I want to use my career to help address the world’s most pressing problems. At present, I’ve had significant exposure working across the public sector and civil society working on development issues within low and middle-income countries. Through the years, I’ve honed transferrable skills in program management and policy development within the international development sector , however, I recognize that there might be other opportunities for me to explore within the broader EA ecosystem. I also believe EA community building in the Philippines can contribute to that, and so, I’ve continued to help Filipinos make a bigger impact with their careers and resources.
onenastassja
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Hi @sindirella,
Thanks for this feedback! Here are some of our initial answers.
Ideally, we would have done a cost-effectiveness analysis on the work of the recommended charities with local operations, and this is more doable than others on the list. We are still in the process of building our relationship with them so that they are more open and willing to share their information with us and finding capable volunteers to conduct this.
Yes, we would also like to be mindful about the best approach on this one. Thanks for the great tip to approach TLYCS and we will contact someone from there or someone previously affiliated to provide insight on this!
Yes, Oxfam in the Philippines do work in a broad range of areas, but they have flagship programs in poverty alleviation and social protection such as cash transfers, where there is some reliable evidence of effectiveness. However, it is correct that we have not found any available evaluation of their specific program yet. The team is reconsidering this, but we will also reach out to their local team to get more information on their financials.
Our team has done some research on EA-aligned animal charities, and when it comes to this, it is still actually limited in the Philippines. Aside from Animal Kingdom Foundation, Fish Welfare Initiative is an org starting up here, but their program is not as concrete in the Philippines compared to other locations (i.e. Indonesia).
Thank you again for your feedback, and we thoroughly appreciate it!
Dear kta,
I just wanted to reach out as EA Philippines’ previous community health focal to say that on behalf of the core team, we are truly sorry about the difficult experiences you had with select people in the community. It saddens us that we couldn’t do more to help when you needed it most and we’ve let you down. We acknowledge that at that time, we could have done better in supporting you and ensuring you felt that your feedback was valued.
Since then, we’ve made significant changes to our community health support. With a new team in place, we’ve been working diligently to improve our processes. Some of the key changes we’ve implemented and plan to implement include:
Enforce our community’s ‘Code of Conduct’ consistently—These updated guidelines will not only cover incidents of bullying, harassment, or misconduct but also provide guidelines for members on how to interact more meaningfully with other community members who may come from different backgrounds or viewpoints. This also includes Conflict of Interest policies for leaders and members. Anyone participating in EA Philippines’ activities will be required to adhere to these guidelines.
Establish better guidelines addressing grievances or concerns—We’ve received grievances and concerns through our community feedback form with a process on how to address them, but we intend to improve this by being more particular about what process to take per type of grievance (e.g., feedback on strategy, a complaint against a community member’s behavior, concern on a core team or board member’s actions or decisions). The EA PH core team will consult with CEA’s Community Health Team and other local groups (i.e., EA NYC) on this for best practices we can adopt to our context.
Expand the community health focal system—At present, a core team member acts as the community health focal. We will explore appointing a community health focal who isn’t part of the core team or the board because we recognize this might be more suitable for some cases, especially if the grievance involves members, the core team, or the board. This is to help promote an impartial contact for any community health concerns. Internally, the core team and board members will also follow guidelines to ensure they remain accountable and perform their duties effectively and ethically.
We understand sharing your experience was tough, and we’re again very sorry for not being able to fully relieve you of the hurt and address your concerns. We’re here to learn and ensure that the same thing doesn’t happen again. We remain committed to making EA Philippines a safe and inclusive space for its community members, where they will be supported during difficult times. We still appreciate your presence and contributions to the community and wish you happiness and fulfillment in your projects and all you do. Our lines are always open if you would like to further engage about these matters or would need our help at any point in the future.
Take care,
Tanya