Diploma in Humanitarian Assistance, Africa (DHA Africa)

th th
Dates: 19 April to 28 May 2010

Director of Studies: Dr T O'Dempsey todempsey@liv.ac.uk

Course Administrator: Eleanor Carr e.carr@liv.ac.uk

http://www.liv.ac.uk/lstm/dha_africa/

Programme Objectives

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 encourage cooperation and dialogue between governmental, non-governmental,
national and international agencies involved in humanitarian action.
To examine strategies for early warning and prevention of humanitarian crises.
To create a more effective synergy between emergency humanitarian interventions and
programmes promoting sustainable development.
To address humanitarian priorities in Southern Africa and the wider continent of Africa.

Student Entry Qualifications

University degree or equivalent professional qualification or experience. Applications are

welcome from persons working with governmental, international and non-governmental
organisations, (including media organisations and donor agencies) as well as other individuals
preparing for, or currently engaged in, humanitarian work. Care is taken in selection of
students to ensure an appropriate mix of skills and experience consistent with the
multidisciplinary nature of the course. Applicants from Southern Africa are particularly
welcome. We also welcome applicants from elsewhere in Africa and across the globe.

Format

This is an intensive, multidisciplinary programme designed to encourage students from a

variety of backgrounds and experiences to interact in a stimulating learning environment in
which they will develop individual and team skills. The carefully constructed curriculum
combining core and specialist modules enables students to explore the essential issues
relevant to all humanitarian workers, whatever their professional background, and to select a
specialist module which will provide them with a deeper understanding of an area of special
interest.

Teaching methods include lectures, case studies, seminars, practical exercises and scenarios.
Students are assessed as individuals and as members of a team.
DHA Structure and Content:

1. Core Module (5 days): The Humanitarian Arena

Political, Social and Economic context,

Complex Humanitarian Emergencies,
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 Technical Support Policy and advocacy

Public Health and
Communicable Disease
Control;
Food and Nutrition;
Reproductive Health; HIV/AIDS;
Sexual violence; Torture;
Mental Health.
Logistics;
Environmental Health;
Water and Sanitation;
Vector Control;
Communications.
Political analysis of complex
emergencies;
Practical application of International Law;
Humanitarian interventions,
speaking out, 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

Humanitarian Recruitment Forum

Many leading organisations may be interested in recruiting DHA graduates. The Humanitarian
forum is a ‘careers fair’ event for DHA participants. It includes short presentations by local and
international organisations followed by an ‘open forum’ session in which individual students
meet with representatives for more detailed discussion, including advice regarding
employment opportunities and application procedures.
DHA Faculty:

The DHA Faculty in South Africa benefits from a dynamic partnership between The Graduate
School of Public & Development Management (P&DM) at the University of Witwatersrand in
Johannesburg, and MSF (Doctors without Borders). The DHA also has enthusiastic
collaboration from a wide range of national and international NGOs and UN agencies.

The Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine is an international centre of excellence

recognised worldwide for its work in promoting health in developing countries through
research and education, including a range of cutting-edge programmes for humanitarian
professionals.

The Graduate School of Public & Development Management (P&DM) , based in the
faculty of Commerce, Law and Management at the University of Witwatersrand,
Johannesburg, is the largest postgraduate school in Southern Africa which focuses on
education for government, NGOs and the not for profit sector.

Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors without Borders) is an independent international

humanitarian organisation with extensive experience in responding to medical emergencies
across the globe.

Experts from leading national and international NGOs, and international organisations also
contribute to the DHA faculty such as ICRC, UNHCR, Oxfam, MANGO, and UNAIDs.

Location:

Tuition: The programme will be held at the University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg.

Accommodation: Student accommodation is available close to the teaching facilities.

Information on the preferred short-term supplier of accommodation for the University of the
Witwatersrand is available at http://www.staycity.co.za

Alternatively, participants may wish to find their own accommodation elsewhere in the city.
For information on hotels see: http://southafrica.hotels.com/

The site will request that you to enter a landmark – for this you should enter ‘Parktown’. A list
of accommodation options will be given with prices. The map view will list how far the
accommodation is away from the city centre. Wits is only half a kilometre from the city centre,
so you should aim to stay as close as possible unless you have your own transport. Note that
Johannesburg traffic is highly congested, and the expectation is that it will be more so when
the DHA is being run as it is shortly before the World Cup Soccer tournament.

Cost:

Tuition: The DHA programme fee is £1850 and includes all tuition, course materials, and
examination and diploma fees.

Applications will be considered from individuals wishing to undertake the entire programme of
study and also from a limited number of individuals interested in attending individual modules
on a pro-rata basis. The Diploma award will be available only to participants who
complete the entire programme of study. Participants undertaking individual modules
cannot be guaranteed that these will be accredited towards the Diploma award at a
future date.

Scholarships: We are currently fundraising for sponsorship of African students. This may
cover a proportion of the cost of the tuition fee for a limited number of students and will not
exceed 50% of the fee. Preference will be given to applicants who are co-sponsored by NGOs
working in Africa.
Accommodation: Accommodation costs are not included in the tuition fees. Participants are
responsible for their own accommodation arrangements and costs.

Further information and application forms are available at:

www.liv.ac.uk/lstm/learning_teaching/post_grad/DiplHumAssis.htm

Applications and enquiries: Eleanor Carr

Email: e.carr@liv.ac.uk Tel: + 44 (0)151 705 3359, Fax: +44 (0)151 705 3348
Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Pembroke Place, Liverpool L3 5QA, UK.

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
The Humanitarian Arena
Political, Social and Economic context
Complex Humanitarian Emergencies
Natural Disasters, Global Climate Change
International Humanitarian Law (IHL)
Human Rights, Humanitarian Ethics and Process towards stability
Codes of Conduct and sustainable development
The role of the Media 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
CORE MODULES Managing the transition to sustainable development
Economic stabilization and sustainable livelihoods
Exit strategies in humanitarian assistance
SYNTHESIS programmes
Scenario-based training
in multidisciplinary
teams

Health in Emergencies SPECIALIST MODULES Technical Support

Public Health and Communicable Disease Control (Choose 1 of 3) Logistics
Food and Nutrition Environmental Health
Reproductive Health, HIV/AIDS Water and Sanitation
Sexual violence, Torture Vector Control
Mental Health Communications
Policy and advocacy
Political analysis of complex emergencies;
Practical application of International Law;
Humanitarian interventions,
speaking out, and the Media;
Advocacy Strategies
Civil Society, networking and community
mobilisation

Diploma in Humanitarian Assistance