Photo By Katryn McCalment | U.S. Pacific Command Commander Adm. Harry Harris provides closing remarks on the final...... read more read more
HONOLULU, Hawaii – Under the Hawaiian sun, four teams use plastic tarps, ropes and bamboo poles to build makeshift shelters between palm trees. With Waikiki Beach yards behind them and the tarps haphazardly secured to trees, the group of nearly 40 moves on to purifying buckets of water with chlorine bleach.
The exercises represent tasks faced by refugees, displaced persons and humanitarian responders during disasters, conflicts and complex emergencies; the course participants are taking part in a multidisciplinary training course for managing humanitarian operations. While Waikiki is far from a disaster zone, humanitarians and military public health professionals have gathered here for two decades to take part in the Health Emergencies in Large Populations (H.E.L.P.) course.
Hosted by the Center for Excellence in Disaster Management and Humanitarian Assistance (CFE-DM), in collaboration with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and in partnership with University of Hawaii’s Office of Public Health, the 20th anniversary of the H.E.L.P. course concludes at the Hale Koa Hotel, July 21. The two-week course emphasizes a multidisciplinary approach, weaving innovative trends, regional challenges, and lessons learned from recent natural disasters and complex emergencies into the curriculum and discussions.
“Our course intentionally blends civilian, humanitarian and military practitioners, an aspect you can’t find at any of the other ten organizations that teach the course worldwide,” said Director Joseph Martin, CFE-DM. “It has been a unique privilege to work with the ICRC and our other partners on curriculum that really pushes the envelope of humanitarian action training.”
The partnership between CFE-DM and the ICRC started when CFE-DM Founding Director Dr. Frederick “Skip” Burkle convinced the ICRC to let a Department of Defense organization teach the H.E.L.P. curriculum. From the onset of the Honolulu-based instruction, U.S. and partner nation military personnel have been combined with civilian and humanitarian doctors and nurses for an expanded educational experience. This year, 37 professionals traveled from 16 nations in the Asia-Pacific region to participate in the course.
“Providing healthcare instruction to a civil-military audience is extremely important,” said Paul Keen, ICRC regional cooperation advisor for Asia and Pacific. “On the field today… we meet each other all the time, but sometimes we have a different language, a different way of seeing things. Coming together in this H.E.L.P. course brings us closer to having a common language.”
Faculty come from an equally diverse background; experts from academia, humanitarian organizations, and military commands provide distinct perspectives that allow a common understanding of the challenges each viewpoint faces. Subject matter experts represent Harvard Humanitarian Initiative, Save the Children USA, U.S. Army Pacific, World Food Programme, Pan American Health Organization and other academic and humanitarian training organizations.
In addition to hands-on exercises and role playing, participants learn through case studies, simulations and lectures on public health, healthcare, management, planning, legal and ethical issues, and approaches in humanitarian action. Each participant is also required to provide a presentation on their organization and experience in public health disaster response.
“Each of the instructors were able to provide the roles and responsibilities, policies and guidelines for their perspective organization – military, humanitarian or civilian,” said Dr. Jennifer Joyce Pira, a medical officer for the Disaster Risk Reduction Management Cluster, Cordillera Administrative Regional Office, Philippine Department of Health. “I am able to take home a better understanding of how to best coordinate with military responders and seek additional assistance as needed from outside organizations.”
RedR Australia, an international emergency response agency with extensive experts in public health and disaster response, has supported the course since 2013. This year, Jessica Hazelwood, a senior humanitarian trainer, served as a mentor to participants for the duration of the H.E.L.P. course.
In recognition of the 20th anniversary, the course culminated with a distinguished representation of the civil-military community. RedR Chief Executive Officer Kirsten Sayers and U.S. Pacific Command Commander Adm. Harry Harris each spoke during the closing remarks.
“Collaborations such as the one between RedR and (CFE-DM) have the potential to resonate across the region,” said Sayers. “Our conversations and collaborations contribute to the wider conversations and reform agendas shaping humanitarian action in our region. Our collaboration can influence and inspire real inclusive action.”
Responsible for all U.S. military forces in the Asia-Pacific region, Adm. Harris’ remarks concluded the course. “The next disaster is not an ‘if,’ but a ‘when,’” he said. “Events like this will help make us all more prepared for that eventuality.”
With the remarks over and certificates in hand, participants disperse into Honolulu. Some took the opportunity to wander from the hotel down to the beach to finally put their toes in the sand.
| Date Taken: | 07.21.2017 |
| Date Posted: | 07.21.2017 21:40 |
| Story ID: | 242151 |
| Location: | HONOLULU, HAWAII, US |
| Web Views: | 185 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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