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Greetings!
The Harvard Humanitarian is a monthly e-newsletter compiled by the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative (HHI) to publicize news, publications, and events in the Harvard community related to advancing responses to humanitarian crises of war and disaster. Please help us make this a robust resource by contributing your Harvard community news items via email. |
| SPECIAL FEATURE: KOBO TOOLBOX RELEASE |
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HHI Researchers Launch KoBo Toolbox to Aid in Digital Data Collection
After years of conducting research in remote locations, HHI faculty members Phuong Pham and Patrick Vinck have created KoBo Toolbox, an integrated suite of applications for handheld digital data collection. Digital data collection is superior to paper-based methods in terms of speed, data quality, and security, and is a cost-effective alternative to manual data entry. However, those who attempt to move toward digital data collection are often faced with technical challenges requiring special programming skills, special equipment, or gaps in the process. Having faced these same issues, the team behind KoBoToolbox created this suite of applications; the same toolbox that was used to conduct large scale population studies in places like the Central African Republic, Northern Uganda, or Liberia.
 KoBoToolbox was created in direct response to field needs and challenges faced by its founders when conducting large scale-population based surveys on attitudes about peace, justice, and reconstruction. The KoBo Toolbox is intended for conducting academic research of a large or small sample, and might also be used for monitoring and evaluation of aid programs. On a smaller scale, it can be applied toward collecting a simple opinion poll. Each of Kobo tools can be used alone, together or combined with outside applications. The system is designed to work with the Android operating system and is compatible with other form builders and data collection apps.
For more information on exemplary uses of this technology please see the user showcases here. A detailed flowchart of how a researcher proceeds from a basic research question, through the process of collecting data, and up to reporting findings is available here.
The release of KoBo Toolbox is one of the first releases of HHI's emerging Program on Evaluation and Implementation Science -- look for more information on this program in the months to come. For information on HHI's other program areas, please click here.
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ANNOUNCEMENTS
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HHI Begins Accepting Applications for Winter Cogan Fund for Humanitarian Studies Funding
 HHI is pleased to be accepting applications for its 2012 January Recess research funding program, supported by the Cogan Family Fund for Humanitarian Studies.
The Cogan Family Fund for Humanitarian Studies provides funds for undergraduate and graduate students at Harvard University who are conducting field research related to crisis-affected settings. The fund enables students to obtain international experience and an understanding of the cross-disciplinary nature of humanitarian work. Students interested in advancing research, practice, and policy in the field of humanitarian assistance to populations affected by war, disaster, and other crises are encouraged to apply. Successful applicants are eligible to receive support for travel and research related expenses.
Application materials are available here on the HHI website and will be accepted on a rolling basis through December 1, 2011. For more information on the research of previous Cogan Family Fund recipients, please click here.
Satellite Sentinel Project Documents Evidence of Abductions and Killings by Sudan's Central Reserve Police
Over the past several months, the Satellite Sentinel Project (SSP) has continued to monitor and report on the increasingly precarious security situation in the contested border regions of Sudan. On October 13, SSP released satellite images corroborating eyewitness accounts and United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCHR) reports alleging that the Government of Sudan's Central Reserve Police (CRP) unit has engaged in the unlawful abduction, detention, and extra-judicial killing of civilians in South Kordofan, Sudan.
 SSP, through HHI's analysis of DigitalGlobe satellite imagery and field reports collected by the Enough Project, has documented that the CRP, also known as "Abu Tira," reinforced and fortified a police training center alongside the UN Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) compound during the time period that CRP forces were reportedly abducting, detaining, torturing and killing internally displaced persons (IDPs) seeking refuge there.
Satellite imagery shows clear evidence of the buildup of fortifications and significant reinforcement of apparent CRP personnel and vehicles between 2 June and 19 August. Eyewitness accounts collected by SSP detail the alleged 6 June abduction of IDPs from the UNMIS compound to an area between the UN compound and the CRP training center, where CRP reportedly killed them. In another incident, a UNHCHR report describes reports of armed CRP personnel, moving in and out of the UNMIS protective perimeter, conducting identity checks on IDPs on 8 June. CRP forces reportedly abducted some IDPs following the identity checks.
To see the latest satellite images and for more information or ways to take action, visit www.satsentinel.org. To read more about HHI's part in the Satellite Sentinel Project, visit our Crisis Mapping and Early Warning Page.
"Developing Managers and Leaders" Report Explores How INGOs Train Staff Members
 As international non-governmental organizations (INGOs) have grown larger and larger and have become stewards of substantial financial resources, they are being challenged to become more professional, well-managed organizations. As a result, it is more necessary than ever for INGOs of all sizes to recruit and train high-quality staff. While many organizations have developed successful leadership development programs for their staffs, others still struggle in their efforts.
A new report, "Developing Managers and Leaders: Experiences and Lessons from International NGOs" elucidates ways that INGOs approach management and leadership development. The report, sponsored by the Hauser Center for Nonprofit Organizations and HHI, is based on interviews with senior managers affiliated with a variety of well-known INGOs. The report identifies best practice and lessons learned from their differing approaches; finds commonalities between their management programs; and proposes considerations for further expanding these efforts.
