Institute of International
Humanitarian Affairs
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THE PARTICIPANT PERSPECTIVE: MENTAL HEALTH IN COMPLEX EMERGENCIES
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The
Mental Health in Complex Emergencies (MHCE) course is an intensive multidisciplinary training course for mental health workers and humanitarian program staff who wish to gain insight and competency in establishing mental health or psychosocial programs in conflict and post conflict areas or in complex disaster settings. Following
last year's MHCE course in Ethiopia, two participants -
Sujen Man Maharjan and
Caitlin Cockcroft-McKay - wrote about their experience and shared how the comprehensive and intensive training positively impacted their work in the field.
In his personal blog,
Sujen Man Maharjan of ICRC Nepal
reflects on the course and also
highlights the personal experiences of his classmates - other field practitioners - as they work to implement Mental Health and Psychosocial (MHPSS) programming in complex emergencies.
In a special alumni reflection for the IIHA blog,
Caitlin Cockcroft-McKay of HealthNet TPO also
reflects on the training and shares how the practical application of the knowledge and tools gained contributed to her work as Psychosocial Project Coordinator in South Sudan. In her post, Caitlin emphasizes the impact and value of trainings such as the MHCE course
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"The kinds of trainings provided by the IIHA at Fordham University bring the MHPSS community within the NGO and humanitarian sectors a step closer to understanding how best to implement MHPSS programs in various, and often very difficult, contexts. It helps us to direct the conversation at the ground level, at the national and international level, and then to express the needs (and potential solutions) to the donors. The training in Ethiopia has really given me the direction I need both within my work in psychosocial programming, and also at the country level. I am able to feed into the coordination mechanisms and reference the training and experiences of experts in the field, in order to guide the discussion and suggest options for improving the provision of services. This is something that will take time. With experiences such as the one I had in Ethiopia, I do think with time and passion and imparting of knowledge, we can edge closer to supporting countries to provide basic mental health services to their people."
Read Caitlin's full reflection on the
IIHA blog and more about her experience on
Sujen's blog. The next MHCE course will take place in October 2016 in Geneva, Switzerland. Learn more on the
IIHA website.
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HUMANITARIANISM & ACADEMIA
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Calls for Papers, Articles, and Applications
Application Deadline: April 29, 2016
Submission Deadline: May 16, 2016
Noteworthy Articles, Reports, & Resources
(Development Initiatives)
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Congratulations to
Merit Hietanen (IDHA 43, IDHA Lecturer) and husband Matthew Richard who recently celebrated the birth of their son! Merit writes: "The new light of our life, Hugo Bernard Hietanen-Richard, was born on 7 January 2016. Full of humanitarian potential, he is, however, currently only occupying the beneficiary-end of things and considering his needs as the only relevant ones to approach. Parents are happy and ecstatic and looking forward to an emergency that would allow them to get some sleep."
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Barry Finette (IDHA 33, IDHA Tutor) has released his
March 2016 THINKmdNewsletter
. This edition shares news of THINKmd's new partnership with the Universidad San Francisco de Quito for their MEDSCINC impact study, and the addition of two strategic advisors to their data analytics group.
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International Humanitarian Studies (IHS) Major
Kaitlyn Lyngaas recently
shared with Fordham News how Fordham University and the IIHA opened her eyes to a new vision of the world - a vision that leaves her bothered and restless... and ready to put her knowledge and passion in service of those "striving for a safe landing, a secure life."
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For the duration of the Spring 2016 semester, the IIHA Newsletter will be published on a monthly schedule. For the latest news, events, and opportunities, follow our
blog and our
Facebook and
Twitter platforms!
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UPCOMING IIHA TRAINING COURSES
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April 18 - 22
Barcelona, Spain
April 25 - 29
Barcelona, Spain
June 5 - July 1
New York, USA
July 11 - 15
New York, USA
July 18 -22
New York, USA
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 With the International Diploma in Humanitarian Assistance (IDHA) in town, summer is the best time to be an IIHA intern! Learn more about the IIHA internship program and apply now!
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THE HUMANITARIAN INNOVATION CORNER
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The last few weeks were marked by the establishment of the first strategic partnership with the
Global Innovation Exchange and the
presentation of a Keynote Address introducing HTH and IIHA in a series organized by the
World Food Programme (WFP) HQ in Rome. Both events, although very different in nature, announce exciting opportunities for development and represent a first step in what will be a long, shared process. HTH and its technical partner,
I2M Factory - Digital Agency are also proud to announce the opening of the Labs to the public for the first time since the launch of HTH. With IIHA being the key partner in the initiative, IIHA Alumni and Faculty will be granted a red-tape access to the public beta testing. Don't be shy, we're opening on the
26th of April!
Read the full HTH Update on our blog!
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Saturday, April 16 - Sunday, April 17, 2016
The Global Health & Innovation Conference is the world's leading and largest global health conference as well as the largest social entrepreneurship conference
, with 2,200 professionals and students from all 50 states and more than 55 countries. Unite for Sight is hosting this must-attend, thought-leading conference that convenes leaders, changemakers, professionals and students from all sectors of global health, international development, and social entrepreneurship.
