Disaster Relief Training on Sphere Standards

This past week, Anders trained the disaster relief team on increasing quality and accountability through Sphere Humanitarian Relief Response Standards. He figured, why re-invent the wheel, when extensive and quality research has already been done?

What Is Sphere
Sphere is a collaborative, time-bound project established by non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in 1997 to increase the quality and accountability of disaster response. It is perhaps best known for the Sphere handbook, which outlines minimum programming standards for disaster response in six key sectors: Water, sanitation and hygiene promotion; food security; nutrition; food aid; shelter, settlement and non-food items; andhealth services.

Who Uses Sphere
Sphere was endorsed by the UN agencies present, particularly for field operations. This endorsement has encouraged OCHA, UNHCR and UNICEF, in particular, to promote the use of Sphere in joint work with NGOs and governments. Sphere's emphasis on consistency, standardization and support of local systems and structures can all contribute to the process of coordination. Within the health sector, the standards promote standardization of important tools and interventions among agencies, including treatment protocols, essential drug lists, health information systems, and referral systems.

Origins
The origins of Sphere lay in the increasing number and complexity of humanitarian crises during the 1990s, which highlighted the need for greater professionalization, consistency and accountability by humanitarian agencies. Specific examples such as the refugee crisis in Goma, Zaire, in 1994 highlighted the fact that when the public health response to emergencies was poorly designed and executed, a large number of preventable deaths could occur. The growing number of humanitarian agencies, each with its own mission, strategies and systems of accountability, further complicated efforts to ensure the quality and predictability of humanitarian assistance. The science and evidence base underlying humanitarian action was relatively under developed up to this period, with few established best practices and no generally agreed upon standards.
Reference: http://www.globalhealth.org/reports/report.php3?id=152

Read More: http://www.sphereproject.org/