From Uncertainty to Assurance: NGO Duty of Care in South Sudan

Problem:

In South Sudan, widely recognised as an extreme risk location for humanitarian work, our client faced a pressing concern: how to effectively monitor the safety of their field staff working in remote and often isolated conditions. Hindered by limited infrastructure and sporadic communication capabilities, the organisation's Security Focal Points struggled to maintain up-to-date information on staff whereabouts and well-being. Prior to using Team Sherpa, the only consistent check-ins happened at centralised offices once a week, leaving a considerable gap in real-time safety monitoring.

Actions:

To address these challenges and bolster staff security, the organisation partnered with Team Sherpa for the following solutions:

• Traffic Light Safety Check-In Feature: Introduced a straightforward, traffic-light coded safety check-in system. This feature also integrates with SMS for offline use, enabling consistent tracking of each field staff member's location and safety status.

• Daily Coverage Metric: Incorporated a focused 'Daily Coverage' metric that quantifies the percentage of field staff whose location and safety have been verified each day.

• Weekly Leaderboard Gamification: To encourage consistent reporting and heightened safety awareness, a weekly leaderboard was rolled out, making the check-in process more engaging for field staff.

Results:

• Enhanced Security Protocols: The Security Focal Points are now equipped to track the real-time location and safety status of field staff. This has led to quicker response times and more effective safety measures.

• Increased Daily Coverage Rate: Within the first month of implementation, the organisation saw a marked improvement, with 86% of their remote staff safety being effectively monitored on a daily basis, thus filling a critical gap in their duty of care.