http://help1.blogs.tipg.net The H.E.L.P. Course: a multicultural and multidisciplinary learning experience Wed, 24 Jun 2009 03:12:01 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en   Humanitarian emergencies are newsworthy in many ways, from the compelling stories of human tragedy to the enormous economic impacts to wide-ranging geopolitical considerations. However, the news media is not simply a passive conduit for neutral information - perceptions and responses can be influenced by the character of ... http://help1.blogs.tipg.net/2009/01/module-10/ Water to drink and food to eat are the irreducible minimum requirements for human survival.  In this module we look at how emergencies impact the availability of food, and what strategies can be deployed to support the victims of emergencies in maintaining adequate nutrition. Food being central to human survival, it ... http://help1.blogs.tipg.net/2009/01/module-9/ When violence or distress becomes intolerable, people can be faced with the hard decision to flee their homes in search of refuge.  Often escaping with no more than the clothes they are wearing, and whatever they can carry, the lucky ones manage to keep family units intact.  Others are not ... http://help1.blogs.tipg.net/2009/01/module-8/   Water is the basic required commodity for survival; no population can endure without it. When disaster disrupts normal supply systems and water is unavailable, even for short periods, a population’s health equilibrium is rapidly threatened. Without water to drink, cook with, clean up with or carry out daily needs, all ... http://help1.blogs.tipg.net/2009/01/module-7/ Emergencies can undermine a population’s inherent resilience to disease. When people are under extreme stress, exposed to the elements, deprived of access to adequate food and water, and concentrated in makeshift settlements, they become increasingly vulnerable to infectious disease. It is no wonder that disease control rises to ... http://help1.blogs.tipg.net/2009/01/module-6/   Reports of mortality in post-tsunami villages in South Asia in 2004 provide startling statistical evidence of gender disparities in the impacts of disaster: in village after village women made up in excess of 70% of reported deaths. Gender, the socially constructed differences between men and women which arise from ... http://help1.blogs.tipg.net/2009/01/module-5/   Timely and accurate assessment of needs should be the basis for any humanitarian intervention. Whether in the critical life-saving window of time immediately after a sudden onset disaster, or in the follow-on stages of an ongoing crisis wherein stability and sustainable support are being established, putting the wrong commodities ... http://help1.blogs.tipg.net/2009/01/module-4/   National Governments, Non Governmental Organizations, International Organizations and the International Red Cross Movement The first and most important group of participants in Humanitarian work is the affected population in the local area, a fact far too often overlooked. The many and diverse organizations that arrive at the scene of events, ... http://help1.blogs.tipg.net/2009/01/module-3/   Natural Disasters and Complex Emergencies: Differences and Commonalities To victims of emergencies, there may be little point in distinguishing a typology of disaster genesis – pain, injury and loss are immediate problems requiring direct remediation. Yet, experience shows that different types of disaster events have markedly different responses, in terms ... http://help1.blogs.tipg.net/2009/01/module-2/ This website has been created as a supplemental resource for participants in the Health Emergencies in Large Populations Course, known as the HELP Course. Developed originally by the International Committee of the Red Cross in 1986, the HELP Course is now administered in locations across the world, and with input ... http://help1.blogs.tipg.net/2008/01/module-1/