ADPC boasts over 14,000 graduates from its regional trainings worldwide. Today, ADPC alumni are playing leading roles in disaster risk reduction initiatives and interventions.
ADPC alumni belong to a worldwide community, that together forms an extensive network of international contacts from the United Nations agencies, local NGOs, international organizations (such as Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, donor agencies and NGOs), government agencies, universities, private sector, resources survey and map production services, and various other international professional associations.
See what our alumni are doing today and how they have benefited from ADPC’s courses.
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Alumni's experiences from Disaster Resilience Leadership course
ADPC's Disaster Resilience Leadership (LRD-2) course was organized in September 2013 in Bangkok. See the video on the participants experiences.
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Nutrition in Emergencies (NIE-2)Preventing malnutrition in flood-affected Punjab
UNICEF’s provincial office in Punjab, Pakistan is implementing various interventions to prevent and treat malnutrition in the province. Thanks to attending the Nutrition in Emergencies course in October 2012, I was selected as a member of the nutrition team.
One of the current programs implemented is Community Management of Acute Malnutrition (CMAM) to treat acute malnutrition in seven districts that were affected by the floods in 2010. The knowledge that I gained about the protocols of managing severe, moderate, and mild malnutrition during the Nutrition in Emergencies course, has helped me a lot. Also, the skills in calculating the needed nutrition supplies and knowledge on the sphere standards have been very useful. The course even gave me confidence in writing the funding proposal if the need arises.
I also now work as the emergency focal person for our section preparing a nutrition-related emergency preparedness and response plan as well as coordinating with our various cluster partners at the provincial level in case of any unforeseen emergency such as floods.
The training on nutrition in emergencies catered the needs of students coming from a variety of settings. The practical examples were enlightening, and the interaction and sharing of experience among the participants from different countries was commendable.
Dr. Qurrat-ul-Ain Ahmed works as Nutrition Officer at UNICEF Punjab in Pakistan.
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Community-based disaster risk management (CBDRM)Supporting community-based disaster risk reduction in Afghanistan
At the time of the community-based disaster risk management course in 2012, I worked as National Health Promotion and Disaster Risk Reduction Coordinator for the World Health Organization (WHO) in Afghanistan. I knew about Asian Disaster Preparedness Center’s long-term experience and expertise on community-based disaster risk management, and decided to attend the course.
In my work at World Health Organization, I led the development process of a community toolkit on disaster risk reduction for the Ministry of Public Health Afghanistan. The course improved my ability to better contribute to the development process. During the training I also learned more about the climate change and its linkages to public health risks, which was very useful to me.
I found the course as a great venue to gain the latest knowledge on community-based disaster risk management and to learn about the current practices in the field. It was also a great opportunity for networking. The course helps the participants to further contribute in the implementation of community-based disaster risk reduction and to improve the situation in their countries.
Later in 2012, Dr. Pir Mohammad Paya joined Asian Disaster Preparedness Center as a senior technical specialist.
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Nutrition in EmergenciesSpreading knowledge on Nutrition in Emergencies in the Philippines
Since I am a graduate of the Nutrition in Emergencies (NiE) course in 2011 and took part in the conduct of NiE in 2012, the Department of Health of the Government of the Philippines has integrated new knowledge on nutrition in emergencies to a number of its guidelines and publications. Developed in cooperation with the department’s cluster and sectoral partners, these include the following: Pocket Emergency Tool for Nutrition in Emergencies, Training Manual on Nutrition in Emergencies for the local government, Treatment Protocol for Selected Conditions and Diseases during Emergencies, and Key Health Messages for Emergencies.
The new knowledge and skills gained in the course are valuable also when I provide technical assistance in the capability development activities and the actual delivery of nutrition in emergency response interventions in the country. Our department supports the Nutrition Cluster of the Philippines in the finalization of the Integrated Information Management System for Health Emergency Management where technical inputs learned from the NiE course are utilized.
During the running of the course, it will be helpful that for every session participants with field experience from certain areas can be requested to share lessons and best practices as a jumpstart towards a more comprehensive discussion. The course even helped me in developing my management skills that are needed in program management, monitoring and evaluation at the national level; communication skills that are important in coordinating cluster concerns on nutrition; and technical skills needed in developing strategies on how to advocate for cluster support and improve mechanisms for services delivery.
Ms. Florinda Venzon Panlilio works as Nutritionist Dietitian IV at Health Emergency Management Staff of Department of Health of the Government of the Philippines.
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26th Training Course on Community-Based Disaster Risk ReductionCBDRR-26 Course impression
Mr. Donghyuk Park, Ms. Hsu Yie Nyein and Mr. Santosh Gyawali participated in the 26th Training Course on Community-Based Disaster Risk Reduction expressed their impressions in the closing ceremony. Visit this video below to hear the course impression.
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Geographic Information Systems (GIS) for Disaster Risk ManagementUsing spatial data for disaster risk management
I attended ADPC’s Training Course on Geographic Information Systems (GIS) for Disaster Risk Management in 2015. The training improved my understanding of how GIS is used in different organizations – during both pre- and post-disaster management – and I am more comfortable using this software now that I got to practice. The introduction to the technology was useful and interesting, and the resources and references were excellent. I really appreciated the time we had for the hands-on exercises and the context of using real-life situations. I like the way ADPC started the training from the basics, and the fact that the training engaged a diverse group of people from different organizations working on a multitude of environmental projects.
I later also participated in ADPC’s Training Course on Incident Command Systems (ICS) for Disaster Management, which provided in-depth knowledge on the application of ICS in disaster response management. I learned, among other things, about the importance of having clear roles and reporting structures in times of emergencies.
