24 Nov 2016

Being a humanitarian is all about helping people. More specifically, it’s about trying to alleviate peoples’ suffering, improve their standards of living or, in some cases, save their lives. As far as work goes, becoming a humanitarian is about as ethical and noble as it gets.

The humanitarian sector encompasses a lot of different roles within a variety of different organisations. It can range from providing disaster relief in the wake of a hurricane, providing food to refugees fleeing Syria to sending doctors into war torn areas. The United Nations, NGOs (Non-Government Organisations), governments and the private sector all carry out these kinds of humanitarian work.

If you’ve ever thought about becoming a humanitarian and helping people for a living, the Humanitarian Foundations Certificate is a great start.

What is it?

The Humanitarian Foundations Certificate is a four-day course offered by the Humanitarian Institute. It aims to teach the necessary skills for a career in the humanitarian and international development sectors. It’s aimed at students, professionals and anyone interested in humanitarian work.

What will it cover?

The Humanitarian Foundations Certificate is a comprehensive, 40-hour course, spanning over two weekends. It will cover topics such as gender, child protection, HIV and AIDS, corruption, counter-terrorism, resilience and environment. The course begins with the history of humanitarianism and spans all the way to first-hand accounts from professionals within the sector.

Participants will learn about the legal and safety requirements of humanitarian projects, as well as the motivations for it and how to manage the associated pressures of working in the field. Humanitarian work is a highly organised and intentioned undertaking and the course prepares participants accordingly. The Humanitarian Institute’s CEO will personally address students, providing his personal experiences of a solid career in the humanitarian sector.

The course outline asserts, “Good intentions aren’t enough.” This is why the course is so important – because it provides its participants with the knowledge and skills to make real change.

Where and when is it happening?

The courses run over two consecutive weekends in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Auckland. It’s delivered by experienced professionals from the humanitarian sector through a range of lectures, group discussions, workshops, team exercises, activities and assessments. Each day runs from 9 to 5.30 and is split into four sessions, separated by breaks with catering provided. Check out the full course outline for more details and exact dates.