Therefore, LWF Ethiopia has put in place a feedback and complaints handling mechanism and formulates this policy to encourage feedback about its work.
Policy Statement
LWF Ethiopia works in an open and responsible way that builds the trust and respect of all stakeholders. LWF is committed to high quality humanitarian and development programming and seeks to work with affected communities and populations in the best way possible.
To ensure that LWF Ethiopia program is continuously improved and wants to hear what right holders and stakeholders have to say whether in the form of feedback or complaint. Responding to complaints from stakeholders is basic to LWF Ethiopia’s value on accountability.
Purpose
LWF Ethiopia has established a complaints handling mechanism to ensure that feedback and complaints from right holders and stakeholders are heard and response provided in a timely, effective and professional manner.
Definition
Feedback is an opinion on LWF’s services which can either be positive or negative. It can be given formally or informally and does not need a response.
Complaint is an expression of concern or dissatisfaction by an individual or a group on LWF’s work. Generally it is a grievance which needs a response. It may relate to possible misconduct by LWF’s staff or the program activities or on how LWF Ethiopia works with the communities or affected population and partners etc.
Complainant is the woman, man, girl, boy or team of people who lodge(s) a complaint.
Subject of the Complaint; is the individual or team who is/are alleged to have been involved in minor or serious misconduct or malpractice.
Who can give feedback and complaint?
LWF Ethiopia receives and respond to all complaints from all stakeholders, which among others include; affected populations, local leaders, NGOs, CBOs, government, donors and staff.
What complaints are considered?
LWF Ethiopia will receive and respond to all complaints irrespective of the nature or subject of the complaint. Based on their nature of the complaint, complaints are categorized into two categories: Operational and Serious complaints.
Operational complaints refer to complaints on program activities. It can be any of the following.
• Issues of entitlements and commitments not met;
• The quality of the service or program delivery;
• How a service has been managed, which directly affects the communities LWF works with.
Serious complaints refer is related to breach of LWF’s code of conduct and if a complaint is an allegation or suspicion of any of the following:
• a concern about the behavior of staff;
• physical and psychological abuse;
• sexual exploitation, harassment and abuse including gender based violence
• abuse of power;
• child abuse/exploitation;
• fraud and corruption;
• criminal offence.
How to complain
Complaints can be challenged through any of the following mechanisms:
• In person/all levels/;
• Through a trusted intermediary;
• Community level complaints handling committee;
• Complaints register;
• A suggestion/complaints box;
• Phone/toll free/mail/email to the field/head office.
Where to send complaints
Operational complaints and concerns can be dealt with at project level. Hence, operational complaints should preferably be sent to the complaints focal person at the Regional Coordination Officers or project offices, the RCO and Project Coordinator.
Serious complaints shall be reported by the Resident Representative to the relevant Regional Program Officer in Geneva. Serious complaints will always be handled by a formal investigation and communicated to the Resident Representative. Telephone and e-mail addresses, where complaints can be sent are publicly available at all offices of LWF Ethiopia.
