When humanitarian organisations seek input from communities, they often rely on surveys, focus groups, community meetings, and field visits. While these methods remain important, they can be costly, infrequent, and difficult for some groups to access. Women, young people, people living in remote areas, and those with limited influence in their communities are often underrepresented in traditional consultation processes.

To address this challenge, Norwegian Church Aid (NCA) launched the ProTECHtion project with support from the Humanitarian Innovation Programme (HIP). The project set out to explore whether a digital participation platform could complement traditional approaches and provide communities with a safer, more accessible, and more continuous way to engage in decisions that affect their lives.

From identified needs to a digital solution

The project began with a comprehensive needs assessment in Pemba, Tanzania, involving surveys with 345 community members, interviews with aid workers, and an analysis of local digital communication habits. The findings confirmed several recurring challenges: community consultations often reached the same people, anonymous feedback mechanisms were rarely used, and people in rural areas struggled to access humanitarian actors when needed. At the same time, increasing access to mobile phones and digital communication channels suggested an opportunity to try new approaches.

Following the assessment, NCA convened a market dialogue and co-creation process involving community members, humanitarian practitioners, technology companies, and other stakeholders. Participants worked together to explore how digital tools could improve accessibility, anonymity, inclusion, and accountability while remaining practical in a low-resource setting.

The process ultimately led to a partnership with Octree and the development of Jamiihub, a participatory platform that allows communities to engage through WhatsApp and web-based interfaces built on the open-source Decidim platform. The solution was designed not as a customer service tool, but as a participation platform where community members could exchange ideas, vote on proposals, and follow how their input influenced decisions.

Testing digital participation in practice

Between 2025 and 2026, Jamiihub was piloted in Pemba, Tanzania. During the pilot, 214 participants used the platform to communicate with NCA, access information, and participate in decision-making processes on topics identified by the community itself.

Like most innovation projects, the journey was not linear. Technical issues emerged shortly after launch, requiring significant troubleshooting and resulting in periods where the system was unavailable. NCA eventually extended the pilot to allow time for improvements, additional testing, and renewed engagement with users.

While these challenges affected uptake in the early stages, they also generated valuable lessons about introducing digital participation tools in humanitarian contexts. The pilot became not only a test of technology, but also a learning exercise about facilitation, user training, digital inclusion, and the importance of adapting participation methods to local realities.

What did the pilot achieve?

The final impact assessment found that users generally viewed Jamiihub as a useful and efficient participation tool that complemented existing communication channels. Many users reported that the platform made it easier to access information, provide feedback, and communicate directly with NCA without relying on community leaders or intermediaries.

Among surveyed users:

• 86% considered Jamiihub more useful than traditional methods for receiving information.
• 94% considered it a more efficient way to provide feedback.
• 86% felt that NCA demonstrated improved responsiveness to community concerns during the pilot.

One of the most significant findings related to inclusion. The platform appeared particularly valuable for groups that are often less represented in face-to-face consultations, including young people, people with limited formal education, and those living in rural areas. Users highlighted the convenience of participating at a time and place that suited them, rather than relying on scheduled meetings or visits from project staff.

Anonymity also emerged as an important feature. Community members reported that the possibility of providing feedback anonymously made it easier to raise concerns and discuss sensitive issues openly.

The pilot also generated operational benefits. Staff noted that the platform enabled more regular communication with communities while reducing the need for travel. In one example, a field worker reported that fuel expenses were reduced by approximately 50% during the pilot period.

Key lessons for humanitarian innovation

The project also highlighted important limitations and considerations for future scaling.

First, technology alone is not enough. The impact assessment found that training and follow-up were critical to helping users engage confidently with the platform. Users who lacked digital skills or support were less likely to participate fully.

Second, access remains a challenge. Limited smartphone ownership, connectivity costs, and unreliable internet access continued to prevent some community members from participating. In the non-user survey, half of respondents identified lack of access to a smartphone as the main reason they did not use Jamiihub.

Third, facilitation matters. The pilot showed that successful digital participation requires active moderation and well-designed engagement processes. Communities responded most positively when discussions focused on specific questions, when facilitators provided clear guidance, and when users could see how their contributions influenced decisions.

Finally, the project demonstrated the value of co-creation. By involving community members, humanitarian practitioners, and technology partners from the outset, the project was able to identify needs, challenge assumptions, and develop a solution that reflected local realities rather than external expectations.

Looking ahead

The ProTECHtion project demonstrates that digital participation platforms can play a meaningful role in strengthening community engagement in humanitarian action. While they are not a replacement for face-to-face interaction, they can provide an additional channel for dialogue, accountability, and collective decision-making, particularly for groups that may otherwise struggle to have their voices heard.

Jamihub is currently being adapted and scaled up through NCA in Mali and DRC, while also receiving interest from other NGOs.

If your organisation is interested in testing and adapting Jamiihub to new contexts, NCA has published a step-by-step guide and other useful resources here: How to use JamiiHub in your project? - JamiiHub