The International Organization for Migration (IOM) Washington is currently implementing the second phase of a project entitled "Strengthening the Engagement of Diaspora for Alternative Approach to Safer Shelters in Disaster Response, Preparedness and Recovery" funded by the U.S. Office for Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA). The objectives of the project are to 1) expand and deepen targeted diasporas communities' awareness and level of knowledge concerning safer shelter needs, standards, and practices and 2) contribute to strengthen diaspora's role in increasing affected communities' capacity to build back safer shelters and overall reduce communities risks. 

Dear Diaspora member,

Is your country of origin prone to natural disasters?

Are you interested in helping communities in your country of origin to better prepare for a disaster and become more resilient?

Would you like to support communities back home to build back shelters that are safer?

If so, these training materials are for you! Below you will find free online resources that will help to increase your knowledge on these issues and ways to effectively support communities that are impacted by natural disasters. 

Follow the steps below to access the trainings:

1) You can access the Build Back Safer Webinar trainings HERE to learn more about the 'Build Back Safer' approach from technical actors across the humanitarian sector. 

2) You can take the USAID/OFDA Shelter and Settlements Training Course HERE.

This course introduces the basics of humanitarian community shelter and settlements (S&S) activities, including best practices in assessments and programming strategy, basic shelter responses, the relationship between shelter and its context (settlements), and how to promote the recovery of affected settlements.

3) You can also take the Global Shelter Cluster course (from the Shelter Cluster) HERE.

This course describes the basics of why shelter programming is an important component of humanitarian response both in natural disasters and conflict. It outlines the challenges that affected families face and describes the essential elements of how humanitarians can complement the shelter activities of affected families. This online training conveys the essential concepts used by shelter experts to adequately shelter vulnerable families. It is a self-directed e-learning course.

4) Once you have completed one of these trainings you can take the short post-training survey HERE (NOTE: if you participated in the project's pilot phase trainings, please take the post-training survey HERE). If you take the survey (by October 25th 2019) and share with us the knowledge you have acquired, you will receive a certificate of completion from the IOM Washington office. 

Let’s work together towards more resilient communities!