Twenty-three humanitarians who are child protection and operations staff from local NGOs, the state government and Save the Children International (SCI) participated in a three-day training at the end of November in Segou, Mali.

For humanitarians in Mali, psychological first aid is well practised, although it lacked the structure that the training course provided. There was also emphasis on the definition of stress, its factors and the adaptation systems that can be introduced at individual, social and professional levels.

The training focused on strengthening the capacity of SCI staff, local and national front-line workers to provide appropriate mental health and psychosocial support services to children and their families.

The training on Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) and Stress Management in Humanitarian Action covered child-focused psychological first aid and staff stress management and monitoring. The idea was to strengthen staff skills to deliver support and where necessary, make referrals to specialist services considering the integrated rapid response approach for children.

Amintou Ibrahim Sangou – Safeguarding and Gender Officer, SCI Mali/Mopti, one of the training participants said: “What I really appreciated about this workshop was the stress management aspect of humanitarian work. We work in emergency and development contexts, so we need to manage our own stress first… to be able to help others, you need to feel good in body and mind so that you can give the best to the beneficiaries.”

Amintou’s reflection resonated across board and participation and interaction between participants showed a satisfactory level of knowledge of the concepts surrounding mental health and psychosocial support.

Participants highlighted the need for a real mechanism to support actors in managing the stress generated by their interventions.

Souleymane Berthé, Project Officer, Tenenkou Cercle, NGO CAEB shared: In carrying out our activities, [as a local NGO] we come across some very difficult situations, which can be difficult to deal with in terms of response or care for the victim or those involved… We have learnt a lot of new skills that will enable us, as frontline workers… to improve the psychosocial well-being of the population through psychosocial activities”.

Looking ahead, the training and organising team plan for a post-training follow-up to ensure that the knowledge acquired is translated into practical action on the ground.

In partnership with Save the Children Madagascar and the Ministry of Education of Madagascar, the Humanitarian Leadership Academy led a five-day Education in Emergencies (EiE) Fundamentals training in French for 34 participants in Antananarivo – Madagascar.

For the first time an EiE training course held in Madagascar with Save the Children who initiated the training along with the Ministry of Education of Madagascar.

Every year the cyclonic periods cause a major strain on the continuity of education in Madagascar. The Ministry of Education in line with their action plans for education in emergency situations, brought together partners including local NGOs, and the UN, representing all the regions to collectively develop responses for EiE. The EIE Fundamentals training was held at the end of September 2024.

The training was led by Mathilde Lemaire, EiE Professional Development Programme (PDP) Manager for West and Central Africa, and co-facilitated by Ravaka Ranivoarianja, Education Technical Assistant in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Ravaka originally from Madagascar, provided contextualised support including holding sessions in Malagasy, one of the official languages of Madagascar.

As a facilitator, Ravaka shared that: “Facilitating the EiE training session in Madagascar was a unique experience, particularly regarding the participants, some of whom are new to EiE. The training approach enabled participants at the beginning of the training to be at the same level of understanding of the different EiE concepts and then to work in teams through a simulation to identify and justify the EiE challenges, propose realistic solutions and advocate for the proposed approaches. The results were remarkable. Participants were able to grasp the problems of EiE caused by various hazards and their impact on children, the education system and the country, and the various possible solutions they came up with proved to be well suited to the context.”

The training featured a new format: 2 days of theory and 3 days of simulation. During the 2 days of theory, the main themes covered were: the fundamental concepts and frameworks of EiE; the physical and psychological protection and well-being of children in EiE; safety in schools and anticipatory actions in EiE. A new module was also tested: WASH in EiE.

Speaking on her experience, Christian Mara Razafimahefa from Association Faniry – a local NGO shared: “I was very interested in Module 1: ESU Fundamental Concepts and Frameworks and the WASH in EiE module. What really interested me was understanding the key words and their application.”

During the 3-day simulation, participants worked in groups to draw up an action plan to ensure the continuity of education following a cyclone or a long period of intense drought. The scenarios proposed were based on existing data, with the aim of representing the reality of Madagascar as closely as possible.

Ravaka added that: “the group simulation approach was also a way of showing participants the importance of involving different categories of people in identifying problems and finding more realistic solutions. The responses are thus local and appropriate to the context. It is vital to combine the trainer’s knowledge with actual experience of EiE when conducting this type of training, as adult participants are much more focused on the practical part of the training and tend to refer more to experience. This perception was borne out by their level of participation in relation to the 2 days of theory and the 3 days of simulation.”

Lila Norolalaina Randrianandrasana, Head of the Risk and Disaster Management Department, General Secretariat – Ministry of Education shared a reflection on the training: “I’m very happy to have taken part in this training course, which helped me to theorise our professional practices, provided new tools and put forward powerful questions to unlock hidden nuggets in terms of EiE, as well as a lot of exchanges, sharing, kindness and conviviality. These 5 days enabled me to take a fresh look at my role as administrator of Education in Emergencies. A real training-experience!”

The training was well received with earnest gratitude to the organisers and trainers. There was emphasis on the importance of collective responsibility and unity among organisations when working together in education in emergencies. Important learnings also emerged for all organisations in attendance particularly around unique challenges they individually face. For example, participants learned more about severe drought in the south of Madagascar away from the focus on cyclones and the damage they cause.

Looking ahead, a summary of participants’ engagement will be compiled and shared with participants, Save the Children Madagascar, the Ministry of Education and the Bureau National de Gestion des Risques et des Catastrophes (BNGRC) (the National Office for Risk and Disaster Management) for potential future collaboration and action.

Save the Children South Africa (SCSA)’s humanitarian response is focused on emergency relief, child protection, education, health, and nutrition. Over the years, SCSA has played a crucial role in both emergency response efforts and long-term development projects, working to ensure that children’s rights and needs are prioritised in policy and practice across the nation.

