United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Diploma in Humanitarian Assistance

Country: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Organization: Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine
Registration deadline: 10 Mar 2017
Starting date: 13 Mar 2017
Ending date: 21 Apr 2017

3 good reasons to study

1. It is the longest established humanitarian studies programme in the UK, preparing you for many aspects of careers in the fields of humanitarian and development work.
   
2. In six weeks, you will receive a concentrated exposure to the front-edge thinking in all of the relevant areas of humanitarian work and will get to act out real life scenarios.
3. LSTM is filled with students from all over the world that you can learn with and from, offering the chance of new international friendships, as well as networking opportunities with staff and NGO's.

The Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine is an international postgraduate centre of excellence in tropical medicine and international health. A significant proportion of LSTM postgraduate students go on to work with International Organisations (IOs), Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and National Ministries involved in Humanitarian Assistance, Relief and Development.

One of the biggest challenges in improving the effectiveness of humanitarian interventions is to create a greater awareness and understanding of the complex issues that determine the evolution of humanitarian crises. In the immediate aftermath, there may be a critical lack of human and material resources. Contingency planning, coordination and cooperation between governments, donors, agencies and affected populations are essential to prevent additional loss or threat to human lives.

In responding to the imperative of a natural disaster or a complex emergency, humanitarian workers may find themselves placed in situations that are well beyond their previous experience and where their professional and personal capacity to cope is tested to the limit. The melting pot of multiple agencies operating individual mandates frequently feeds confusion and compromises effective action.

Aims

• To provide humanitarian workers with the awareness, understanding and skills essential for effective action as individuals and as members of a team.
• To identify and promote standards of good practice in humanitarian responses
• To examine strategies for early warning and prevention of humanitarian crises.
• To encourage cooperation and dialogue between governmental, non-governmental, national and international agencies involved in humanitarian action.
• To create a more effective synergy between emergency humanitarian interventions and programmes promoting sustainable development.

Course Structure

1. Core Module (5 days): The Humanitarian Arena
   Political, Social and Economic context
   Complex Humanitarian Emergencies, Fragile States
   Natural Disasters, Global Climate Change
   International Humanitarian Law (IHL) and Human Rights
   Humanitarian Ethics and Codes of Conduct
   The role of the Media

2. Core Module (5 days): Strategic Planning and Management of Displaced Populations
   Team building, motivation and management
   Emergency preparedness and strategic planning
   Co-ordination; Humanitarian Reform
   Minimum standards - The Sphere Project
   Cross cultural communication skills
   Gender issues; vulnerable groups in displaced populations
   Working with local services and communities
   Project proposals, reports, fundraising
   Humanitarian workers: health; career development;
   Security

3. Core Module (5 days): Process towards stability and sustainable development
   The role of the military in humanitarian interventions
   Peacekeeping, peace-building and peace-making
   Repatriation and reintegration; Tracing
   Post conflict rehabilitation and demobilization; Child Soldiers
   Managing the transition to sustainable development
   Economic stabilization and sustainable livelihoods
   Exit strategies in humanitarian assistance programmes

4. Specialist Options (10 days): Participants choose one of the following modules running in parallel:

Health in Emergencies

• Public Health and Communicable Disease Control;
• Food and Nutrition;
• Reproductive Health; HIV/AIDS;
• Sexual violence; Torture;
• Mental Health.

Technical Support & Operations

• Logistics;
• Environmental Health;
• Water and Sanitation;
• Vector Control;
• Communications.
• Political analysis of complex emergencies;
• Practical application of International Law;

Media, Policy & Advocacy

• Humanitarian interventions and the Media;
• Advocacy Strategies
• Civil Society, networking and community mobilisation

5. Core Module (5 days): Synthesis and Assessments

• Humanitarian emergency scenario exercises working in multidisciplinary teams
• Individual Assessments and Team Presentations

How to register:

Register through the Apply Button on the course page

http://www.lstmed.ac.uk/study/courses/diploma-in-humanitarian-assistance