As the focal point of the Sphere Humanitarian Standards in Brazil and Portugal, the Fraternity – Internacional Humanitarian Missions (FIHM), through its humanitarian team, was invited to participate in a series of three workshops on the Sphere Handbook in Warsaw, Poland, in the first half of this year.
The first workshop took place from the 13th to the 15th of February, at the Centrum Szkoleniowe Wspólna, and was carried out in cooperation between the Sphere Association, Save the Children International Poland, Humanitarian Leadership Academy and Fraternity – Humanitarian Missions (FIHM). The event was aimed at social and humanitarian actors in Poland who work mainly in the humanitarian response given to Ukrainians.
The workshop goals included raising awareness and use of Sphere approaches and standards by humanitarian actors in Poland and bringing different actors together for a group learning experience.
The schedule
In the first day of the workshop, the focus was on presenting and deepening the fundamental chapters of the Sphere Handbook, such as the Humanitarian Charter, which is the cornerstone of the Handbook, and the principles of protection.
On the second day, the technical chapters were introduced, through dynamics, practical exercises, simulations and case studies, providing an in-depth look at minimum standards in essential sectors of the humanitarian response, such as WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Promotion), Food Safety and Nutrition, Accommodation and Settlement and Coordination and Management of Camps (CCCM).
On the third and final day of the workshop, the event continued with the introduction of relevant topics from the Handbook, such as the technical chapter on Health and the Essential Humanitarian Standard – a reference on the subject of quality and accountability in the humanitarian response. And then it was finished with a final group simulation, which involved all the topics learned about in the Sphere Handbook throughout the event.
According to the humanitarian members of the Fraternity – Humanitarian Missions (FIHM), this first workshop enhanced the interaction and exchange of knowledge between participants and reinforced the importance of the Sphere Handbook as a base of reference for humanitarian aid in different contexts, in the different countries in which is applied.
Gabriel Cyrilo, one of the Wokshop facilitators, explains that he had the opportunity to present, in some sessions, the practical experience that the Fraternity – Humanitarian Missions (FIHM) developed in the themes of Housing and Settlement, WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) and Coordination and Management of Camps (CCCM), through the Roraima Humanitarian Mission, which provides humanitarian assistance to indigenous Venezuelan migrants and refugees in the state of Roraima, Brazil.
The exchange of experiences
For the manager of Learning and Events at Sphere Standards, Felicity Fallon, the three days of workshop were full of learning, exchanges, good practices, case studies and analysis of scenarios. The most interesting thing, according to her, was everyone’s participation, and that Poles and Ukrainians were able to find tools and information in the Sphere Standards that will be useful in their context and can be used from now on.
Katarzyna Bryczkowska, Learning Solutions Specialist at the Humanitarian Leadership Academy/Save The Childrem, said the workshop was very important because there was still little information about the Sphere Handbook in Poland and, for humanitarian actors in Poland, it is important to have access to this information, so they are prepared to act in emergency situations and humanitarian responses.
The psychologist at the Ukrainian School in Warsaw and Ukrainian refugee, Olena Kuznetsova, highlighted that knowing the experiences of other countries was very interesting, mainly because she is Ukrainian and is living in Poland, but she recognizes that it is not like that in many other countries, such as Turkey and Syria.
Joanna Papis, program manager for Polish Humanitarian Action’s Ukraine response, says seeing this reality from a global perspective helps her, as well as other participants, to open their eyes and have greater insight into other realities. She points out that she would very much like to have had access to this knowledge in February and March 2022, “when the arrival in Poland of Ukrainian victims of the war intensified and we were starting the humanitarian response to this situation.”
“It was an extremely rich moment. We learned a lot from the participants. We know that this situation, unfortunately, is not over yet, but in the future, everyone will be able to work with the Sphere Standards,” said the senior manager of Policies and Practices of Sphere Standards, Aninia Nadig.
Learn more about the work of Fraternity – Humanitarian Missions (FIHM) in various emergency situations and humanitarian responses.
Discover the practical application of the Sphere Handbook carried out by the Fraternity – International Humanitarian Missions (FIHM).
- Sphere in Action – Applying Sphere standards in Brazil
- Sphere Handbook: We Have a Responsibility
- Sphere Handbook: Transparency and Integrity
- Sphere Handbook: Water and Sanitation – Fundamental Human Rights
- Sphere Handbook: Food Security – Dignity and Resilience for Victims of Humanitarian Crises
- Sphere Handbook – Accommodation and Settlement: they are not numbers, they are human beings
- Sphere Handbook – Health Prevention is better than cure
- Sphere Training – Bahia Humanitarian Mission
