The worst thing about disasters is that they don't give us enough chance to prepare and develop our coping capacities. As the risk of disasters is growing across the globe, lack of knowledge about disaster preparedness and response could multiply the adverse effects of disasters. Being a professional primarily working in the area of Disaster Risk Management, I realize that more people need to have access to easy and affordable source of information and learning tools. Keeping this in view, I have cataloged another set of free e-learning courses on  topics pertaining to disaster preparedness and humanitarian response. I request to you to share this post in your social networks so that the goodness of e-learning reaches to more and more people in the world.

Personal Safety and Health for Emergency Responders (Multiple Courses)

By- School of Public Health, University of Albany

Self-paced

As a responder, you put yourself in harm’s way in order to help others. Emergencies can occur at any time, often without warning. While rescue and recovery work can be rewarding, response workers are not immune from the physical and psychological toll of disasters. In order to respond safely, you must be prepared, and train for your response regularly. If you become sick, injured or are ill prepared during a response, you may actually hinder the rescue effort. If you are a volunteer, you have made a commitment to be ready to respond in an emergency. If you are an employee of a health department, hospital, or clinic, this emergency response may be part of your expectations as an employee. This course will help the emergency responder understand the types of dangers that may be encountered in a disaster setting, as well as the common injuries and other health impacts that can be sustained during an emergency response. This course will also examine various health and safety preparedness measures a responder may take before, during, and after an emergency. Go to course page by clicking here.

Personal Emergency Preparedness: Planning for the Public Health Worker

By- National Center for Disaster Preparedness, Columbia University

Self-paced

The public health workforce increasingly provides direct and indirect roles and functions during their agency’s emergency response. A most critical element of being professionally prepared is to be personally prepared. This course introduces the learner to a variety of public health roles during a wide range of emergencies. Using an interactive, 5 action-step preparedness model learners will become better prepared for emergencies and disasters, personally and professionally. Three emergency scenarios allow the learner to think through each situation and identify the action steps most helpful to get through the emergency. Go to course page by clicking here.

Public Health Principles in Disaster and Medical Humanitarian Response

By- Collaborating Centre for Oxford University and CUHK for Disaster and Medical Humanitarian Response (CCOUC)

Self-paced

The "Public Health Principles in Disaster and Medical Humanitarian Response" online course was developed by CCOUC in an attempt to make lessons learnt from previous disasters available and comprehensible to key stakeholders in disaster risk mitigation and the civil society. Students enrolled in the course will gain insight and theoretical understanding of the public health issues related to disaster and be empowered personally and professionally to take necessary actions in the individual, community, and national levels to reduce the health risk posed by the increasing frequency and intensity of disaster. Go to course page by clicking here.

Health Care in Danger

By- International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)

Self-paced

Are you a doctor wondering how to interact with the media, or a nurse wondering how to treat patient information in difficult circumstances? Are you an ambulance driver unsure of what your responsibilities are? Are you a hospital administrator wondering what to do with overwhelming numbers of deceased patients? If so, the Health Care in Danger project's new e-learning module on the responsibilities of health-care personnel is for you. Go to course page by clicking here.

Engaging Citizens: A Game Changer For Development? (5 Weeks)

By- The World Bank Group

Starts on- March 15, 2017

Whether you are a policymaker, civil society leader, business owner, student, or an interested citizen, this Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) and its learning resources, activities and social elements will provide you with a deep understanding of citizen engagement in the context of development. Why is gaining a comprehensive understanding of citizen engagement so important for development? While citizen engagement is not a magic bullet that automatically leads to better development results, it certainly has the potential to make a tremendous impact when implemented correctly and in the right conditions. By putting citizens at the center of governance, citizen engagement can be a key driver of change and fundamentally alter the relationship between the government and the governed. Ultimately, citizen engagement is essential for governance that works for everyone. Go to course page by clicking here.

Needs of Vulnerable Groups in Humanitarian Context (Two Courses)

By- Cornerstone OnDemand Foundation

Self-paced

Humanitarian crises affect each person differently depending on their gender, age, disability and other personal characteristics. Older people and people with disabilities are often overlooked in humanitarian relief and response and they may find it harder than others to access the assistance and protection they need. Take the following two courses to explore deeper into the subject:

1. Understanding Older People and Their Needs in a Humanitarian Context
This e-learning course will introduce you to key elements towards a clearer understanding of ageing and the needs of older people in humanitarian contexts. It is intended to guide you to promote an inclusive humanitarian response to ensure that older people are taken into account before, throughout and after the response. Go to course page by clicking here.

2. Basic Principles of Disability Inclusion in Humanitarian Response
This e-learning course will introduce you to key elements towards a clearer understanding of disability and the needs of people with disabilities in humanitarian contexts. It is intended to guide you to promote an inclusive humanitarian response to ensure that people with disabilities are taken into account before, throughout and after the response. Go to course page by clicking here.

E-Learning Activities for Humanitarian Sector (Multiple Topics)
By- Humanitarian Academy at Harvard
Self-paced
The Advanced Training Program on Humanitarian Action (ATHA) seeks to build operational capacity, facilitate learning across organizations in the humanitarian sector, and to mobilize change through a community of practice. These self-paced, interactive e-learning modules are designed to meet the needs of the busy humanitarian professional. Less like lectures and more like hands-on training courses, they provide a great introduction to some of the most challenging subjects in humanitarian action.Go to course page by clicking here.

Building a Better Response

By- Humanitarian Academy at Harvard

Self-paced

The Humanitarian Academy at Harvard, in partnership with the International Medical Corps and Concern Worldwide, has developed an e-learning certificate course for professionals as part of the “Building a Better Response: Strengthening Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) Capacity and Engagement in the International Humanitarian Architecture” project. The course uses interactive tools and scenario-based teaching to build the capacity for national and international NGO personnel to engage with the humanitarian systems in a manner that improves coordination and response to the needs of affected populations. Go to course page by clicking here.

Different Needs - Equal Opportunities: Increasing Effectiveness of Humanitarian Action for Women, Girls, Boys and Men

By- Inter-Agency Standing Committee

Self-paced

This online course provides the basic steps a humanitarian worker must take to ensure gender equality in programming. The course includes information on the core issues of gender and how it relates to other aspects of humanitarian response. The three hour, self-paced course provides information and scenarios which enable you to practice developing gender-sensitive programming. This training is based on the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) Gender Handbook and related IASC guidelines, including the Guidelines for Gender-based Violence Interventions in Humanitarian Settings and others. The IASC consists of twenty-one humanitarian organizations and is the primary humanitarian forum for facilitating coordination, policy development and decision-making in response to complex emergencies and natural disasters. Go to course page by clicking here.