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Delivering cholera medicine in Syria: A video to get aid workers 'mission ready' Delivering cholera medicine in Syria: A video to get aid workers 'mission ready'
(2 days later)
You get word that the team in your local office are having problems delivering vital cholera medicine to an area besieged by civil war. Locals are getting increasingly restless, there are more guns on the streets and kidnappings of aid workers are becoming increasingly common.You get word that the team in your local office are having problems delivering vital cholera medicine to an area besieged by civil war. Locals are getting increasingly restless, there are more guns on the streets and kidnappings of aid workers are becoming increasingly common.
From your London HQ you Skype the regional office who tell you that the team on the ground have recently downgraded their vehicle to something smaller and less recognisable and that the staff are frustrated because there is no space for their families in the secure lodgings.From your London HQ you Skype the regional office who tell you that the team on the ground have recently downgraded their vehicle to something smaller and less recognisable and that the staff are frustrated because there is no space for their families in the secure lodgings.
For anyone involved in delivering aid in high risk situations this may sound like an everyday conundrum, but those new to this field might find the process daunting and overwhelming. And for local staff, often desensitised to the level of danger they are dealing with, it can be difficult to know how, or when, you should share details of such security incidents back to HQ.For anyone involved in delivering aid in high risk situations this may sound like an everyday conundrum, but those new to this field might find the process daunting and overwhelming. And for local staff, often desensitised to the level of danger they are dealing with, it can be difficult to know how, or when, you should share details of such security incidents back to HQ.
Now an immersive video is trying to bridge that gap. Mission Ready was designed by the NGO RedRUK to put humanitarians through their paces, making them less vulnerable and equipping them to deal with risk. Now an immersive video is trying to bridge that gap. Mission Ready was designed by the NGO RedR UK and Digital Training Solutions (DTS) to put humanitarians through their paces, making them less vulnerable and equipping them to deal with risk.
Their latest programme which launches today, has a regional office set in Raqan supporting a team somewhere in rural Al-Dak, loosely representing the reality in Jordan and Syria. The threat of the ICA (read Isis) rumbles in the background.Their latest programme which launches today, has a regional office set in Raqan supporting a team somewhere in rural Al-Dak, loosely representing the reality in Jordan and Syria. The threat of the ICA (read Isis) rumbles in the background.
For the next 10 minutes or so you are given a series of crucial decisions to make in less than 10 seconds. They range from how to communicate when the phone towers go down, to when is the right time to pull out a western staff member as their presence is increasingly putting the rest of the staff at risk.For the next 10 minutes or so you are given a series of crucial decisions to make in less than 10 seconds. They range from how to communicate when the phone towers go down, to when is the right time to pull out a western staff member as their presence is increasingly putting the rest of the staff at risk.
You can’t pause the video because that would negate the point of it happening in real time, explains Kate Denman, programme manager at RedRUK who specialise in humanitarian training.You can’t pause the video because that would negate the point of it happening in real time, explains Kate Denman, programme manager at RedRUK who specialise in humanitarian training.
Budget constraints meant the video had to be filmed in the UK which means it lacks some of the authenticity of the Middle East. It does however capture all the glamour of a UK NGO headquarters: a dingy office, African wall hangings, people eating breakfast at their desk and shouty meetings which take place across dodgy Skype connections.Budget constraints meant the video had to be filmed in the UK which means it lacks some of the authenticity of the Middle East. It does however capture all the glamour of a UK NGO headquarters: a dingy office, African wall hangings, people eating breakfast at their desk and shouty meetings which take place across dodgy Skype connections.
Most of the decisions are procedural which may leave someone not from the field wanting a bit more drama, but they are not the target audience – this is designed for those staff who deal with these realities everyday.Most of the decisions are procedural which may leave someone not from the field wanting a bit more drama, but they are not the target audience – this is designed for those staff who deal with these realities everyday.