Location: Yale University | New Haven, CT
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Monday, April 18 - Wednesday, April 20, 2016
This event will bring together leaders from not-for-profits, governments, philanthropy, corporations, and civil society and aims to advance the effectiveness of ending global poverty through cooperation and sustainable efforts. InterAction is also offering a Young Professionals Summit at this year's forum with a variety of different workshops offered throughout the three day event.
Location: Washington Marriott | Wardman Park 2660 | Woodley Road, NW | Washington, D.C.
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Tuesday, April 26 - Wednesday, April 27, 2016
The Asian Development Bank will be holding an event to discuss the challenges that still remain after employing the MDG model for the eradication of extreme poverty and how the SDG model will have to encorporate pro-poor growth into their model as the trickle down approach has proven to not be enough.
Location: ADB Headquarters, Manila, Philippines
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Friday, April 29, 2016 | 12:30 PM
The next event of the IIHA Spring 2016 Event Series,
Challenges and Opportunities: Global Migration in the 21st Century, will feature Journalist and Author Klaus Wivel as he discusses his new book, "The Last Supper: The Plight of Christians in Arab Lands." Klaus Wivel is a Danish journalist who has been the New York correspondent for Weekendavisen, one of Denmark's most prestigious newspapers. He has written on a wide range of topics, with a focus on Israel-Palestine and the Middle East. Alarmed by scant attention paid to the hardships endured by the 7.5 million Christians in the Middle East, he traveled to Iraq, Lebanon, Egypt, and the Palestinian territories on a quest to learn more about their fate. With the increase of religious violence in the past few years, this book is a prescient and unsettling account of a severely beleaguered religious group living, so it seems, on borrowed time. Wivel asks, Why have we not done more to protect these people?
To RSVP: Please visit the
event page.
Location: Room 1021 | Lowenstein Building | Fordham University | 113 W. 60th Street, New York, NY 10023
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Transforming Policy and Practice for Culturally Competent Mental Health Care
Thursday, May 5 - Saturday, May 7, 2016
This event will be the 37th annual meeting held by the Society for the Study of Psychiatry and Culture (SSPC) intended to discuss cultural competency in psyciatric care. The event will attempt to integrate cultural consideration into clinical care, education, and research.
To Register: Please visit the
event page.
Location: Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairs, University of Minnesota
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Thursday, June 16 - Saturday, June 18, 2016
Hosted by the Academic Council on the United Nations System (ACUNS) in cooperation with Fordham University, this annual meeting will address current issues of "faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person, in the equal rights of men and women and of nations large and small." The event will discuss the the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the aims of the World Humanitarian Summit (WHS) to be held this May.
Location: Fordham University | 113 West 60th Street | New York, NY 10023
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Evidence Synthesis in the Humanitarian Field: Challenges and Opportunities
Thursday, April 14, 2016 | 12:30 - 1:45 PM
Oxfam, in partnership with the Humanitarian Evidence Programme, is holding an event to explore evidence synthesis and how it can help improve the effectiveness of humanitarian work. There will be a discussion centered around three major types of humanitarian work: shelter, child protection, and mental health.
Location: DFID - 22 Whitehall, London SW1A 2EG
UK Registration is required and must be done by contacting: eott1@ght.oxfam.org
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Innovating Humanitarian Action: More than luck
Thursday, April 21, 2016 | 4:00 - 5:30 PM
ALNAP and ELHRA will be hosting an event to begin a discussion on how to innovate successfully in humanitarian action using their recent research on the topic of 'how humanitarian innovation happens'. The event will bring together grassroots organizations as well as leading humanitarian officials in order to provide a format for comprehensive discussion.
Location: Overseas Development Institute, 203 Blackfriars Road, London, UK
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Monday, May 16 - Thursday, May 19, 2016
The 2016 confrence held by the Catholic Relief Services will be hosting a discussion based around finding new ways to use information and communications technology to reach the recent Sustainable Development Goals. The objectives for this event will be to bring together humanitarians from the public, private and civil society organizations in order to explore partnerships and conversations on the SDG's.
Location: Safari Park Hotel | Thika Road, Kasarani | Nairobi, Kenya
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Thursday, April 14, 2016 | 3:00 - 4:30 PM (BST)
The Syria crisis has entered its fifth year with no end in sight. The crisis has produced a wave of displacement of a magnitude not seen since World War II. More than 12 million people are currently in need of humanitarian assistance including 7.6 million internally displaced. But how effective has the humanitarian response proven to be? Despite the magnitude, severity and impact of this crisis, there has been no system-wide evaluation of the humanitarian response.
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Wednesday May 25, 2016 | 3:00 PM (GMT)
Research for Health in Humanitarian Crises (R2HC) will be holding a two day event aimed at bringing together individuals and organizations that are working specifically on public health concerns related to the Syrian Crisis. The objective will be to exchange and strengthen research ideas and partnerships in order to provide a direction for further assistance and funding for public health projects. A webinar will be held to summarize the meeting and continue the conversation for professionals that were unable to attend the event in Jordan.
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