SOS Children’s Villages joins the CHS Alliance

The Core Humanitarian Standard on Quality and Accountability (CHS) serves as a frame of action for improving the quality and effectiveness of emergency assistance provided by SOS Children’s Villages. The CHS, a voluntary standard, is organized around nine commitments. The aim is to ensure that people and communities affected by crises are at the center of an emergency response programme. Their needs and priorities determine the programmes design and outcomes. Participants have the possibility to influence decisions that affect them and are able to provide feedback and complaints if needed.

“Membership in the CHS Alliance is another significant step on our journey towards greater accountability and impact for children and young people, particularly in our work responding to humanitarian crises. SOS Children’s Villages uses the standard to continuously improve its emergency response programmes and to ensure they are aligned with the needs of the many children, young people and families we support,” says CEO Ingrid Johansen.

In 2020, SOS Children’s Villages started to mainstream the CHS into its operational guidelines. A selfassessment against the standard resulted in an action plan to improve emergency response projects in Colombia and Somalia. In 2022, the CHS assessments will take place in Ethiopia and Mozambique.