Approach

Ground Truth Solutions works with and for people affected by humanitarian crises, to understand how they experience the quality and effectiveness of aid provision, and to help them influence the efforts undertaken on their behalf. Our main research methodology is rooted in two traditions of inquiry: participatory development thinking, combined with the business world’s emphasis on customer satisfaction. We examine how affected people see the relevance and fairness of the support they receive, whether they know what to expect, how to seek recourse and if they feel safe. We also want to know if people feel able to take control of their lives and whether they trust and respect those providing aid.

To learn more, we discuss these issues with affected people in focus groups and in interviews with individuals. We also triangulate what people tell us with factual information collected by aid agencies as part of their regular programme monitoring. We engage with affected people regularly and systematically, to understand important trends in their views. Then we feed back findings from our work to aid providers and policymakers, to increase accountability and improve programme quality. Our surveys of field workers and the local partners of international agencies provide additional insight for humanitarian managers and donors trying to make sense of and respond to the way things look on the ground.