In August, SCSA collaborated with the Humanitarian Leadership Academy in East and Southern Africa to provide Humanitarian Action Training (HAT) to their staff and staff of local organisations SCSA partners with.

A prior needs assessment informed the 5-day intensive face-to-face training to identify areas of interest and the participant base; the training was delivered to thirty-one participants.

Humanitarian Action Training covers a vast range of specified topics to prepare humanitarians in calm or conflict contexts for response.

The topics range from leadership, coordination and equitable partnership, anticipatory action, and core humanitarian principles, to risk analysis, conflict sensitivity, wellbeing in emergencies plus a simulation of a response.

A participant at the HAT training in South Africa said:

“I understood the humanitarian principles and the differences between them. I can now respond and plan towards a disaster.”

The sessions and simulation revealed an opportunity for better coordination across the humanitarian ecosystem in South Africa; espeacially around engaging humanitarian provincial focal points

Thank you it was worth my time, and I learnt so much. My perspective is completely changed’

Save the Children Zimbabwe Country Office collaborated with the Humanitarian Leadership Academy East and Southern Africa (ESA) region to offer a Humanitarian Action Training (HAT) bringing together the country office team, Akwande Tuvule development hub partners and government officials.

The training follows a recent Save the Children International member visit to Zimbabwe where Janet Nyaoro, HLA Lead for ESA pledged on behalf of HLA to support the showcased development hub. Janet said: “This is an exciting initiative led by the Zimbabwe Country Office. As we engage in discussions and training on localisation, it is important that we lead by example. We must actively support local initiatives such as Akwande-Tuvule Hub by offering the necessary technical and financial assistance… Together, we can build resilient communities and empower local leaders.”

The 4-day residential training brought together 30 participants (mostly comprised of women) and four facilitators from the HLA. Participants went through a rapid assessment to gauge their knowledge of essential topics in humanitarian action; after which they gained theoretical knowledge then practical skills through the disaster response simulations.

The training covered humanitarian standards and principles, leadership coordination and equitable partnerships, accountability to affected populations, conflict sensitivity, risk analysis, wellbeing and more.  

At the end of the training, after being able to put learning into action through the simulations, participants were able to develop effective emergency response plans to keep children and communities safe during crises.

Memory Mlahanga, who participated in the training said:
“The presentations were on point and relevant to the process. I understood the main concepts and I feel with more reading materials and shared presentations, and I will continuously refer and become effective in Humanitarian Response Program. The simulation exercise was a testament to gained knowledge and skills. Because the training had a positive impact on my work, I have gained a lot of confidence in humanitarian action and response.”

Humanitarian Leadership Academy participates in Save the Children International Member visit in Zimbabwe – poised to support Akwande-Tuvule Development Hub.

Janet Nyaoro, HLA ESA Regional Lead represented HLA during a joint member visit and strategy discussion to Zimbabwe convened by SCI in Zimbabwe Country Office.

The workshop took place in Harare, Zimbabwe, from April 8th to April 12th, 2023.

Save the Children Italy, Save the Children Norway, and Save the Children UK attended the five – day workshop, which provided an opportunity for the Zimbabwe team to showcase their vision and strategies. The Senior Leadership Team and thematic leads from the Zimbabwe country office hosted the workshops and presentations were made by government officials and local partners.

The presentation and exhibition by the Akwande-Tuvule Hub, a local partners hub that aims to equip partners to be at the forefront of humanitarian response – was one of the key highlights.

A rising tide lifts all boats – This happens when localised collaboration births collective advantage for all. Akwande-Tuvule Development Hub is the sustainable solution for true localisation for global impact. ”

The meeting concluded with a donor roundtable dinner, during which the Akwande-Tuvule Hub was presented to donors. Discussions regarding the funding landscape in Zimbabwe and the possibilities of funding the hub also took place.

The appeal was made for members and donors to support the hub in setting up its secretariat to ensure it is ready for business. HLA offered to be the capacity strengthening partner for the Akwande-Tuvule Hub, with possibilities of establishing a virtual learning hub and providing training to the hub members based on identified needs.

Janet, reflecting on HLA’s involvement in the member visit and workshop shared that,
“This is an exciting initiative led by the Zimbabwe Country Office. As we engage in discussions and training on localisation, it is important that we lead by example. We must actively support local initiatives such as Akwande-Tuvule Hub by offering the necessary technical and financial assistance. HLA has offered to provide learning opportunities to the Hub, and we kindly request donors to join us in supporting this cause and others like it. Together, we can build resilient communities and empower local leaders.

Having delivered a series of trainings in 2023 to strengthen community resilience, the first quarter of 2024 was remarkably busy in East and Southern Africa with trainings covering HLA’s strategic pillars (community resilience, technical expertise and leadership) from Tanzania to Sudan.  

Our tireless colleagues delivered high quality trainings to strengthen the capacity of over 70 humanitarians at various stages of their humanitarian careers. Humanitarians who are responding to crises such as supporting efforts in refugee settlements, disaster relief, and humanitarians working in conflict settings. 

Localised leadership – Tigray, Ethiopia | Zimbabwe | Malawi | South Africa | Kenya | Tanzania  

The HLA ESA team working in line with one of HLA strategic pillars, which to strengthen local leadership collaborated with Save the Children Ethiopia to deliver training on Leadership Skills for Women. 17 women – humanitarian and development leaders from Tigray region, took part and it was delivered in Amharic and English.  

Sisay Dejene, Head of Localisation and Partnerships in Save the Children International – Ethiopia said:  
“Save the Children is purposefully engaging with local civil society organisations (CSOs) in Tigray that are facing challenges in delivering for children. We are committed to enhancing their capacity in leadership and other crucial areas.” 

For most participants, this is their first time in any leadership training. The training pondered on identity, value, and challenges of women leaders of Ethiopia. Participants acquired and practised using tools for self-awareness and leadership.  

