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UEL course hailed as a global first by International aid agencies

Wednesday 8 June 2011

Picture showing the British Red Cross at work

A unique online Masters degree course being run by the University of East London, which aims to provide humanitarian aid relief workers with a psychosocial understanding of their often harrowing working environments, is being hailed as a world first.

The MSc in International Humanitarian Psychosocial Consultation (IHPC) aims to promote awareness of psychosocial factors within the context of humanitarian work, both for the populations affected and the well-being of workers supporting them.

Many of the students taking the course are studying through distance-learning, while providing humanitarian aid in areas such as Haiti and Afghanistan.

Course leader, Dr Sarah Davidson MBE, is the former Vice Chairman of the British Red Cross (BRC), and is currently the BRC’s Psychosocial Advisor. She said: “The programme brings together international experts with a wealth of experience in the fields of international humanitarian aid, consultation and psychology.

“It advocates critical and culturally appropriate methods to intervene, including the need to be mindful of complexity in humanitarian crises and for high levels of coordination and consultation. The students are encouraged to collaborate and share their experiences, which in turn helps to mitigate some of the isolation that aid workers in challenging environments face.”

Amy Braithwaite, who is currently studying the course, while working as an aid worker in Haiti, told us: "I love humanitarian work, but hadn't yet found my niche and this course, the material, and how it resonates to what I've been feeling and experiencing in Haiti and in other missions, rings so true. I feel this is an under-served need and one that organisations need to acknowledge. I think this course could be revolutionary in helping to address both the burden on aid workers and the emotional wounds of those impacted by disaster."

Julia Warrington, Emergencies HR Co-ordinator for Save the Children, has just completed the first two modules, and has recently returned from Southern Sudan, where she spent a month co-ordinating the organisation’s effort to provide aid to refugees. She said: “Save the Children has a duty of care towards its workers in the field. The potential psychological impacts of their surroundings and experiences can be potent and long-lasting if the appropriate support is unavailable. It is an area that, in my experience, had not been adequately addressed until I discovered the IHPC course.”

Course tutors are specialists in their field, connected to international humanitarian aid agencies and professional organisations including the United Nations (UN), the World Health Organisation, People in Aid and the International Red Cross. The course boasts students from as far afield as Malawi, Canada and Vietnam.
There has been a growing awareness among major humanitarian agencies, Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and the UN about the psychological well-being of workers and victims. In 1990, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) started its first psychosocial programme in Gaza, and in 1998 formally recognised the need to implement mental health and psychosocial interventions as part of its emergency work.

In 1991, The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies established psychological support programmes, while both Oxfam and Save the Children have documented the importance of psychological support among aid-workers.

To find out more about the MSc in International Humanitarian Psychosocial Consultation (IHPC), contact Dr Sarah Davidson, on 0208 223 4564 or s.davidson@uel.ac.uk

Notes to Editors

The University of East London (UEL) is a global learning community with over 28,000 students from over 120 countries world-wide. Our vision is to achieve recognition, both nationally and internationally, as a successful and inclusive regional university proud of its diversity, committed to new modes of learning which focus on students and enhance their employability, and renowned for our contribution to social, cultural and economic development, especially through our research and scholarship. We have a strong track-record in widening participation and working with industry.

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