In the first week, students will be given an overview of how the humanitarian sector coordinates emergency responses, the mandates of various international NGOs, the legal frameworks for asylum seekers, refugees and IDPs (Internally Displaced Persons), as well as the design and construction of shelters that are context and climate specific.

During the second week, we will go into detail on WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene), examining both handbooks as well as context-specific and culture-specific considerations when designing a WASH programme or camp planning.

The third week focuses on camp design and management. Students will design a camp for a hypothetical emergency. To gain an understanding of the often complex and difficult reality of working in the humanitarian sector, problem solving exercises will be used in class which are based on real, lived experiences of refugee camp experts. The course will end with a multiple choice exam, and successful students will be given a certificate upon completion.

Please note: The exact schedule of the course may vary due to the availability of our teaching staff, who are often on-call in case of any humanitarian emergency.

Teachers

Andreas Schiffer

Instructor and expert in vocational training, with over 25 years’ experience in the humanitarian sector in disaster and conflict response. He has worked with NGOs such as Doctors Without Borders, Action Against Hunger and Oxfam Intermón as a logistician, coordinator, WASH expert, consultant, trainer and researcher in numerous countries around the world.

Daniel Ledesma

Architect, researcher and expert in shelter construction.

Gonzalo Sánchez-Terán

Gonzalo has worked for over 15 years organising, managing and implementing emergency projects in refugee and IDP camps in Guinea Conakry, Liberia, the Ivory Coast, Chad and Ethiopia. He is also a regular tutor and lecturer for the International Diploma in Humanitarian Assistance at Fordham University, New York, and for the Master's Degree in International Development Cooperation at Comillas Pontifical University, Madrid.

Marta Peña

Architect and senior officer in the Shelter and Settlements Department at the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).

Veronica Sánchez Carrera

Urban planner and architect. Co-founder of n’UNDO and its technical consultancy and intervention office n’OT. She has focused her activity on Humanitarian Aid, a field in which she has worked with different organisations in both development and emergency response. She has conducted research on refugee camps and informal settlements and is currently writing her PhD thesis on Ebola Management Centres.