The NIE Regional Training Initiative is coordinated by the Centre for International Health and Development (part of University College London) in collaboration with academic institutions in Africa, Asia and the Middle East. The project is funded by the Emergency Nutrition Network via a grant from OFDA.

Mission: Our mission is to provide high quality training in emergency nutrition in the regions most affected by humanitarian disasters.

Our intensive 6 to 12-day Professional Short Courses in Nutrition in Emergencies have been designed to help equip participants with the expertise needed to lead or support nutrition responses. They are intended to build the skills of anyone who has an involvement with emergency nutrition, including health and food security staff, and general programme managers. In addition to providing the most up-to-date technical theory of NIE, we employ a range of training techniques to help participants to think more practically about what they would need to do to prevent and treat malnutrition during an emergency.

The course materials are based on the NIE Harmonized Training Package (HTP) which has been developed by international experts on behalf of the Global Nutrition Cluster. The HTP is the most up-to-date training resource for emergency nutrition.

Each course includes modules on the causes and types of malnutrition as well as the main areas of focus for nutrition professionals in emergency settings:

• Surveys and surveillance
• Therapeutic and supplementary feeding
• Infant and young child feeding in emergencies
• General food distributions
• Micronutrient assessment and intervention
• Monitoring and evaluation Humanitarian standards and coordination
• Emergency preparedness

We place particular emphasis on how nutrition responses link to other sectors and on the integration of emergency-type interventions into longer-term strategies for preventing and treating malnutrition. During the 12-day courses, we include additional topics relevant to NIE, such as: working with communities, and advocacy and communication in emergency contexts. You can download a copy of our brochure below.

September 2010: The American University of Beirut hosted a six day Professional Short Course in NIE in Lebanon from the 13th to the 18th September.

January 2011: The Makerere University School of Public Health held a twelve day Professional Short Course in NIE in Uganda from the 17th to the 29th January. The course was attended by participants from the region and globally.

May 2011: Asian Disaster Preparedness Center will be running a Professional Short Course in NIE in Thailand, from 23rd May to the 2nd June 2011. This course is open to participants from the region and globally.

We are now accepting applications for the NIE course in Chiang Mai, Thailand. This 10-day course will run from the 23rd May to the 2nd June 2011 and includes one rest day. The course costs US$2,500 (including meals, accommodation and all training materials). To apply, you will need to download the application form and send your completed form, together with a copy of your CV to the NIE training coordinator (coordinator@nietraining.net).

NIE Regional Training Initiative
Centre for International Health and Development
UCL Institute of Child Health
30 Guilford Street London
WC1N 1EH

email: coordinator@nietraining.net

Fax: +44 (0)20 7404 2062