During a health mission to Kashmir in 2005, I learned firsthand the extent of damage made possible by a natural disaster. The 7.2 scale earthquake had killed thousands, an estimated 75,000 to be exact. I traveled to the disaster-afflicted region with a group called Operation Heartbeat and observed the procedures that unfold with a basic humanitarian mission. I did not know I would leave feeling the will to give back later.
Over a decade after visiting Kashmir, I continue to learn about the complex humanitarian protocols involved in the aid of settings afflicted by such natural disasters. Most recently, I began learning about Health in Humanitarian Crises via the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM). The course reveals some of the fundamental resources, facts, principles, and standards to be adhered to during the trajectory of any humanitarian mission.
Here are some all-too-important basics that I have learned:
1) Vulnerable groups including children, women, the disabled and the elderly must be taken into consideration before, during and after disaster response efforts.
One example that illustrates this well, in particular, involves young children. Humanitarian agencies have school meal programs that target children and their nutritional needs. However, children who are disabled may not attend school and may not be reached as conveniently. Given that perspective, I learned that such vulnerable groups in conflict or disaster-settings are more difficult to reach yet still must be taken into consideration. Such vulnerable groups must be appropriately targeted and supported in order to ensure the dignity and livelihood of all peoples affected.
2) Humanitarian actors must be impartial, neutral, and independent and must support our fundamental humanity.
In order to ensure their success and security, humanitarian actors who help on the ground must share these four humanitarian values according to the United Nations (UN). In regards to supporting humanity, the following imperative is highlighted by the UN: “Human suffering must be addressed wherever it is found. The purpose of humanitarian action is to protect life and health and ensure respect for human beings.” The four principles are detailed further by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) here.
3) The Cluster Approach helps coordinate the involvement of multiple international actors, including the World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF, and the World Food Programme (WFP).
Designed in 2005, the cluster approach assigns priorities for various international aid actors. For example, WHO is tasked with health as their priority. In turn, WHO must provide leadership in the health cluster by facilitating meetings and providing a strategic plan to help guide the response. The following describes the assigned responsibilities for 8 actors, or more broadly, 8 priority clusters:
- Logistics (WFP)
- Emergency shelter (IFRC)
- Health (WHO)
- Nutrition (UNICEF)
- Water, sanitation, and hygiene (UNICEF)
- Early recovery (UNDP)
- Education (UNICEF and Save the Children)
- Agriculture (FAO)
There are, in fact, 11 clusters in total, including also Emergency telecommunications, Camp coordination and management and Protection (detailed in the figure below). The latter clusters have multiple actors assigned as the leader, thereby requiring more complex leadership.
Figure 1. Cluster Coordination
In sum, the lessons above are some of the basic takeaways I learned during the past couple of weeks in my course by LSHTM. The lessons illustrate more clearly the roles of humanitarian actors, their guiding principles and key population groups to keep in consideration during a crisis. It is true that in Kashmir I was awakened to the brutal reality of a natural disaster. Indeed, it was also clear then as much as it is now true how there is much to be said about the preparatory and on-the-ground knowledge, principles and guidance that go into any successful humanitarian mission.
The writer at Niagara Falls enjoying the beauty and majesty of nature.
Najma Khorrami is a global and public health professional with a passion for writing to help others. She earned her Master of Public Health in Health Policy from The George Washington University in 2012, and rounded out her studies with a Global Health Certificate from The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. In addition to her passion for global health policy and wanting to one day help create policies supporting public health programs for the disadvantaged in developing countries, she enjoys cooking and exercising. She hopes to spread self-empowering messages for audiences of all ages, especially youth. You can follow her on Instagram at @najonoor!