Overview

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This Humanitarian Health MOOC provides a comprehensive introduction for people new to the field. You will learn about what happens when a crisis strikes. Which health issues do we have to anticipate? What is the best way to address them? And, importantly, how can we prepare better next time? To answer these questions, we will dive into the actors that work in these settings, the laws and frameworks that guide them, and the ways they try to work together. You will hear about concepts like excess mortality, international humanitarian law, and AI-assisted responses. Beyond technical and operational questions, we will tackle harmful narratives and stories that we tell about all things humanitarian. Some have been repeated so often that many people view them as fact. For example, 'humanitarians are deploying quickly to take care of helpless people after crises'. We will dissect why this view is incredibly problematic and how to change the way we talk about people living through conflict or disasters. We are certain that after this course, you will feel confident in the foundations of humanitarian health. You will be able to apply your new skills in your day-to-day work, to study in a related field, or simply to better understand the global trends that shape today's world.

Syllabus

Introduction to Humanitarian Crises and Health Needs

In this module, we explore the humanitarian landscape together covering the different types of humanitarian crises, their evolving nature, and uncovering what these changes mean for humanitarian responses. We will examine the core humanitarian principles, tackle ethical dilemmas using established frameworks, and dive into the legal systems that hold humanitarian actors accountable. By the end of the module, you will have learned about the essentials of the humanitairan section, setting you up to dive into health priorities and strategies as part of the next module.

Health Challenges in Humanitarian Settings

In this module, we will focus on health programming in humanitarian crises. You will discover how to assess and address health needs, especially for vulnerable populations, while managing the indirect effects of crises. From controlling infectious disease outbreaks and tackling malnutrition to meeting reproductive health needs, we will explore practical strategies for addressing these needs. By covering these range of topics, you will get a solid overview of humanitarian health programming. This overview will help those of you that are new to humanitarian health; at the same time it can help people currently working on specific programs to zoom out and see the big picture.

Crisis Response Planning and Delivery

Equipped with the knowledge of health priorities and strategies to address them, we now focus on the practical aspects of humanitarian health programs. You will learn about crisis response plans, community engagement and the role of field epidemiology in implementing projects. We will also touch on related programs that are beyond healthcare delivery but play a key role in preventing disease. Even more so than the other modules, we will be hearing from implementing organisations including from Médecins Sans Frontières.

Emerging themes in humanitarian health

In this fourth and final module, our attention from the existing humanitarian sector to its future. There is no shortage of crises in this century that exemplify the shortcomings of what humanitarian organisations are able to do. Funding shortfalls, disrespect for international law, attacks on healthcare, and the disruption through digital techologies - are some of the many challenges. We explore some of these key trends and pose the question of what they mean for humanitarianism as we know it.