Zambia

The data shows a high level of trust in ZRCS within the communities involved. The results for the four districts where ZRCS operates show that communities, particularly beneficiaries and volunteers, trust the organisation. The relatively lower scores among people who work with or receive aid from ZRCS shows that working closely with communities significantly increases the level of trust between the organisation and community members. However, there are lower scores for transparency and commitment, suggesting that ZRCS may be reluctant to publicly acknowledge significant mistakes in the delivery of aid, as well as a lack of community involvement.

Building community trust was a critical aspect of ZRCS's work. It was a process that involved building relationships, communicating openly and transparently, being responsive, working in partnership, being transparent about operations and finances, promoting community empowerment and ownership, and demonstrating the impact of its work. It took time and effort to build trust, but it was essential for ZRCS to be able to effectively serve and empower communities. ZRCS should communicate openly and transparently, involve community members in decision-making, build partnerships, be responsive, operate with integrity and accountability, and demonstrate impact.

In summary, community engagement and accountability were essential for ZRCS to build trust with community members and achieve its goals. Community engagement helped to ensure that the needs and priorities of the community were met, while accountability helped to build trust by demonstrating the NGO's commitment to ethical principles and responsiveness to community needs and concerns.

The following recommendations were developed through a design thinking workshop with branch members, volunteer feedback and Red Cross staff to improve the approach to community engagement in these 4 districts and increase the effectiveness of sector programmes through better collaboration with communities.