28/08/2026
FROM ECHO PHASE 2 TO ECHO PHASE 3: STRENGTHENING PARTNERSHIPS, LEARNING AND COMMUNITY-CENTRED HUMANITARIAN ACTION IN CAMEROON’S NORTH-WEST AND SOUTH-WEST REGIONS
27–28 August 2026
UNICEF, in collaboration with the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO), brought together key humanitarian partners and stakeholders from Cameroon’s North-West and South-West Regions to reflect on achievements, share lessons learned and innovations from ECHO-supported Phase 2 interventions, and collectively explore priorities and strategies for Phase 3.
As one of UNICEF’s WASH partners, EPDA was honoured to contribute to the panel discussion, sharing practical experiences from its community-based WASH interventions on how complaints and feedback mechanisms, safe reporting channels, and meaningful community engagement can help translate community voices into responsive, accountable and locally relevant humanitarian action.
For EPDA, the discussions reinforced a principle that continues to guide our work:
Communities are not simply recipients of humanitarian assistance. They are partners, decision-makers and owners of solutions.
When communities are meaningfully engaged—and when their feedback informs programme design, implementation and adaptation—humanitarian interventions become more relevant, inclusive, accountable and impactful.
The two-day event also featured an interactive exhibition, creating an important platform for humanitarian and development actors to showcase programmes, innovations, lessons learned and community impact.
For EPDA, the exhibition provided an opportunity to showcase our work in WASH and other community-based interventions, share experiences, learn from fellow practitioners, and explore opportunities for stronger collaboration and partnership.
Most importantly, the event created space to connect with humanitarian organisations, development partners, government stakeholders, UN actors and other institutions committed to addressing the complex challenges facing vulnerable communities in the North-West and South-West Regions.
These connections matter. Addressing protracted humanitarian challenges requires more than individual projects. It calls for strategic partnerships, locally led approaches, cross-sectoral collaboration, knowledge exchange, innovation and collective action.
As EPDA looks towards the next phase of humanitarian programming, we remain committed to strengthening partnerships that move beyond project implementation towards:
🔹 Collective learning and knowledge sharing
🔹 Cross-sectoral collaboration and integrated programming
🔹 Locally led and community-owned solutions
🔹 Accountability to affected people
🔹 Innovation and evidence-informed action
🔹 Stronger linkages between humanitarian response, development and resilience
🔹 Long-term community resilience and sustainable impact
We welcome opportunities to connect, collaborate and co-create solutions with organisations, institutions, donors, government partners and other actors working to improve access to WASH, education, protection food security, climate change, environmental education, natural resources management and essential services for vulnerable communities.
Together, we can strengthen humanitarian action by ensuring that children, families and communities are not only at the centre of our interventions—but are active partners in shaping the solutions that affect their lives.