In the framework of a DG ECHO co-financed project, VOICE organises a 3-days Sphere training workshop on 27th-29th August in Brussels. The training will be open to maximum 20 participants, from European humanitarian NGOs. Should you wish to participate at this session, please express you interest by sending e-mail to VOICE:
, by 4th August 2008 at the latest.
A three day Disaster Management training took place in Kuwait from the 1st to the 3rd of April 2008. The training had 16 participants from Kuwait and Qatar representing a wide spectrum of NGOs based in the Middle East and working overseas. The training was particularly focused on the International Humanitarian Standards in delivering relief aid and included an introduction to the Sphere Minimum Standards. The lead trainer was Moustafa Osman.
In March of 2008, the Monterey Institute of International Studies (MIIS) presented their graduate students with an intensive two-day short course on the Sphere approach and its application in disaster assessment and response. The course included components from the InterWorks resource of training materials available from the Sphere website as well as a condensed overview and hands-on illustrations of the technical standards and indicators.
UN OCHA and UN IRIN organized a one-day training course on humanitarian reporting for UAE based reporters. The training was hosted by the Dubai Press Club and the International Humanitarian City. During the day 36 from 25 journalists were introduced to subjects such as the international humanitarian system, Sphere, technicalities of humanitarian journalisitic reporting, challenges faced by responders in the field. It is hoped that similar events will be organized in other countries to strengthen cooperation between humanitarian agencies and the media.
This year for the first time, the post-graduate programme of the International Development Department (IDD) of the University of Birmingham in the UK included a module on disaster management. A key aim of the module was the imparting of knowledge of Sphere as part of the continued efforts to institutionalise the theory and practice of the Sphere Standards.
This module, which ran in January and February 2008, further introduced participants to the main principles of disaster management, with a focus on disaster response in the developing world. The course promoted the sharing of relevant technical skills and knowledge and equipped participants with adequate analytical skills through developing key understanding of disaster management procedures, needs assessment methods, principles and values, working with refugees and IDPs, and adhering to agreed international standards.
After the July war in 2006, Lebanon had many lessons to be learned and among those lessons was disaster preparedness and coping mechanisms. A thorough assessment identified needs on the community level and was validated further with community volunteers, and Lebanese Red Cross. It was realized that all stakeholders had no knowledge of the Sphere standards and limited or no knowledge on emergency preparedness and response. Therefore, it was decided that a Sphere training program designed to build capacities of the local community on emergency preparedness and response including Sphere Standards, risk assessments and disaster mitigation was needed to respond to any emergency in the country.
This year for the first time, the post-graduate programme of the International Development Department (IDD) of the University of Birmingham in the UK included a module on disaster management. A key aim of the module was the imparting of knowledge of Sphere as part of the continued efforts to institutionalise the theory and practice of the Sphere Standards.