The courses relate very much to my work with the local and regional offices of the United Nations Development Programme in Thailand, within the framework of development under the environment portfolio, specifically focusing on energy consumption and energy efficiency, low carbon development, and development of project proposals on topics such as medical waste recycling. I also support other country offices in managing the development of projects related to recovery from natural disasters in Southeast Asia.
Being prepared for disasters entails engaging the community at all levels – from professionals in international organizations and government bodies to the local communities – without dismissing the affected communities’ existing knowledge that in turn adds to the sense of belonging and security. We promote the idea that resilience should be integrated into every new development initiative and that preparedness is everyone’s responsibility.
Meshal Abdullah works as Programme Analyst at the United Nations Development Programme office in Thailand.
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Managing Risk in the Face of Climate ChangeMr. Navneet Yadav
“Understanding the key concepts of disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation was my motivation for participating in this training course as my organization works towards climate-resilient and disaster-ready communities.
I didn’t expect to learn one-size-fits-all disaster risk management approaches and frameworks. I understand we cannot simply take one strategy and apply it everywhere. A framework might work for disaster risk reduction hotspots like the Philippines or Bangladesh, but not necessarily for my country.
During the training, we were provided with various disaster risk reduction methodologies, learned how to mainstream climate change and disaster risk reduction into planning and then decided which approach to adopt according to specific contexts to ultimately enhance community resilience.
Over the past 12 years, I have been working in the Himalayan region. Even though the training course discussed hazards affecting coastal regions, the diverse group work was very beneficial to me as everyone brought their own set of knowledge from different countries around the world. When I discussed an issue in my region someone else reported they had similar challenges and we worked together to find the best solutions.
During the training facilitators demonstrated their inherited values, shared their experience of being in a disaster themselves, and reminded us why we are doing the work we do. They made sure we can do our job in the most effective way possible, and I’m very thankful for that.
Everyone at the training has graduated from universities, worked on disaster risk reduction concepts for a long time and understands the theory behind them. The facilitators’ role was not only to teach us new concepts, but also teach us how to apply the knowledge we already know to bring about meaningful change.DRR and CCA cannot be mainstreamed without that sense of commitment and empathy towards the community that these two approaches intend to serve.”
Mr. Navneet Yadav works at Doers in the Himalayan region of India -
Country Coordinator supporting the PMI implementingAwaluddin
Testimonial:
"Learning together at ADPC is really fun with well trained and experienced instructors, learning theory in practical way and sharing experiences from fellow participants from different countries. Good luck and keep being "home of knowledge" for humanity."
I have participated in the 22nd Regional Training Course on Community-Based Disaster Risk Reduction with a Climate Change (CBDRR-22) since 2013. In that time I worked in Japanese Red cross Society (JRCS) Indonesia Delegation as a Program Manager. I was given a great opportunity to learn DRR through CBDRR Course with ADPC after getting basic course in Indonesia together with the Indonesian Red Cross (PMI) team.
Recently I am still working with the JRCS Indonesia Delegation and promoted as the Country Coordinator supporting the PMI implementing the second phase of Integrated Community Based Risk Reduction in Bengkulu Province, Sumatera Island. We are supporting 9 communities focusing on Earthquake and Tsunami. This is a 4 years project starting from April 2016 to March 2020 after completion of the similar project in Banten Province.
Based on what I learned from ADPC, recently we have completed the Baseline Survey, VCA and Risk Mapping, the progress will be continued by the preparation and development of Village Risk Reduction Plan in 9 communities together with community volunteers called Community Based Action Team (CBAT).
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Health Specialist (Emergency), UNICEF, Sudan Country OfficeDr. Shaza Ahmed Sidahmed
It was really useful to attend the GIS for disaster risk management course organized by the ADPC in 2012. Actually, everything was wonderful; the training's venue, the module and training materials ,and the facilitation techniques. I have learnt a lot from this course because the facilitators were very knowledgeable and supportive. I highly recommend this very course to all professionals working in management of information related to the disasters risk assessment and management . Thanks to ADPC for offering such an excellent learning's opportunity.
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4th Online Training Course on Disaster Risk CommunicationDr. Shimaa Maki Ahmed
We can learn new things from each other and teammate as well as providing the materials. We really love this training especially, the course convenes. The time of interaction would be a bit longer. The virtual community visit was excellent. We can know how the real community deal with the risk and how difficult they face in the real situation.
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4th Online Training Course on Disaster Risk CommunicationLiza Velle B. Ramos
The course has truly been a rewarding experience for me and the rest of the Makati contingents. True to its objectives, the 3-week training program has been successful in providing not only the theoretical aspect of DRC, but also its practical application in a disaster/ emergency environment. After completing the course, Makati contingents will instantly apply our DRC learnings in various facets of our disaster risk reduction and management services, such as planning, advocacy, training, and operations, as well as in our Covid-19 management.
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4th Online Training Course on Disaster Risk CommunicationMr. Shuvo Kumar Saha
I would like to extend my appreciation to ADPC for this training. This course is interactive and we were able to share the knowledge and experience with fellow participants from other parts of the world on disaster risk communication processes. I also personally thank ADPC, particularly on selection of participants for my group with some government officials and UN agency guys. We learned a lot and we were able to develop the DRC plan together well.
Graphs below show you the number of participant in the different
classification.
This is a statistics of participants who attended the flagship, regional
and national courses of ADPC under the data collection from the past
until May 2018.