Some 24 students from the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies’ Centre for Conflict and Humanitarian Studies (CHS) have benefited from Qatar Red Crescent Society’s (QRCS) recent basic disaster management course.
Relief experts and QRCS volunteers trained the master’s students with basic skills on humanitarian action in conflict and disaster zones.
The course is part of the students’ academic study under a memorandum of understanding on training exchanges and joint research projects between QRCS and CHS.
The students received theoretical and practical training in disaster management, discussing relevant topics such as risk analysis, shelter, assessment and follow-up, and actual experience from QRCS’ offices in Turkey and Iraq.
Dr Khaled Diab, director of Relief and International Development Department, briefed participants on QRCS’ history and strategy, its local and international track record, mechanisms and challenges of humanitarian action, and lessons learnt from his personal career.
CHS founding director professor Sultan Barakat said partnership with Qatari NGOs, particularly QRCS, is crucial to educating and developing master’s students in the fields of conflict management and humanitarian action.
Students said the course gave them hands-on practice in setting up shelters at QRCS’ headquarters, readying them when deployed to risky settings. Such courses are part of QRCS’ training and qualification portfolio, which involves community lectures and courses on safety and security, public health, first aid, and surface water rescue.
QRCS also has several basic and advance disaster management courses, culminating in the annual Disaster Management Camp, the only Arabic event of its kind. It seeks to build community capacity in preparedness, which is a national priority under the Qatar National Vision 2030.