The training is available online and as a desktop app to cater for people living in areas with a poor internet connection, and is available in four languages: English, Arabic, French and Spanish. It’s about a mindset shift, says Denman, explaining “staff are not just listening to HQ about what is dangerous and why, they are empowered in the decision making process.”The training is available online and as a desktop app to cater for people living in areas with a poor internet connection, and is available in four languages: English, Arabic, French and Spanish. It’s about a mindset shift, says Denman, explaining “staff are not just listening to HQ about what is dangerous and why, they are empowered in the decision making process.”
The charity received a grant from the Department for International Development to cover the costs of making the videos and complementary resources, and while Denman admits it wasn’t cheap they estimate it costs $450 to train one person compared to an average costs of $2,500 for a face-to-face training, which is often “not accessible to many people, especially national staff working in hostile environments.” The charity received a grant from the Department for International Development and the US Agency for International Development (USAid) to cover the costs of making the videos and complementary resources, and while Denman admits it wasn’t cheap they estimate it costs $450 to train one person compared to an average costs of $2,500 for a face-to-face training, which is often “not accessible to many people, especially national staff working in hostile environments.”
And while this training focused on practical risk Denman does think that the immersive technology could have broader uses in helping the public empathise with situations such as the one that is currently unfolding in Aleppo, Syria.And while this training focused on practical risk Denman does think that the immersive technology could have broader uses in helping the public empathise with situations such as the one that is currently unfolding in Aleppo, Syria.
As the world is bombarded with images of maimed civilians lying among rubble, an immersive experience could help people understand “what led up to those particular situations, and why people decided to remain. There is currently a lack of sympathy. People ask ‘why haven’t they left’ or ‘why haven’t they done this or that’,” says Denman.As the world is bombarded with images of maimed civilians lying among rubble, an immersive experience could help people understand “what led up to those particular situations, and why people decided to remain. There is currently a lack of sympathy. People ask ‘why haven’t they left’ or ‘why haven’t they done this or that’,” says Denman.
And while RedRUK are focused on providing security training Denman also believes that use of immersive video could also help improve the inclusion of marginalised groups in humanitarian response. If people could see how a decision impacted a disabled person, for example, we might start to plan how we cater for them better, she adds.And while RedRUK are focused on providing security training Denman also believes that use of immersive video could also help improve the inclusion of marginalised groups in humanitarian response. If people could see how a decision impacted a disabled person, for example, we might start to plan how we cater for them better, she adds.
Guardian journalist Maeve Shearlaw’s verdict on Mission Ready?Guardian journalist Maeve Shearlaw’s verdict on Mission Ready?
“The team at RedRUK say they have tried to remove as much jargon from the instructions as possible to make it easier for people around the world to understand, but for people not from the field words like “project implementation” and referring to Skype as a “tool” does make it feel like you are firmly planted in NGO land.“The team at RedRUK say they have tried to remove as much jargon from the instructions as possible to make it easier for people around the world to understand, but for people not from the field words like “project implementation” and referring to Skype as a “tool” does make it feel like you are firmly planted in NGO land.
Ten seconds feels like ample time to make decisions, but maybe that’s because I’m sat in an office in south London, not in a tense situation where everyone around you is making different demands on your time.Ten seconds feels like ample time to make decisions, but maybe that’s because I’m sat in an office in south London, not in a tense situation where everyone around you is making different demands on your time.
This isn’t virtual reality so you don’t actually feel like you are in the situation that is being depicted on screen, but again that isn’t the point of the exercise. It’s to ensure best practice among people who are already fully aware of what it’s like to be an emergency.”This isn’t virtual reality so you don’t actually feel like you are in the situation that is being depicted on screen, but again that isn’t the point of the exercise. It’s to ensure best practice among people who are already fully aware of what it’s like to be an emergency.”
Join our community of development professionals and humanitarians. Follow @GuardianGDP on Twitter.Join our community of development professionals and humanitarians. Follow @GuardianGDP on Twitter.