The general manager of the Fraternity – InternationalHumanitarian Missions (FIHM), Friar Luciano, together with the director of the Paula Frassinetti Higher School of Education (ESEPF), Dr. José Luis Gonçalves, the coordinator of the Center for Global Education and Cooperation of the ESEPF and a member of the INEE, Professor Júlio Santos, and the manager of Education in Emergencies of the Fraternity – Humanitarian Missions (FIHM), Anderson Santiago, led the opening ceremony of Training on Education in Emergencies andHumanitarian Response Situations.
The opening event occurred in the city of Porto, on November 21, with various members of the institution present, as well as humanitarian aid volunteers of the Fraternity – Humanitarian Missions (FIHM), and sought to make known the purpose of this training, culminating in the signing of the memorandum of understanding between the two institutions.
In this first meeting, the director, José Luís Gonçalves, spoke about the importance of the event, for it represents the effective start of the partnership and the beginning of an institutionalization of this kind of knowledge in the School, which expresses its belief in the value of a decent education in all contexts. “Education works on humanizing people”, explains the director.
Friar Luciano briefly described the course taken by by the Fraternity – Humanitarian Missions (FIHM) in the area of education, and explained that a traumatic situation, within a context of a humanitarian crisis, has its specific characteristics. “Education doesn’t just deal with knowledge, but rather tries to develop values,” comments Friar Luciano. With this statement, he makes it clear that the education is very broad and encompasses more than just the humanitarian context.
Then the four modules that make up the 50 hours of the course were displayed, and Friar Luciano explained the content of this course, commenting on the importance and range of each of these subject areas and about the value of uniting the humanitarian approach to the academic environment.
Professor Júlio santos emphasized the importance of the course in this school, putting together practical knowledge of global contexts with academic learning.
“Education cannot stop, even in moments of crisis,” declares the professor. Júlio commented on the “academic hospitality” that not only deals with receiving other organizations and participants within this sphere, but also on the capacity to receive new knowledge.
This course is aligned with public policies on education in Portugal. It is a theme with its own literature and it’s necessary that there should be an approach to this area of knowledge.
Participating remotely from Rwanda, Anderson Santiago also stressed the need and the importance of joining the know-how of the Fraternity- Humanitarian Missions (FIHM) on education in emergency situations with all the knowledge and academic excellence of the Paula Frassinetti Higher School ofEducation.
The introductory talks on the course being concluded, the general manager of the Fraternity – Humanitarian Missions (FIHM) and the director of the ESEPF signed the memorandum of understanding between the two institutions, thus formalizing the beginning of the work.
This in-person course will begin on January 20, 2023, and go through March, with meetings on Fridays and Saturdays.
Registration is now open. Click here to enroll.
