A draft Overview of Angola was prepared.

A translator was hired to produce Portuguese versions of the following two documents:

- the leaflet about the Global Study

- the June 2002 document about the Global Study

The consultant participated in the September 2002 inter-team workshop.

Contacts were made with ALNAP members (on the membership list) asking them to inform their representatives in Angola about the Global Study and the dates of the mission.

Contacts were made by e-mail with representatives in Angola of ALNAP members in the (few) cases where the contact on the membership list replied.

Practical preparations, including two weeks obtaining the visa for Angola.

The following activities were carried out in the preparatory phase:

- re-contact ALNAP and URD members

- contact and re-contact other humanitarian actors

- distribute ALNAP and Global Study leaflets and inform humanitarian actors about the study

- carry out rapid update review on the humanitarian situation

- carry out rapid update review on humanitarian actors

- carry out update review on logistics and security issues

- make a typology of different situations in Angola

- recruit a local assistant

All humanitarian actors were extremely busy, and key people are travelling frequently. Some were responding to what they perceive as an acute humanitarian emergency following the opening of the "newly accessible areas"; others were involving themselves in various forms of "recovery and rehabilitation" issues (as many people are returning to rural areas from IDP camps and inland cities, though not from the larger coastal cities). Some humanitarian actors were monitoring political developments (peace, new draft laws on land access and town and country planning).

A few humanitarian actors had received information about the Global Study from their Head Offices. Many had not. There was interest in the study because it touches on some issues that have been raised in the humanitarian community: participation in food aid distribution; some concerns about lack of consultation of beneficiaries; how humanitarian aid will be transformed in the new conditions. Despite the difficulties in interviewing busy people, it was an interesting time to be carrying out such a study: while humanitarian actors still remember the war period and are considering the implications of recent changes.

It was possible to look at recent data about general social conditions throughout the country, some of it as yet unpublished (for example the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey, the UN system’s analysis of the current situation in Angola, the EU strategy, an unpublished survey about education and health in Angola and their financing). All indicate a widespread crisis of living conditions throughout the country. This illustrates the fact that Angola has been a structural, long-running crisis, with changes through time in the geographical distribution of acute crises. All areas, except those few fortunate to be in the petroleum enclave economy, suffer from the direct and indirect effects of war: a collapsed economy and collapsed social services. There has been food-aid distribution at some time almost everywhere, except in Luanda, southern Huila, Kunene and Namibe.

Logistics and security had greatly improved in the previous 6 months. Access to inland provinces is much easier. There were still World Food Programme flights, and more commercial flights. Improved road access had reduced pressure on flights, though the number of aid personnel travelling had increased. The UN security ratings were seen as being too restrictive, by some humanitarian actors, and thus of little value. The main risk in inland provinces is landmines.

André Zinga Nkula was hired as an assistant for 4 weeks. He has experience in humanitarian activities (including some participative approaches with AHA) and has some research experience. He was available while waiting for a new phase of funding for research by Development Workshop on peri-urban land access. He worked well as an assistant, making appointments and helping in the note-taking of interviews.

A rough typology of areas was made, as follows:-

- the coastal cities and Lubango; urban areas unaffected by conflict (for at least 5 years) with concentrations of people who have fled from conflict

- southern Huila, Kunene and Namibe provinces, rural areas unaffected by conflict for more than 10 years, with low population density and a pastoral economy

- inland cities, with concentrations of people who have fled from conflict

- rural areas that usually remained accessible to humanitarian actors during the period 1999 – 2002, with concentrations of people who had fled from conflict

- newly accessible areas; areas that were not accessible to humanitarian actors in the period 1999 – early 2002 and that were heavily affected by fighting during this period.

It was decided to concentrate the fieldwork in Huambo Province, where there are examples of the last three types of area, the most important types of area for humanitarian actors. Huambo Province also contains Quartering Areas for former UNITA military personnel and their families. Some of the reported examples of participative approaches to humanitarian action were in this area (ADRA, ACORD, OIKOS, and SCF). It is also an area where different types of emergency situation are in close proximity, and it should be possible to investigate further situations such as "newly accessible areas", "returning IDPs" and "resettlement". It is also an area where different (and contradictory) approaches to humanitarian action are in close proximity.

The latter type of area (newly accessible areas) can be further subdivided into three sub-types:

- newly accessible areas where access is still limited by poor roads and damaged bridges and a high risk of mines, and where access will be further limited during the rainy season; in Huambo Province this includes many parts of the north of the Province

- newly accessible areas where access is reasonable, and which became accessible from April 2002 onwards; for example south-east of Huambo city

- newly accessible areas where access is good, and which became accessible even before early 2002, for example south of Caála along the Lubango road.