A participant said: “Before this training, most of us have just been on survival mode because of the conflict.  We have not had time to reflect on what our position in life is, what we can offer or what we stand for. This course is giving us an opportunity to do that and reflect on strengths we have and how we can use that to make positive change.” 

Another participant shared: “This has been very enlightening for me.
We need more of this. We need coaches to help us to do more and learn more. We need a lot of encouragement in leadership. 
We have left behind many other people who need this kind of training and I feel very privileged, and it is a dream to be invited to learn. Thank you for organising this for us”. 

“For me, it has been a lot. We are going through healing so there is a lot to process. A lot to think about. “ 

This experience was mutually beneficial as the delivery team received first-hand insight from the unique position and skillset of participants.   

Janet Nyaoro, HLA ESA Lead said: “Listening to the participants, I think they have unique perspective as resilient people who are grateful to experience a post conflict era.  Their voices speak volumes on the need for more resources and need to adopt learning models that will allow HLA to reach out to more people who work in far flung regions who are yearning to learn leadership and other skills.” 

Strengthening technical expertise – South Sudan | Uganda 

In March, the team partnered with South Sudanese Universal Network for Knowledge and Empowerment Agency (UNKEA) a local NGO, UNICEF and Save the Children to deliver an Education in Emergencies (EiE) Fundamentals course in Juba, South Sudan. 

20 humanitarians from the Education cluster in South Sudan – from national non-governmental organisations and two representatives from an international non-governmental organisation attended the five-day training. 

EiE Fundamentals aims to equip country office education and EiE staff with the fundamental competencies to be part of initiating, designing and implementing a quality EiE response in their context.  

A representative from a national NGO who participated in the EiE training expressed gratitude for the training, saying: “I recommend the cluster to coordinate and organise professional development programme training yearly to help incoming educationist in South Sudan to build back better.” 

Likewise in Uganda, a Humanitarian Operations Programme (HOP) Core training programme took place, reaching 41 participants including representatives from Near Network, local partners, and Save the Children International – Uganda. 

Sarah Basemera, Team Lead for Raising Gabdho Foundation (RGF) shared profound insights on her engagement with the training and HLA’s platforms. She said: “Having participated in the transformative humanitarian training led by the Humanitarian Learning Academy in collaboration with the Save the Children team in Uganda, I am deeply moved to express my heartfelt appreciation for their remarkable work. The existence of such an academy, dedicated to empowering humanitarian actors at no cost, represents a remarkable opportunity. Their commitment to providing ongoing support even after the training demonstrates a clear intention to bolster smaller organisations, a gesture that is truly commendable. 

“The revelation of the Kaya platform offering a multitude of free courses tailored for humanitarian actors struck a chord with me. This invaluable resource serves as a lifeline for humanitarian organisations, particularly local actors who grapple with the financial strain of hiring seasoned professionals or consultants for capacity building. It embodies inclusivity and the democratisation of knowledge, essential elements for fostering sustainable change within communities.” 

Speaking to fellow humanitarians, Sarah said:  

“In the spirit of localisation, let us seize this moment to amplify our efforts, optimise our resources, and uphold the highest standards of humanitarian practice. Together, let us chart a course towards a more just and compassionate world, ensuring that no community is left behind.” 

The second quarter of 2024 is well underway with the team providing transformative support to Save the Children country offices across the region as well as to local networks and organisations. 

One year of conflict in Sudan

April 15th marked one year since the conflict broke out in Sudan and has triggered a regional refugee crisis with 9 million people internally displaced and 1.5 million people seeking refuge in neighbouring countries across East and Southern Africa (ESA).

The HLA’s ESA team continues to support those affected by the crisis and humanitarians working through the difficult situation. Humanitarians in and around Sudan can access a free Response Learning Hub for resources specifically tailored to support country offices and partners in the refugee crisis: The Sudan Response | Response Learning Hub

A new suite of supply chain courses is now available for humanitarians to access for free on Kaya.

Save the Children International has partnered with HELP Logistics and the Humanitarian Leadership Academy with support from Amazon to create six versatile courses within this digital masterclass, that cover key supply chain fundamentals.

Megan Bassford, Global Head of Supply Chain Planning and Capability at Save the Children International said: “We’re excited to have partnered with HELP Logistics and the Humanitarian Leadership Academy with support from Amazon to launch these high-quality courses.  The supply chain masterclass will strengthen knowledge in supply chain management across our sector. The courses are designed to cater to various levels of experience from new entrants to leaders in the area of supply chain management within the humanitarian sector, as well as to mid and senior level humanitarians in different functions including Programmes, Finance and Award Management.”

James Maltby, Head of Digital Learning at the Humanitarian Leadership Academy said: “The supply chain masterclass is an excellent addition to the plethora of resources available to our learners on Kaya. The courses are easy to access and navigate. We’re excited that over 718,000 learners on Kaya now have this additional resource to learn with and share on their networks. We hope that more humanitarians will take advantage of this training series.”

This is an interactive, self-taught, free training series of best practices and innovative concepts in supply chain for the humanitarian and development sectors.

The courses have been developed based on content from Save the Children’s over 100 years of delivering goods and services in crisis situations with HELP Logistics, a major player whose mission is to be a catalyst for transferring supply chain and logistics knowledge to improve the lives, and economic potential of vulnerable people and communities.

Participants in these courses can expect to gain or build knowledge through the following topics:                                                                        

1. Unlocking the supply chain: a guide for non-supply chain staff

2. A step-by-step journey into supply chain planning

3. Embedding sustainability into end-to-end supply chains

4. Warehouse management in action

5. Mastering asset management

6. The essentials of Good Distribution Practice

CLICK on the links above to view the courses.

