Resources
Serving the learning needs of disaster/emergency management professionals in the developing world since 1982, the University of Wisconsin-Disaster Management Center (UW-DMC) has worked closely with experts recognized for their field experience to develop disaster management training activities with a practical emphasis. The center's goal is to help improve the emergency management performance of non-governmental organizations, local and national governments, and international organizations, through a comprehensive professional development program in disaster management. Distance learning (link exits this site) is the principal approach for this international program.
Self-study course modules have been developed for text, video, and computer-based media. Since 1988, more than 3500 individuals worldwide have enrolled in these self-study courses. Comprehensive training seminars and workshops have also been organized throughout the world for governmental groups, non-governmental organizations, and inter-governmental agencies, including the United Nations. This more traditional, on-site training is for professionals in both disaster management and refugee emergency management.
The UW-DMC provided major educational design, development, and technical assistance services for two multi-year training programs. Since 1985, approximately 3400 individuals, from 125 countries have participated in the EMTP, a special training program for refugee emergencies developed at the request of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). In addition, some 3600 persons from 55 countries have learned from the DMTP training materials in more than 50 disaster management training events, sponsored jointly by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the United Nations Department of Humanitarian Affairs (UNDHA).
All of these professional development activities can now be linked as part of an individualized study curriculum in educational collaboration with many institutions worldwide. Since the 1994 inauguration of the UW-DMC Disaster Management (DM) Diploma, more than 135 distance learners have registered as candidates for the diploma. A personal study program for the DM Diploma can combine UW-DMC self-study courses with courses from other organizations anywhere in the world.
Responding to new learning needs, the UW-DMC launched the International Emergency Settlement Project in 1993. Designed with advice from a panel of international experts, this professional development project is a series of activities to examine possible solutions to common problems of emergency settlement. The project's goal is to serve as a catalyst for gathering and documenting field experiences into a consensus of principles, standards, and best practices for managing humanitarian assistance in emergency settlement situations.
With financial support from The Ford Foundation and the United Nations Development Programme, 75 humanitarian assistance professionals prepared discussion papers that were published as, New Approaches to New Realities. This document served as the preliminary proceedings of the First International Emergency Settlement Conference held in Madison, Wisconsin from 15-20 April 1996, with more than 170 participants from 49 countries.
As the world's population grows, disasters remain a part of progress for many countries. Disaster management provides a possibility to address not only the traditional relief aspects of a disaster, but also the more effective, pre-disaster mitigation and preparedness aspects, which are critical elements of any sustainable development process.
Working with other collaborating individuals and institutions, the UW-DMC will continue to distill the evolving experience of disaster management from situation to situation and from operation to operation into an expanding curriculum of distance learning courses in an effort to help maintain and enhance the "institutional memory" of those who practice international disaster management and humanitarian assistance. We work to empower others to design and run their own disaster management training activities and to manage their own humanitarian assistance. Since 1983, the UW-DMC has worked in these countries.
To explore further the world of international disaster management, the UW-DMC suggests several Primary Resources, Educational Resources, Organizational Resources, and Publications Resources.
For still more details about the UW-DMC, Debra Shore wrote an article entitled, "Disaster Management," in the May/June 1997 issue of On Wisconsin magazine.
