Presented in Project Orientation Workshop of Mahasen Early Recovery Project managed by NARRI Consortium

1. A quick primer on…
S R Dhamai
M&E Specialist: NARRI Consortium

2. What is the NARRI Consortium?
• NARRI is a persistent consortium of eight INGO
partners who are working on Disaster Risk
Reduction/Adaptation and Humanitarian Response
in Bangladesh
• It is persistent because ways of working and
partnership have been established that persist
beyond the life of one particular project or activity
• This allows the development of strong, high-trust
partnerships which in turn
supports better programs

3. Origins
• NARRI was formed in September 2010 by six
agencies that had worked closely together on the 5th
DiPECHO action plan (2009-2010)
• Two additional agencies joined the consortium to
support a large EFSL response in early 2011
• Not seeking new members in order to keep the
consortium manageable
• ‘Narri’ means ‘women’ or ‘womenkind’ in Bangla,
reflecting a commitment to gendered programming
across the consortium

4. Current Members
Technical partners
Supporting us to mainstream disability and age issues through our programs

5. A five-year Vision and Mission
Vision:
A more disaster resilient Bangladesh
Mission:
To work together in an inclusive and
sustainable manner to become a recognised
actor in contributing toward disaster resilient
communities in Bangladesh

6. Ways of working
• One program approach jointly developed by an inter-agency
program team made up of staff from all members
• All agencies share joint ownership of the program
• Lead agency for each project varies, and is selected on basis
of best fit for the project, capacity and credibility
• Geographical clarity to avoid duplication
• One contract with the donor, one Logframe and one set of
agreed outcomes
• Scope for diversity in management and delivery approaches
(for example, two members deliver assistance directly while
others work through partners)
• Agreed best practice approaches
(e.g. technical designs or
payment rates)

7. Program approach
• Community managed, rights based programming
• Strengthening community groups and institutions, particularly
local governance structures
• Emergency Response supports ongoing Risk Reduction
• Promoting inclusive programming principles (children,
women, PWD, aging)
• Results based and participatory monitoring
• Multi-hazard, multi-sector, multi-context (rural and urban),
multi-level (local and national)
• Establishing linkage between
academia and programming
(practitioners and academics)

8. Robust management systems…
• Members are realistic about the challenges of linking eight
INGOs and have demonstrated that we can deliver
• Members have done a lot of brainstorming and evaluated the
strengths and challenges of working together
• Overall direction is provided by a steering committee
consisting of the Country Directors
• A joint program management unit is responsible for delivering
effective management
• Consortium secretariats formed for each individual project
• Strong personal relationships established across member staff
teams ensure effective joint working.

9. Advantages……..
For Beneficiaries:
• Better quality programs drawing on the expertise of world
class technical skills across eight organisations
• More coordinated programs
• Better, more consistent targeting
• Programs are scaled to need, not to capacity
• Cross-accountability makes us more accountable to
beneficiaries
• Stronger advocacy voice speaking out for beneficiaries

10. Advantages for Local and
National Government:
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Commitment to coordination with government
More accountable
A strong partner in coordinated response
Joint program approaches allows streamlined
approvals processes
• More resources mobilised to support national needs,
government responses and programs

11. Advantages for the wider
Humanitarian/DRR Community:
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Shared learning outside the consortium
Peer support
Commitment to coordination and joint assessment
Resources to support coordination and joint
assessment
• Improved effectiveness when working with
stakeholders (e.g. Ministry of Food and Disaster
Management, CDMP etc.)

12. Advantages for Donors:
• Strong program and management capacity including
strong financial controls and complaints mechanisms
• Improved influence and advocacy opportunities
• Economies of scale and improved cost effectiveness
• Established mechanisms and ways of working
already in place and tested.
• High quality and increasing credibility
• Maintains a diversity of partners
• Less contracts to manage

13. Advantages for Members:
• More credibility with donors, government and other
stakeholders
• More human resources working in partnership
• Economies of scale and improved cost effectiveness
translates into more financial resources
• Peer support networks across the Consortium
• Improved influence and advocacy opportunities
• Demonstrable accountability

14. Current Projects:
• NARRI has been implementing DIPECHO VII
Programme
• LIFE Project at South-eastern Bangladesh
• Mahasen project in Barguna and Patuakhali districts
of Bangladesh

15. To discover more please visit narri-bd.org
Facebook: NARRI Bangladesh