Faced with the need for Light-Communities, Light-Nucleus and monasteries of the Grace Mercy Order to be better prepared to deal with a scenario of prolonged crisis, as physical spaces, the Training and Development Sector (T&D) of the Fraternity – International Humanitarian Missions (FIHM), through the Humanitarian Training Intervention Sector, developed and applied training on Sphere Humanitarian Standards for these affiliates of the Fraternity – International Humanitarian Federation (FIHF).
A formação abordou os principais capítulos do Manual Esfera: Carta Humanitária, Código de Conduta & Princípios de Proteção, Norma Humanitária Essencial, WASH, Segurança Alimentar e Nutrição, Alojamento e Assentamento, Saúde e Esfera em Cenários Urbanos.
The training addressed the main chapters of the Sphere Handbook: Humanitarian Charter, Code of Conduct & Protection Principles, Essential Humanitarian Standard, WASH, Food Security and Nutrition, Shelter and Settlement, Health and Sphere in Urban Scenarios.
Ricardo Treno, who focused the training, explains that “participants will have to draw up a real emergency plan, adapted to the particularities of each space, a task for which they will be monitored by the Intervention, Humanitarian Training and T&D Sectors.” Ricardo adds: “the format of the training is linked to essential standards and practical simulations that will provide the necessary elements to prepare the plan.”
Cláudia, humanitarian server, a stable member of the Light-Community Flor do Sagrado Tepui in Roraima, reports: “Based on the knowledge acquired, we will be able to organize an action plan in the Light-Communities and Light-Nucleus so that, if there is a need to act in a crisis, we will not be caught unprepared.”
Still on the methodology used, Ricardo Treno points out that “in the first instance, the group will be evaluated on the content of the five emergency and disaster management sessions, which will be made available via the UNE System. At the same time, the coordination of each Light-Community and Light-Nucleus will organize their teams, which will focus on the rest of the process together with the other members of the groups.”
Readiness for changes
Faced with the imminent planetary changes, Clarissa, resident of the Light-Community of Figueira, located in Carmo da Cachoeira-MG, evaluates that “the training shows a reference of how we can prepare ourselves to give a more adequate response and greater help to those who need it in an emergency situation. Because it is constantly updated, based on lived experiences, the Sphere Handbook gives us security in action and reduces the path in the construction of solutions, avoiding precarious articulations between the different subjects and teams.”
“By coming into contact with the Sphere Humanitarian Standards, we feel more prepared and safer to act in emerging and unknown situations that these planetary times may require of all of us. Understanding the basic needs of human beings guides us towards a more dignified and fraternal service,” points out Cláudia.
Technical knowledge
The Essential and Technical Chapters of the Sphere Handbook focus on Shelter and Settlement, Principles of Protection, Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene Promotion (WASH), Community Involvement, among others, and contribute to deepening knowledge about the right to life with dignity, the right to humanitarian aid and the right to protection and security.
Friar Jonás, humanitarian server, highlights how essential the technical knowledge acquired during training is for acting in emergency situations and humanitarian responses. According to the Friar, international norms and standards provide guidance, for example, on “how shelter places should be chosen and built to meet the needs of people who come to request shelter.”
“When I had the opportunity to serve in shelters for indigenous migrants and Venezuelan refugees in Roraima, what touched me most was the great need people have to rebuild their lives, in every sense, after being forced to leave their country.”
Mother Maria de Jesús, coordinator of the Light-Nucleus Sacred House of Mary, Mãe Paulista, located in Carapicuíba – SP, emphasizes the relevance of the knowledge acquired about WASH, mainly because water is an essential element for the maintenance of life on the planet, as it is “source of Life, Health and Well-Being.”
“The alternative solutions, presented by the training facilitators, for topics such as shelter and food for a large number of people, aroused the attention of the members of the Light-Community of Figueira, especially the quick and effective solutions for hosting in containers and the use of multimixture flour and dehydrated foods to treat issues related to malnutrition,” says Clarissa.
Care for the environment
“It is interesting to observe that the Sphere Standards not only serve human beings, but also take into account environmental sustainability, considering points that help to mitigate the impacts that a crisis can cause on the environment, and this point brought us an identification with the purposes that we have lived for more than 30 years in the Light-Communities and Light-Nucleus,” highlights Cláudia.
Dedication
“The dedication of everyone who elaborated this project in detail – in the midst of so much adversity – but always striving for the preservation of life and safeguarding the essence and diversity of human beings so that everyone is accepted in a dignified and fraternal way, is what caught my attention the most,” evaluates Mother Maria de Jesús.
For Maria do Carmo, who currently lives in Terras do Sol, in the Light-Community of Figueira area, “the training facilitators presented the content with depth and professionalism, the result of their experiences in the various humanitarian missions carried out by the Fraternity – Humanitarian Missions (FIHM) in different regions of the planet.”
Unit
Through the training, “we were also able to perceive the integration of the components of the Light-Communities and Light-Nucleus promoted by the unity of the goal, because we serve the same purposes, which are the common good, the selfless service and, now, the humanitarian service designed to within the Light-Communities, something innovative for the daily rhythm we live in,” emphasizes the humanitarian server Cláudia.
“The training shows how necessary it is to be organized and articulate, at the same time with an open heart to unite technical knowledge with the emotional support of the situation. Having a repertoire of responses helps to maintain balance and discernment in a critical situation; people feel safe, and we can respond more effectively. By doing our part, help will always be there,” concludes Clarissa.
