Kiwis who want to help in emergencies invited

Kiwis who want to help in emergencies invited to RedR NZ’s humanitarian aid training

Wellington, 23 May 2010. – New Zealanders keen to join the RedR NZ Register – and be eligible to apply for emergency deployments overseas – are invited to attend two humanitarian aid training courses.

These short intensive courses are a mandatory part of applying to the RedR NZ Register and provide budding humanitarian aid workers the essential practical skills and knowledge they will need to help others and keep safe in the field.

The RedR NZ courses are open to people with a wide range of skills, including logistics, civil engineering, emergency management, security, administration, accounting, child protection, health, law, quantity surveying, and communications.

RedR NZ Chair, Jane Lodge, says that the environment in which humanitarian aid workers operate is becoming increasingly complex and challenging.

“In recent times we have witnessed large-scale emergencies that have impacted millions of people. The Haiti earthquake, for example, killed more than 220,000 people and disrupted the lives of millions. In Darfur, ongoing conflict since 2003 has killed an estimated 300,000 people and displaced another 2.7 million.

“The humanitarian needs created by these types of emergencies are huge and can involve the skills of a wide range of specialists, including people deployed with RedR to agencies such as the UN Children’s Fund, World Food Programme, and the UN High Commission for Refugees.

“The RedR NZ courses reflect the reality of working in these kinds of very challenging and sometimes high-risk environments. They provide basic training for humanitarian aid workers by preparing people as far as possible for what they are likely to encounter on the ground.

“This includes working in a busy multi-agency environment, dealing with extreme pressures and stresses, coping with disturbing scenes, managing security concerns, and working without essential infrastructure.”

Ms Lodge says that some people attracted to RedR NZ courses will already be working in emergency-related fields, while others may want to apply their existing skills from the corporate, academic, government or charitable sectors to emergency relief work.

“What they all share is a commitment to alleviate human suffering by using their skills and experience to support the provision of emergency humanitarian relief.”

Ms Lodge says both RedR NZ courses will be taken by internationally-experienced instructors and take place at Upper Hutt, north of Wellington.

The ‘Personal Security and Communications’ course (27-29 June) includes topics such as security and weapons awareness, understanding of the international context, negotiating road blocks, and using communications equipment like two-way radios, satellite phones and GPS.

The ‘Essentials of Humanitarian Practice’ (31 August-4 September) traverses material such as the UN system, emergency needs assessments, minimum humanitarian standards, military-civilian cooperation, and keeping healthy in the field.

More information at: www.redrnz.org.nz

RedR NZ is part of an international network of agencies that train and provide competent and experienced disaster relief professionals in the Pacific and around the world. People wishing to join the RedR NZ Register and be able to apply for deployment to emergencies undergo an extensive application process that includes completing the ‘Personal Security and Communications’, and ‘Essentials of Humanitarian Practice’ courses, interviews, and additional training.

ENDS

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