Fabo Session HNPW 2026 Locally shared learning in action

Fabo Session at HNPW 2026

Hybrid Session on 12 March 2026 at 09:00-10:30 (UTC+1)

Locally shared learning in action

This panel will explore how locally driven learning has been embedded across different types of humanitarian responses, drawing on experiences from both climate change adaptation and disaster response, and comparing distinct collaboration models.

The session features speakers from Action for Development (Ethiopia), the Somali Red Crescent Society (Somalia), and the DCA Learning Lab, who will reflect on how the DCA-led consortium behind the Combatting the Impacts of Climate Change in the Horn of Africa initiative built a locally owned, partner-driven learning ecosystem, supported, but not steered, by DanChurchAid’s Learning Lab and the Fabo Platform. Designed from the outset to democratise knowledge, this learning approach enabled seven partners across Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia to co-create, capture, and share insights emerging directly from their work with communities.

Complementing this consortium experience, Tanganyika Christian Refugee Service (TCRS – Tanzania) will share insights from its climate-related programming and its experience fostering a locally owned, partner-driven learning ecosystem within its own operational context. TCRS will reflect on how locally anchored learning processes strengthened adaptation efforts, reinforced community engagement, and supported knowledge exchange across stakeholders — offering an additional climate-focused perspective beyond the consortium model.

From a disaster response perspective, the panel also draws on two distinct experiences.

A speaker from YAKKUM (Indonesia) will share learning from the Rapid Response Fund (RRF) project implemented in North Sumatra together with other ACT Indonesia Forum members (CDRM & CDS and Pelkesi). This response was supported through the ACT Alliance and offers a perspective from disaster response. As part of the project, ACT Indonesia Forum is supporting Jakomkris (the Christian Community Network for Disaster Management in Indonesia) and the Indonesia Communion of Churches to conduct a learning workshop, planned in February 2026, to facilitate collective reflection and exchange among ACT Indonesia Forum members.

In addition, the panel will highlight the Shelter Ambulance initiative in Ukraine, developed and scaled by Helvetas and its local partner I Am Save. Similar to a medical ambulance, the shelter ambulance is deployed immediately after bombing and drone attacks to provide rapid shelter repairs — including rubble removal, roof repairs, and the temporary sealing of windows and doors. In harsh winter conditions, these rapid interventions can be lifesaving. The initiative demonstrates how an innovative local response evolved through continuous learning and adaptation to rapidly changing contextual realities. Regular reflection meetings with partners, authorities, and volunteers were used to assess impact, analyse contextual shifts, and capture lessons learned. These structured feedback loops directly informed adjustments in project design and scaling, illustrating how locally grounded learning can enhance both agility and effectiveness in high-intensity crisis settings.

During this session, panel members will reflect on:

• How local ownership of learning strengthened relevance, trust, and uptake across diverse contexts and response types.
• The role of participatory tools and shared digital spaces (including Fabo) in enabling partners to document innovations, challenges, and results in real time.
• How peer-to-peer exchange within and across networks can accelerate adaptation and response, and foster strong communities of practice.
• What a democratised learning process means for long-term sustainability, resilience, and genuine partnership across consortium- and alliance-based models.

This interactive panel invites partners to speak from experience, highlighting how collective learning becomes a shared asset when shaped by those closest to the work, and how different collaboration models can inform future humanitarian and climate-related initiatives.

👉Join and register here!

The Humanitarian Networks and Partnerships Week (HNPW) 2026 will be held for two weeks on 2-12 March 2026. The HNPW provides a unique forum for humanitarian networks and partnerships to meet and address key humanitarian issues. One of the largest humanitarian events of its kind, it gathers participants from the UN, NGOs, Member States, the private sector, the military, academia and beyond to discuss and solve common challenges in humanitarian affairs. During the event, networks and partnerships hold their annual meetings and consultations, share their expertise and collaborate on best practices to address shared problems.