The courses are free and available on Kaya. The supply chain masterclass courses are also available on DisasterReady and HELP Logistics learning platform.

Humanitarians across Save the Children Zimbabwe, Malawi, South Africa, Kenya, and Tanzania are embracing concepts from Eco-Leadership. As the world experiences shifts in technology, resourcing, business, politics, and climate; the ‘how’ to navigate these changes is also shifting to consider more innovative, agile and productive strategies.

This shift in thinking was reflected in a recent Eco-Leadership training programme hosted by Save the Children Tanzania in Dar es Salaam in partnership with the Eco-Leadership Institute and Humanitarian Leadership Academy.

Reflecting on the journey

At the start of the intense five-day training, six senior leaders reflected on various modules from a just-completed 14-week online Eco-Leadership certificate course. They discussed their learning experiences with particular focus on in-depth analysis, relational analysis, and the idea of re-enchanting the humanitarian sector. This culminating session was one of openness and vulnerability along with coaching sessions with Dr. Simon Western, CEO/Founder of the Eco-Leadership Institute, who the Humanitarian Leadership Academy is partnering with to deliver the trainings.

Bhekimpilo Khanye, Country Director of Save the Children International (SCI) Zimbabwe started his learning journey in February of last year, a little earlier to take advantage of the unique opportunity that presented itself. Speaking on using tools and lessons learned from Eco-Leadership to navigate a new role and a huge team change, Bheki said, “It [Eco-Leadership training] could not have come at a better time. Eco-Leadership provided the ‘how’ to co-create and collectively engage, recognising that everyone is carrying a piece of the puzzle. The course helped me to facilitate a process where there was a lot of participation, and everyone felt like they belonged.

I also found it very enriching in terms of self-reflection, personal journey, and the phases that we go through.”

He added, “[Eco-Leadership] can help us localise by default. It is localisation in action without being branded localisation. Eco-Leadership is based on recognition of mutual agency of all parties involved.”

Ashebir Debebe, Country Director for SCI Malawi – a team very much at the start of a change process where tools from Eco-Leadership training could be utilised said, “[We] need to be aware of who are we working with.”

Speaking on how his team’s thinking has expanded, he said, “We used to be very focused only on the inside and not really looking at the wider or future change.  That reflection has started. We are trying to decentralise leadership, [we can see that this] increases staff motivation and ownership of what we want to embark on and reduces the workload.”

There was palpable enthusiasm from all six leaders to share these approaches more widely and make them more accessible to the wider humanitarian community.

“This is not an invention. It is an observation of leadership over the years.” – Dr. Simon Western

Twenty more colleagues from varying divisions and leadership levels joined on day two which for most was their very first training on Eco-Leadership. The next two days saw participants delving deep into new and sometimes challenging techniques and ways of learning – typical of the way Eco-Leadership training is delivered. Topics covered the chronology of leadership, responses to conflict, thinking, turning emotions to thinking and turning thinking to action.

A session on discussing personal journeys laid a foundation where participants noted that their unique, yet not-so-different personal experiences inform their approach to life and how they lead or view leadership. The themes of hardship, resilience and subsequent success resonated with people in the room thus bonding participants.

Anatoli Rugaimukamu, Programme Director SCI Tanzania who joined on day 2 said: “Leadership has a history and the style that dominates is influenced by what happened in the society, changes, disruptions influenced the emerging type of leadership that is effected in that age. These will continue to exist, they will not phase out. One’s history also shapes one’s leadership very much – your situation in life will shape your dominance approach as a leader.

Personal leadership is very much influenced by your history, circumstance you go through, disruption faced in the course of life – they shape your leadership style and at the end will determine your leadership approach.”

Formal presentations by Dr. Simon Western examined different types of leadership and their timelines to which Dr Chibwana Musavengana (Dr. Musa), East and Southern Africa (ESA ) Regional Humanitarian Policy Advocacy Campaigns Manager noted, “We need to be mindful of the chronology of leadership – how the norm and what was perceived as acceptable has changed overtime.”

Reflecting on the free association matrix exercise, one of the training sessions whose style was unfamiliar to participants, Anatoli said, “the exercise represents our thinking patterns and how the mind works. If you create a free space and set people in it, you see ideas coming out. You can experience germination and people come out freely. As leaders we need to create a safe space where people are free to air out their views or express their genuine feelings without reprisal.”

Steph Bradish, Regional Risk Communication & Community Engagement and Humanitarian Accountability Advisor said about the matrix, “it may feel uncomfortable because of the lack of structure but there is a collective sense of thinking that may evolve in the end – no questions asked, just building on a thought process, or creating new ones. It could also be challenging to engage in for people who prefer structure.

When you don’t question other people’s ideas, there is more freedom and space to think innovatively. People tend to listen more. People may also be held down by traditional ways of doing things. The exercise was reflective of what we are trying to achieve… a different way of disbursing leadership. There was a lot of creativity. There may have been a fear of ‘who are we’ and ‘what agency have we got to be able to do this’? A possible fear of failure.”

“The humanitarian approach has to apply eco-leadership and avoid the one size fits all approaches.” – Gugu Xaba

Honesty was a theme that remained constant throughout this training and with it, reflection on what challenges could possibly lie ahead. Gugu Xaba, CEO of Save the Children South Africa said: “There may be challenges of people not wanting to move away from a hierarchical structure, but with leadership comes responsibility to use a diverse view that promotes effectiveness. When we distribute power and lead from the edge, we increase responsibility and distribute accountability. Eco-Leadership acknowledges that everyone in the room has value to share.”

Thomas Lay, Regional Humanitarian Director for East and Southern Africa shared: “We are coddiwompling (coddiwomple: to travel purposefully towards a vague destination) towards a future that will look different, and it may or may not make space for me. If we don’t change, then we won’t know what it will look like.”

