Humanitarian Affairs Technical Training (HATT)

About the Course

This intersectional blended course aims to increase your skills and effectiveness as a Humanitarian Affairs staff in-country. It will provide you with the skills and tools to better address the tasks and challenges of your role. You will learn the core knowledge, skills and practice of humanitarian affairs work within MSF, and take part in interactive exercises and scenarios to help apply this learning in your role.

HOW TO ENROL

This is a course upon selection, and restricted to humanitarian affairs staff. The application window is announced via email by the OCA HQ L&D Officers.

The recommendation letter for this course needs to be written by the Head of Mission for those in mission, or Career Manager for those in-between missions.

CERTIFICATION

Upon completion of the course, a badge and certificate is obtained that recognises the correct completion.

WHO IS THIS COURSE FOR?

Humanitarian Affairs staff who are first departure, or have completed 1-2 postings and are committed to continuing with MSF for at least one further posting and/or 12 months in a humanitarian affairs role.

DURATION OF THE COURSE
40 hours

Learning Objectives

  • Describe the structure of humanitarian affairs and advocacy within MSF.  
  • Explain key concepts and definitions of terms. 
  • Identify the roles and responsibilities of humanitarian affairs and advocacy staff in mission.  
  • Identify challenges of humanitarian affairs and how to respond to these in practice and opportunities within humanitarian affairs and how to use these in practice. 
  • Analyse information gathered through monitoring and data collection using relevant analytic tools and frameworks. 
  • Identify what makes a useful piece of operational analysis and methods of information verification. 
  • Identify best practices of protections issues and Explain the role of Humanitarian Affairs staff in case management and best approaches. 
  • Explain the implications of communication tools depending on message to be conveyed and targets to be reached. 
  • Identify how field communications and humanitarian affairs can best work together. 
  • Describe what testimony taking is and who does it and identify when testimony taking is appropriate.  
  • Explain how testimony taking differs from similar information collection methods and apply ethical considerations specific to testimony taking. 
  • Develop and implement an advocacy plan and critically reflect on advocacy successes and adjust plans as necessary. 
  • Collaborate with and influence MSF colleagues to meet common objectives and seek help and advice wherever needed. 

List of Contents

1. The role of humanitarian affairs

  • 1 Course Introduction: welcome, expectations, course structure & case studies 
  • 1.1 Humanitarian Affairs & Advocacy in MSF - Key Concepts and Structures 
  • 1.2 Humanitarian Affairs 
  • 1.3 Analysis in Humanitarian Affairs 
2. The humanitarian affairs environment 

  • 2 MSF and the Humanitarian ‘Ecosystem’ 
  • 2.1 Legal Frameworks and Principles 
  • 2.2 MSF and Protection 
  • 2.3 Community Approach and Community Led Advocacy 
  • 2.4 Working Together 1 - Ops Comms 
  • 2.5 Working together 2 - MedOps 
3. Data collection 

  • 3 Ethics and Data 
  • 3.1 Research Methods 
  • 3.2 Medical Data Systems 
  • 3.3 Testimony Taking 
  • 3.4 Interview Skills 
4. Advocacy 

  • 4 Advocacy 
  • 4.1 Case study working session 
  • 4.2 Case study presentation