‘They Are Still Not Gone Even Though They Are No Longer Here’: What Community Members and Local Stakeholders Valued in How Organisations Closed Humanitarian Assistance Projects in Six Locales in the Philippines

Initiated in response to crises, humanitarian projects are intended to be limited in duration and closed once the situation stabilises. There has been discussion about humanitarian organisations’ responsibilities and accountability in how projects are closed. How these processes are viewed by individuals living in communities affected by humanitarian crises has received less attention. We conducted a qualitative study to explore perceptions and experiences of people living in six communities in the Philippines where humanitarian projects were closed. We worked with an Advisory Board and conducted interviews and focus groups with community members and local stakeholders. There were between nine and thirty-one participants per community, totalling 101 participants overall. We analysed the data using constant comparative techniques and identified elements of project closure that were especially valued by participants: transparency of plans and processes, collaboration with local leaders, participation of community members, sustainability, continuity and monitoring, fairness and preservation of relationships, and preparedness. Foregrounding community perspectives shifts the focus from organisational departure to the ongoing concerns and realities for people living in these communities and how they experience processes of crisis response and recovery. It can help identify opportunities to enhance people-centred approaches to humanitarian aid during and beyond the closure of projects.