Janet Nyaoro, HLA Lead in ESA said: “there’s always a seat on the table. Are we bold enough to occupy that seat and share our views? There is always a seat in the eco-system and as eco-leaders we need to be bold enough to take up that seat.” While Anatoli noted, “we have been looking at leadership as siloed approaches but now, it’s like they build into each other I’ll be looking at leadership from a holistic thinking. It’s not one style, it’s a combination and in an organisation or team, you would find it coming, depending on circumstances.”

Learning into practice and looking ahead

One of the last sessions – eco-system mapping saw participants thinking about, challenging and drawing out their personal eco-systems. This exercise exposed how interconnected eco-systems in the region are with community level, national level and international level linkages across all participants. Participants gave their maps fun but reflective names such as Chaos Octopus, Circles of Trust, Spider, Assembly Line, Tree of Life; the exercise though tasking, as it included thinking about the relationships; it was also highly rewarding. It led to a full group exercise of mapping the eco-system of the entire SCI Tanzania office.

Yvonne Sarchi, Regional Humanitarian Operations Specialist shared, “it’s interesting how diverse our eco-systems are, how connected we are but we are not aware. This activity has brought that to light. Thomas added that, “it is easier to become more outcome orientated focused with Eco-Leadership.

All participants recognised that there may be a need for behaviour change at various levels in encouraging more people to ‘lead and let lead’, with the belief that Eco-Leadership can bring harmonisation in hierarchical thinking.

Dr. Victor Minja, Humanitarian Fund Response Manager in SCI Tanzania said: “Reframing and changing mindsets is pivotal in the humanitarian sector. We must break free from old paradigms, question narratives, and embrace innovative approaches. Eco-Leadership provides the ‘how’ to co-create, fostering participation and belonging, ultimately empowering us to navigate the complex challenges ahead.”

Colleagues from Tanzania are looking to scale elements of their learning up for use by the humanitarian community, local partners, and government.

Humanitarians in East and Southern Africa are tenaciously learning their way to a new humanitarian era.

In this article we share a series of reflections on core activities from the third quarter of 2023 including the region’s first Humanitarian Summit in Kenya, the first ever Education in Emergencies (EiE) Fundamentals training in Ethiopia and learning activities from Mozambique to Zimbabwe.

Nairobi, Kenya | September

For the first time ever, over 40 humanitarians from across a network of country programmes in East and Southern Africa came together to discuss their priorities, challenges and plans for the future. In the 5-day Humanitarian Summit, participants exchanged ideas on strategies to drive change and achieve collaborative impact.

With a deliberate focus on three i’s – inform, inspire and initiate change; sessions throughout the week combined team coaching techniques, technical procedural discussions and new leadership approaches.

By the end of the summit, participants left with renewed drive and new lessons learned or emphasised. A participant noted:

“All civil society organisations have power; we need to learn to link with them and work together. Always link your daily work to the strategy and check how is it contributing to the Global Strategy.”

Speaking on the importance of setting up crucial spaces for dialogue, such as this region-wide Humanitarian Summit, Janet Nyaoro, HLA Lead in East and Southern Africa said: “I am very glad that as one of the organisers and facilitators in this summit, we managed to create a safe space where issues were raised, status quo challenged, and some uncomfortable conversations took place. Some resolutions were reached while others were carried forward. The feedback we received from those who attended was encouraging and there were also lessons we picked which can help us improve next year’s summit.

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | September

52 members of Ethiopia’s National Education Clusters recently completed the Education in Emergencies (EiE) Fundamentals blended course. This was the first time an EiE Fundamentals course was delivered in Ethiopia. Participants from NGOs, INGOs, the UN and European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO) completed the EiE Module 1: Foundational Concepts & Frameworks on the HLA’s free digital learning platform, Kaya prior to the 5-day in-person workshop.

EiE Fundamentals is one of three EiE courses offered by the HLA. The course equips EiE and education professionals with core competencies needed to initiate, design, and implement an EiE response in their unique contexts. Many participants at this training were from local organisations, in line with the HLA’s goal of strengthening civil society organisations.

Colleagues from Save the Children in Ethiopia, and UNICEF as well as two current EiE students and one graduate of the EiE Certificate of Advanced Studies (CAS) supported the HLA team to facilitate and deliver the training.

Rose Wahome, HLA Learning Solutions Specialist in East and Southern Africa said: “It was a great opportunity seeing the EiE CAS graduates in action as facilitators, and it also enabled us to run two cohorts reaching over 50 participants at a go. Additionally, the CAS graduates used Amharic for most sessions which enabled participants in their cohort to participate fully as they did not have to use English all the time”.

Commenting on the blended learning experience, one participant from a national NGO said: “The training was fundamental and comprehensive, as stated in the title. I have learned a lot of things that are very basic and mandatory for those implementing EiE and education practitioners.”

Another participant from an international non-governmental organisation shared: “Since my experience has been in the development sector, it is a good learning opportunity for me. The links attached for further learning are also important. Thank you so much.”

Chilanga, Zambia | August

Twenty-nine humanitarians from Save the Children International and partners, joined a 5-day Humanitarian Emergency Preparedness Training delivered by the HLA ESA team.

Emergency Preparedness Planning (EPP) is a key element of anticipatory action; and creates an opportunity to plan, prepare for and possibly mitigate the impact or scale of a crises. This training covered humanitarian principles and standards, Sphere, conflict sensitivity programming, humanitarian coordination, and leadership, amongst others.

The training was an opportunity to reflect on the specific needs of the people who were present in the room. During the training and while conducting the EPP, participants ranked drought as the highest risk followed closely by flooding both of which lead to disease outbreaks, such as Cholera. These are expected to be used in developing an EPP document for 2024.

An anticipatory action simulation exercise was organised as part of the training. The simulation helped to provide insight and knowledge to better plan for, design and implement humanitarian programming.