It should be noted that in all newly accessible areas there is a risk of mines and humanitarian actors, in practice, are working along main roads and in principal settlements. Returning IDPs are, however, going much further.

It was not possible to organise an "introductory workshop", as there was not enough interest and those who showed interest were extremely busy. A group that had been meeting (WFP and some NGOs) to discuss issues around food-aid and participation had ceased to meet. It was possible, however, to participate in the planning meetings for a conference about "Emergency Aid in Angola" and this group (OCHA, German Agro-Action, ADRA, Christian Children’s Fund, some independent Angolan consultants) provided valuable ideas and feedback about the subject of the Case Study.

Meetings were held in Luanda with NGO representatives, key staff of UN agencies and representatives of some donors.

Paul Robson was in Huambo Province from October 16^th to November 2^nd 2002. André Zinga was in Huambo Province from October 19^th to November 2^nd 2002.

(A return booking for Paul Robson with Air Gemini had been made but a seat became available on a World Food Programme flight three days earlier from Luanda to Huambo, allowing more time in Huambo Province. A 40% refund was obtained on the Air Gemini return fare. André Zinga travelled by Air Gemini. Both returned from Huambo to Luanda by Air Gemini.)

Meetings were held in Huambo with NGO representatives, key staff of UN agencies, staff of government agencies and field-workers.

Visits were made to the bairros of Huambo and to the areas around Huambo and Caála that had been accessible areas during the last phase of conflict, and where displaced people had settled during that period. Visits were also made to the newly accessible areas to the south-east and south-west of Huambo. It was not possible to visit the newly accessible areas in the north of the Province, though ICRC and Development Workshop fieldworkers were interviewed about these areas.

November 2^nd to November 9^th 2002.

Further meetings were held in Luanda with NGO representatives, key staff of UN agencies and representatives of donors (those who had not been available earlier in the missions).

Information was collected by telephone and e-mail about programmes in other areas of the country that it had not been possible to visit.

The conference about "Emergency Aid in Angola" was attended on 5^th, 6^th and 7^th November 2002, as well as the planning meeting on November 4^th that served to feedback preliminary findings of the study.

A draft summary of findings was not available at this stage. It was agreed to send a draft summary of findings by e-mail to about 15 interviewees for comment.

(The original return ticket via Johannesburg was exchanged for a ticket on a new direct British Airways flight from Luanda to London. The ticket for the Luanda to Johannesburg section has been returned to ALNAP who should be able to claim a refund.)

Transport and security

Since mid-2002, there are more internal air flights in Angola so inter-Province travel is less of a constraint than previously. It is still impossible to hire vehicles in the Provinces, and very difficult to borrow aid agency vehicles. This limited travel outside the Provincial capital: journeys have to be coordinated with journeys by aid agencies. There are more aid agency vehicles in Huambo than previously, and fuel is not a constraint, but the workload of aid agencies has increased. Some travel within the city area of Huambo was on foot, by bicycle and by motorcycle. However Development Workshop provided transport within the city area of Huambo when it was possible.

Visas.

The obtaining of visas for Angola is always difficult. The original visa for a four week visit, obtained in London, took more than two weeks to issue. World Food Programme Angola wrote the letter requesting the visa.

World Food Programme Angola requested a 30-day extension to the visa. Their advice was to apply for this extension well before the end of the period of validity of the original visa. It took 10 days for this process. A one month extension was granted from the day of issue of the extended visa, and not from the end of validity of the original visa. WFP felt that it was not possible to return to ask for this to be changed, and in any case this would waste more time. The limit of validity of the extension was 11^th November 2002, meaning that return to London on the direct flight on 9^th November 2002 was the most sensible option. Waiting for the extension to the visa meant a delay in travelling from Luanda to Huambo.

Availability of humanitarian actors for interview.

All humanitarian actors were extremely busy. The acute humanitarian emergency following the opening of the "newly accessible areas" was receding but all actors were involving themselves in various forms of "recovery and rehabilitation" issues (as many people are returning to rural areas from IDP camps and inland cities). Some humanitarian actors were monitoring political developments (peace, new draft laws on land access and town and country planning). The Consolidated Appeal was being prepared throughout the period of the Mission. New funding proposals were being prepared. This meant that it took some time at the start of the Mission to make appointments in Luanda, and it was not possible to meet a few key individuals. It made it difficult to organise workshops or group meetings.

Despite this, it was still possible to obtain a considerable amount of data about the current humanitarian situation in Angola, interview a large number of humanitarian actors in Luanda and Huambo and visit different types of area in Huambo Province. Many key individuals made time in their busy schedules to be interviewed. A total of 50 interviews (individual or group) were carried out in 34 working days with NGO representatives, key staff of UN agencies, representatives of donors, field workers and affected populations.