The Sector for Education in Humanitarian Response andEmergency Situations of the Fraternity – International Humanitarian Missions(FIHM) finished Module 5 of the Emergency Education Training Plan on March 8. The meetings occurred online, through a Zoom platform, every Tuesday, with about 30 people participating.
According to Sister Maria de Lourdes, Focal Point for the Sector for Education in Humanitarian Response andEmergency Situations, the goal of the Training Plan is to strengthen and improve the theoretical and practical knowledge of volunteer humanitarian workers that are active in this area, preparing them for operating in different missions and contexts of crises and emergencies.
“The Plan is based on three interconnected lines of action, and based on transverse themes which work with Education Oriented to Overcoming Trauma, caused by times of crisis and catastrophes, Community-based Education, having as a principle the active participation of the affected communities, and Education for a Culture of Peace, with a focus on strengthening and preparing adolescents and young people for the rebuilding of their life goals,” explains the monk.
At this time, the Sector for Education in Humanitarian Response andEmergency Situationsof the Fraternity – International Humanitarian Missions(FIHM) is made up of 29 active workers, with each member having some training, specialization or experience on one of the lines of action of the Program.
“We are having the opportunity of sharing among us the immensely rich knowledge we have concerning the parts of this Sector, developing our skills and expanding the chances we have for service”, highlights Sister Maria de Lourdes.
Volunteer Worker Tells About Her Advanced Training in Emergency Education
Since 1987, the Fraternity – International HumanitarianFederation (FIHF) has been altruistically providing humanitarian services in the context of emergencies in Brazil and in the world.
In a times of ever-increasing demands for humanitarian responses, whether it is for natural catastrophes or for conflicts, with large numbers of refugees, the qualification of volunteers is of vital importance in maintaining the quality of the service provided.
There are many people with all kinds of areas of knowledge who offer themselves for volunteer service. The plastic artist, Carolina Echeverry Jiménez, of Cali, Colombia, is one of them. She is active in the Educational Intervention Group in Humanitarian Responses and Emergency Situations of the Fraternity – Humanitarian Missions (FIHM) and she is training in Advanced Courses in Emergency Education.
Carolina considers the training essential for her work: “It has been a great opportunity, because it is a very complete training course, based on the Waldorf Education system, and provides important educational tools for working in the prevention of trauma and situations of trauma in their early stages.”
She lists the benefits of the training: “It gives the humanitarian worker a comprehensive view of working with children and young people who are living in difficult and emergency situations. It helps to identify and recognize the symptoms of trauma so as to bring relief through educational and artistic elements, such as rounds, rhythmic music, cooperative games, drawing, painting, among others.”
For her, the course brings together her training in Waldorf Education, created by the philosopher Rudolf Steiner, and her performance in humanitarian service. “To remember, reinforce and get to know the deep therapeutic work that art has in all its expressions, and how it becomes a great tool for freeing of pain and bringing hope to people who live in extreme situations,” she concludes.