At the end of training, participants set up key actions to continue in the train of being fully prepared ahead of an emergency and upskilling themselves in disaster risk management.

One key emphasis was on the importance of a lasting mutual partnership between international non-governmental organisations (INGOs) and local/national NGOs to share information, get feedback and learn as a team.

Speaking on lessons learned and points to take away, a participant noted:
“The training was awesome and reminded me how we sometimes cause more harm to our target audiences than Doing No Harm due to our lack of empathy and sensitivity in the process. My eyes were opened to have a holistic approach with high sensitivity in the process.”

Reflecting on the training, Wycklife Ajowi, Regional Programme Administrator for the HLA in ESA said: “I was truly inspired by the passion and commitment from the team to making a positive impact to communities. It was an enriching experience to support the facilitation of humanitarian emergency preparedness training and shared learning on how to navigate challenges we face in humanitarian work will really improve teams’ invaluable work.”

Zimbabwe | August

This two-day intense training delved into the concept of localisation and its practicalities in the relevant context. Janet Nyaoro, HLA ESA Lead and Sisay Dejene, Heads of Partnerships at SCI Ethiopia facilitated this training, which was delivered to all staff of SCI Zimbabwe – country office.

Local and national responders are best placed to understand the needs of their community, local circumstances, culture, and politics. They are usually the first to respond to crises and often have access that international actors cannot achieve; they may be the only responders. Local and national responders are generally best placed to link response efforts to resilience building, preparedness, and recovery, because they are present before, during and after a crisis.

The training sessions were honest, interactive, and met with enthusiasm. Covering the journey of localisation including the demands required to make it work, its dimensions, spectrum, experiences, and best practices from localisation champions in various countries. Participants were also presented with some of the best ways to demonstrate partnership principles.

For next steps, the training laid emphasis on some key action points such as identifying a localisation champion, establishing a localisation strategy, mobilising funding for advancing more localised responses, enhancing the understanding of the localisation policy, and developing a localisation road map.

The goal is to advance localisation in practice and empower more people with knowledge to lead on progressing the localisation agenda.

Nampula, Mozambique | July

Education in Emergencies (EiE) Fundamentals training in Mozambique was organised and co-facilitated by two EiE Certificate of Advanced Studies (CAS) course participants along with two HLA colleagues in the East and Southern Africa (ESA) office. The training was conducted in English and Portuguese.

Allex, one of EiE CAS participants and co-facilitator said: “The training was a great success. Most participants who attended are already working in the humanitarian sector. The discussions around child participation have provided tools and options that participants can use on Assessment, Design, Implementation, as well as Monitoring and Evaluation interventions. Another topic which has been mentioned by participants as to have been very useful is the Conflict Sensitive Education, where they became aware that EiE interventions should not cause any harm to children and communities.”

More here: Paying it forward: Education in Emergencies (EiE) Fundamentals in Mozambique – Humanitarian Leadership Academy

Since May 2016, Kaya – the free digital learning platform operated by the Humanitarian Leadership Academy has upskilled thousands of humanitarians globally to directly respond to crises in their localities. Kaya is providing high quality, expert led and industry recognised learning at times and places where access can be challenging.

A Kaya learner from Syria said: “As someone who faced challenges due to the Syrian crisis, such as limited access and remote management, I found Kaya’s designed courses to be invaluable in enhancing my skills and knowledge.

The platform not only helped me keep learning but also enabled me to share this knowledge with colleagues, team members, and partner staff, ultimately making a positive impact on those affected by the crisis, especially since many courses are available in different languages including Arabic.”

With over 700,000 learners from 190 countries registered on the platform; there are now over 500 learning resources available on Kaya in 12 languages at varying levels of expertise. Resources for people who have never been involved in humanitarian action to resources for people who have worked in the sector for many years.

A Kaya learner from Cote D’Ivoire said: “The learning has changed my outlook, it’s opened my eyes to some of the challenges faced by our colleagues on the ground.”

Kaya content is contextually relevant and is often updated by experts across the globe with new information as new processes are introduced to humanitarian action.

How can I access Kaya and what will I find?

Kaya is free and accessible on a phone, tablet or laptop. You will need access to the internet to sign up and find content. However, your coursework can be done offline, and progress uploaded when you have access to internet again.

Resources range from games, quizzes, and assessments to online self-directed courses and pathways, webinars, videos, MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses), and blended courses. Kaya users can also find registration for face-to-face workshops and events and so much more available and accessible at the learner’s time/flexibility.

A Kaya learner from South Africa said: “I believe that Kaya fosters creativity and critical thinking and for me that is an essential skill that every humanitarian needs.”

Kaya is not only helping humanitarians grow, but also supporting international, national and local non-governmental organisations (who we partner with) to share their knowledge on an accessible platform.

Another Kaya learner from Ukraine said: I’ve used the Kaya platform during my work with International Rescue Committee till October 2022. And nowadays I was really surprised to see this hub available in Ukrainian. I don’t remember any other humanitarian platform with trainings available in our language.”

Kaya resources are accessible; the platform includes a screen reader helper, a dyslexia friendly view and much more. As a learner on Kaya, you can earn certificates and showcase the certificates you receive from completing courses. Some courses award HPass digital badges, which you can add to your LinkedIn profile. These certificates and badges validate gained knowledge and encourage and motivate humanitarians to accelerate their learning and professional development.

I was really surprised to see this hub available in Ukrainian. I don’t remember any other humanitarian platform with trainings available in our language.”

What should I do now?

If you’re looking to learn something new as a humanitarian – from project management to proposal writing, understanding big concepts like cash and voucher assistance or the Grand Bargain. If you’re looking to join valuable networks such as the Women in Leadership network hosted on Kaya – sign up now.

If you’re already a Kaya learner, tell a friend about Kaya. Share one of the #KayaAppreciation posts on our social media channels or create your own.

