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Citizen Voice and Action

World Vision's Approach To Social Accountability

Citizen Voiceand ActionWorld Vision's Approach To Social Accountability
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Citizen Voice and Action equips communities to hold their own governments accountable for the promises they make.

Citizen Voice and Action works by educating citizens about their rights and equipping them with a simple set of tools designed to empower them to protect and enforce those rights.


First, communities learn about basic human rights, and how these rights are articulated under local law. Next, communities work collaboratively with government and service providers to compare reality against government’s own commitments using an adaptation of the “social audit” tool. Communities also have the opportunity to rate government’s performance against subjective criteria that they themselves generate, using an adaptation of the “community score card”.


Finally, communities work with other stakeholders to influence decision-makers to improve services, using a simple set of advocacy tools.


External evaluations of approaches like Citizen Voice and Action have shown that social accountability can generate significant development outcomes. One randomized control trial documented a 33% drop in child mortality; another showed a 9% rise in primary school test scores.

But "Citizen Voice and Action" isn't just good for children, it's good for governments too.

Watch the video below to hear government officials describe their experience with social accountability. Then, read our policy brief to see how social accountability can enhance the next development framework.
Citizen Voice and Action | World Vision

And that's not all - social accountability can also empower communities to aggregate their voices and evidence to influence policy.

Watch the video below to see how "Citizen Voice and Action" practitioners worked in coalition with other stakeholders to influence the Ugandan health budget and stimulate the hire of 6170 health workers.
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Download Our Resources:

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Short and Sweet? CVA Field Guide

See our Field Guide, available in English, Spanish, and French. This quick, practical manual serves as the primary resource for "Citizen Voice and Action" practitioners.



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A Detailed Look? CVA Guidance Notes

See our comprehensively detailed Guidance Notes, available and adapted in English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Arabic, Armenian, Urdu, and Bahasa Indonesia.


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In Practice: CVA Case Study

In this Case Study, we look at the impact Citizen Voice and Action has had in Ugandan villages, from the perspective of practitioners, service providers, and local government officials.