RWASJ joined other organisations in a two-day training program titled “Strengthening Safety and Security for Humanitarian Workers” organized by the Community Agriculture and Environmental Protection Association (CAEPA). This initiative aimed to improve the safety and security standards and awareness among humanitarian personnel, a crucial need given the increasing risks faced by aid workers in the North West Region of Cameroon. The training covered a range of topics pertinent to humanitarian workers and organizational security in challenging environments. Key topics covered included risk assessment and mitigation strategies, personal security awareness, hostile environment awareness training (HEAT), first aid and trauma care, communication protocols in emergencies, and stress management for humanitarian workers. Given that CAEPA operates in contexts where such practices are rarely implemented, this initiative is crucial for enhancing the resilience and effectiveness of their field operations. The program emphasized proactive measures and response mechanisms to common threats faced by humanitarian personnel, such as kidnapping, armed conflict, natural disasters, cyber threats and information security risks.
This workshop had the following objectives.
- Training of participants on the possible risk to be encountered as a humanitarian worker.
- Safety and security measures to be taken to overcome, mitigate and avoid these risks.
- Adoption and implementation of these safety and security measures by Civil Society Organizations (CSOs).
Only a few organizations practice standard safety and security measures and are mostly verbally. The rarely have a documented policy on safety and security. Due to this it was indeed a great opportunity at this point to be educated on safety and security which at the end many discoveries were made by the participants, and they committed themselves to go back in the various organizations and implement them. At the end of the day, emphasis was laid on gender inclusion for the safety and security policy to be effective and convenient to all.