The Humanitarian Leadership Academy remains poised to support professional growth and Kaya learners’ impact and invaluable contributions to individual communities.

Humanitarians working in the Sudan response can now access useful training online all in one place. The Sudan Response Learning Hub has been created to provide learning online especially where it is challenging to access face-to-face training.

The Hub is a free open-access platform that curates about 50 short courses from platforms such as Kaya and Disaster Ready to support teams and individuals in all response areas in Sudan.

Janet Nyaoro, HLA East and Southern Africa (ESA) Lead who supported the creation of the hub spoke about its importance saying:

“We’ve created this hub to support fellow humanitarians in the East and Southern Africa region.  We hope they make good use of this resource.  As the situation changes in Sudan, we will update the learning hub to reflect and support the learning needs of responders.”

Resources on the hub are specifically focused on key topics and areas relevant to the Sudan response context such as Child Protection, Staff Self Care & Wellbeing, Humanitarian Essentials, Gender equality and gender-based violence (GBV) programming, Learning and Wellbeing in Emergencies, Non-discrimination, Protection against sexual exploitation and abuse (PSEA), Psychological First Aid (PFA) and more.

These resources are available in English and Arabic.

Notes to Editors

Access the Hub – Sudan Response Learning Hub

About the Humanitarian Leadership Academy (HLA)

The Humanitarian Leadership Academy is a global learning initiative set up to build people’s skills and capabilities through learning. HLA facilitates partnerships and collaborative opportunities to enable people to prepare for and respond to crises in their own countries.

As a sector-facing team within Save the Children, HLA benefits from the knowledge and experience brought by 100 years of responding to crises while still retaining independence. This allows us to complement Save the Children’s work, supporting more humanitarians, working with anyone with an interest in creating positive change, and exploring new innovations in learning.

Humanitarian Leadership Academy | Preparing the next generation of humanitarians

Two current participants in the EiE Certificate of Advanced Studies (CAS) course along with two HLA colleagues in the East and Southern Africa (ESA) office facilitated a five-day EiE Fundamentals training in Nampula, Mozambique this July.

Allex Meque and Salinas Reginaldo are in Module 8 of the EiE CAS course, which includes the task of conducting a training and preparing a report. EiE CAS, the most advanced EiE course offered by HLA is a comprehensive 450-hour blended learning experience accredited by the University of Geneva.

The duo exercised the opportunity to strengthen their capacity and that of 20 fellow humanitarians from Save the Children International (SCI) Mozambique Country Office. Participants in the training were education professionals, SCI Mozambique’s implementing partners, members of the Education cluster and Ministry of Education staff from various field offices.

Led by Rose Wahome and Janeth Cherubeth – HLA EiE experts, the five-day training was designed to equip participants with the fundamental competencies needed to initiate, design, and implement an EiE response in their context.

The training was conducted in both English and Portuguese to highly engaged participants who shared their feedback at the end of five days:

“The training was excellent, now I will implement my activities looking at the objectives of the EiE, and the principles of Humanitarianism” – EiE Officer, SCI Gabo Delgado

“Thank you for the lessons learned as they will help me improve my emergency program implementation activities.” – Assistant Programme Coordinator TDH Italy- Nampula

“The training was very good, I’m so happy to understand a lot of themes that you give us. Thank you, a lot.” – Child Protection in Emergencies (CPiE) Coordinator SCI

Allex, EiE CAS participant and co-facilitator said: “The training was a great success. Most participants who attended are already working in the humanitarian sector. The discussions around child participation have provided tools and options that participants can use on Assessment, Design, Implementation, as well as Monitoring and Evaluation interventions. Another topic which has been mentioned by participants as to have been very useful is the Conflict Sensitive Education, were they became aware that EiE interventions should not cause any harm to children and communities.”

Rose, HLA EiE expert said: “It is always an amazing experience witnessing CAS students cascade their learning to an audience that needs it.”

Register for upcoming face-to-face EiE trainings in the region. Click the button below.

*Participant quotes have been translated from Portuguese.

New child protection learning package for entry to mid-level practitioners getting ready to respond to upcoming crises.

We were delighted to recently collaborate with Alliance for Child Protection in Humanitarian Action to support the roll-out of the Child Protection in Humanitarian Action – Child Protection Minimum Standards (CPHA – CPMS) learning package in Nairobi, Kenya.

In May 2023, our East and Southern Africa (ESA) Regional Centre – together with our Regional Child Protection in Emergencies Professional Development Programme Manager based in Jordan – worked in partnership with Alliance for Child Protection in Humanitarian Action and Daystar University to deliver this learning package comprising a five-day face-to-face training session in Nairobi.

The training was attended by 24 participants working in the field of child protection in various organisations, including local and international humanitarian and development organisations, academia as well as government officials from Kenya, South Sudan, Ethiopia, Cameroon, and Somalia.

The Child Protection in Humanitarian Action – Child Protection Minimum Standards (CPHA – CPMS) learning package is designed to help build entry to mid-level skills and knowledge of child protection in humanitarian contexts, getting ready to respond to upcoming crises. The package is designed to be implemented in a flexible way in diverse humanitarian and learning settings.

It aims to strengthen participants’ awareness of their own role in preventing and responding to child protection risks through sectoral and inter-sectoral interventions in humanitarian contexts, in line with Child Protection Minimum Standards (CPMS) and guiding principles.

I can say the most significant impact of the CPMS learning programme was the empowerment I could see in my team at the end of the residential training in Nairobi. By having been provided face-to-face training and guidance on the CPMS handbook, I believe that I’m now in a better position to deliver quality Child Protection prevention and response services and achieve better results for children. – Training participant, a Child Protection Project Manager, Somalia/Somaliland.

Elena Giannini, Focal Point – Learning and Development Working Group from The Alliance for Child Protection in Humanitarian Action said:

“When contextualised and used with the support of local actors the CPHA-CPMS Learning programme can be a great tool to better prepare practitioners to prevent and respond to violence abuse and neglect of children in humanitarian contexts.

We hope to be able to replicate the learning experience soon in cooperation with partners from a variety of contexts.”

Rola Makhadmeh, HLA Regional Child Protection in Emergencies Professional Development Programme Manager (MENA), remarked:

“The CPHA-CPMS learning package training was a great initiative to strengthen the awareness among child protection practitioners of the Child Protection Minimum Standards, and a tool to build the knowledge and skills for preventing and responding to child protection risks in humanitarian contexts.”

Looking to the future, plans are underway to pilot the CPHA-CPMS training programme in Arabic for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region to support the Türkiye and Syria humanitarian response.

In May, participants from across the East and Southern Africa (ESA) region convened in Kenya to apply their learning gained across the six course modules to an in-person Education in Emergencies simulation.

Led by our colleagues from the ESA Regional Centre, the residential provided a unique opportunity for the cohort to apply their learning gained across six course modules to an in-person EiE simulation.

The training took place as part of the EiE Certificate of Advanced Studies (CAS): a comprehensive blended learning experience accredited by the University of Geneva. It is a sector-facing course targeting mid/senior level EiE and education practitioners working and based in emergency-affected or prone regions.

It aims to help practitioners to further develop their EiE design, implementation and leadership skills, as well as their ability to share these with others.

Tasks in the simulation included analysing education data, developing response plans and results framework, and presenting a funding ask to a panel of ‘donors’.

It was amazing…we gained substantial skills and knowledge that will contribute massive inputs to our professional development. Personally, I learned a lot from the session and interactions I had with my colleagues from East, West, and South Africa. I was impressed by the smile and sympathy of the entire team. They were spectacular and inspiring days that will remain in my heart and mind forever. – Participant from Ethiopia

The Advanced course is delivered to 30 learners per year by the EiE Professional Development Programme teams in HLA’s Regional Centres, in collaboration with EiE technical experts from Save the Children, other supporting organisations, and previous cycle graduates.

There is one final module to complete before the Class of 2023 will be awarded their Certificate of Advanced Studies.

I have really learned a lot about myself, I am more of a ‘driver’ than I thought. These three days made me realise that EiE really needs to be fully integrated, teacher trainings, wellbeing, classroom structures are all totally linked. I really didn’t understand why I do what I do – now it makes sense. In my life I have never experienced this type of simulation where we have the opportunity to work with new people to build a team and work towards a common goal. – Participant from Kenya

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What does it take to deliver training where it is much needed?

When you think of training (not physical exercise for a marathon), what comes to mind? A laptop, notepad and pen, or a whiteboard and post it notes, meeting new people, one to two full days of learning new information, something boring and scary, travel to a scenic location or round tables and participatory groups?  

Recently our team in the East and Southern Africa (ESA) region embarked on an adventure that would see 26 humanitarians upskilled in Core Humanitarian Standards, Basic Monitoring Evaluation Accountability and Learning (MEAL), Child Safeguarding and Humanitarian Principles with a focus on gender transformational thinking.

“Listening to community people empowers me. It gives a lot of perspective and makes one conscious of the things we do and why we do it.”

In 40-to-42-degree weather, Janet and her team travelled for a total of 12 days to arrive and depart from Blue Nile where this capacity strengthening exercise had been requested. The Sudan Relief and Rehabilitation Agency (SRRA) which regulates local NGOs in Sudan made a request for capacity building earlier in the year through Save the Children’s Eastern and Southern Africa regional office.

Janet Nyaoro, who leads the Humanitarian Leadership Academy (HLA) ESA team, led a team of three through Nairobi, Juba-Sudan, Maban – where the UN Humanitarian air service flew the team in a small airplane to Blue Nile. Through sorting visas and travel documents, sleeping in thatch and mud huts and make-shift thatch beds, the team felt a strong sense of fulfilment in the enthusiastic engagement from participants.

Reflecting on the journey, Janet said, “listening to community people empowers me. It gives a lot of perspective and makes one conscious of the things we do and why we do it.”

Participants were secretaries from every state department, government officials including the Deputy Governor, policemen and SRRA officials. The training participants received certificates but one of the key take-aways from the training was the resolve to set up a child protection desk in the Blue Nile police station.

In addition to over 500 resources on HLA’s free digital learning platform – Kaya, the HLA partners with local organisations in all five regions where we work to deliver tailored learning that meets the needs of humanitarians and the demands of the crises they face: through various formats ranging from simulations to mentoring, from online distance learning to face-to-face training, and from group work to one-to-one coaching.

Traveling through training terrains at the HLA, you may find the not-so glamourous yet highly rewarding side of delivering capacity strengthening support to persons who need it most, people at the borders of bringing change.

Learning the Fundamentals of Humanitarian Response

 

Our colleagues in the East and Southern Africa (ESA) Regional Office recently delivered a successful three-day training on the Fundamentals of Humanitarian Response in the remote and challenging terrain of the Nuba Mountains – an area where Save the Children delivers humanitarian programmes through the Sudan Country Office.

50 participants – including five women, among them a mother and child – were drawn from the Sudan Relief and Rehabilitation Association (SRRA), the Secretariat of Nuba Mountains, Save the Children International and local partners. The First Secretary engaged as a full and active training participant for the three-day programme.

Governor Anuor Saleh, who opened and closed the training, thanked HLA colleagues for their dedication and for travelling to the region – a challenging journey of five days from Nairobi.

Nuba Mountains needs capacity building to continue being self-reliant. Today we are sitting in this SRRA hall learning; tomorrow we will be back to the community delivering humanitarian assistance. The communities are looking up to us for quality humanitarian assistance.