To read the report, please click here. For more on HHI's numerous publications, please click here.
HHI Director Michael VanRooyen Discusses Role of Technology in Humanitarian Response
 At a recent Harvard School of Public Health Hot Topics lecture, Director of HHI Dr. Michael VanRooyen presented on HHI's varied programs to support the role of technology in humanitarian response. VanRooyen outlined HHI's efforts to help governments, non-governmental organizations, and the United Nations make use of currently available technology to improve communication between responders, information-gathering, and data analysis. For more information on this presentation, please click here. For more information on HHI's various research programs, please click here.
Director of HHI's Women in War Program Presents at Sexual Violence Research Initiative (SVRI) Forum in South Africa
In October, Jocelyn Kelly, MS, Director of HHI's Women in War Program, traveled to South Africa to present several of her research abstracts at the 2011 Sexual Violence Research Initiative (SVRI) Forum. Kelly advocated for expanding the term "sexual violence" to include assistance and rehabilitation programs not only for women, but also for men. For an IRIN Africa article on her presentation, please click here. For more information on HHI's Women in War Program, please click here.
Fellow Kelly McQueen Receives Arizona Medical Association Humanitarian of the Year Award
Kelly McQueen, MD, MPH, fellow at HHI, recently received the Arizona Medical Association Humanitarian of the Year Award for her work deliving and supporting safe anesthesia in low income countries. For more information on HHI's Fellows program and for a list of our current affiliates, please click here.
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UPCOMING EVENTS
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Event times, dates, and locations listed here are subject to change without notice. Please contact the event host for more information.
"Water and Sanitation for Women's Security"
 Monday, November 7, 2011
12:30 - 1:20 PM
Carr Center Conference Room
Rubenstein Building, Floor 2
Harvard Kennedy School of Government
Lack of access to clean, safe and affordable water and sanitation services disproportionately affects women and girls. Each day, women and girls collectively spend more than 200 million hours on transporting water, which reduces their opportunities for education and economic advancement. Lack of access to sanitation and hygiene services at schools is a further hurdle discouraging girls from attending school. In addition, women and girls are vulnerable to physical or sexual attacks while traveling long distances to collect water or when relieving themselves when sanitation facilities are not available. This session will examine how the newly recognized human rights to water and sanitation can be used as a tool to address these gender inequities.
This is a joint meeting of two ongoing weekly seminar groups run by the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy: the Gender & Security Seminar Series and the Right to Water Study Group. For more information on this event, please click here.
Human Rights, Humanitarian Law, and Nuclear Weapons
 Tuesday, November 8, 2011
12:00 - 1:00 PM
Lewis 302
Harvard Law School Human Rights Program
A Talk by John Burroughs, Executive Director of Lawyers Committee on Nuclear Policy
John Burroughs, J.D., Ph.D., is a specialist on treaty regimes and international law relating to nuclear and other non-conventional weapons. He will discuss the nature and prospects of the humanitarian approach to nuclear disarmament. This event is sponsored by the Human Rights Program (HRP) at Harvard Law School, which seeks to give impetus and direction to international human rights work at Harvard Law School. For more information on the Harvard Law School's HRP, please click here.
4th Annual Alliance for Surgery and Anesthesia Presence (ASAP) Meeting: "Building Sustainable Surgical Systems"
November 9-11, 2011
Sheraton Harbor Island
San Diego, CA
Please join us for the 4th Annual ASAP Meeting, hosted by the UC San Diego School of Medicine and Rady Children's Hospital and held at the Sheraton Harbor Island, San Diego on November 9-11, 2011. The meeting will focus on bringing together the many fields that are integral to health systems in low resource areas. Our annual meeting is an opportunity to move forward with the agenda of fostering sustainable, safe and cost effective surgical interventions through education, training, research and collaboration with nonprofit organizations committed to surgical delivery.
The Alliance for Surgery and Anesthesia Presence (ASAP) was founded in 2007 as a working group of surgeons, anesthesiologists, public health professionals and policy makers interested in a multidisciplinary approach to promoting strengthened infrastructure and expansion of capacity for delivery of surgical services in low- and middle-income countries. It is our belief that surgical care and safe anesthesia are vital components of public health and should be priorities on the global health agenda. What began as a group of 12 members has grown exponentially to a movement involving over 350 members from several international organizations, academic institutions, surgical and anesthesia colleges and societies, and other global initiatives.
For more information on ASAP or the meeting, "Building Sustainable Surgical Systems," please click here.
Alfredo Jaar: It Is Difficult
 Thursday, November 10, 2011
5:00 - 7:00 PM
Fong Auditorium, Boylston Hall
Harvard Yard
Alfredo Jaar is considered one the most influential artists of our time. Originally from Chile, he has produced haunting installations filled with muted images, which remind the viewers of their passivity in a number of crimes against humanity. His work has been shown extensively around the world and published by some of the most distinguished intellectuals and art historians.
In It is Difficult, Jaar will present and discuss his latest projects produced around the world, in which he continues to question and denounce the power structures at play and to challenge the spectator's political inaction.
Sponsored by the Cultural Agents Initiative, HHI, Artists in Contexts, David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies, and hosted by the Mahindra Center for the Humanities at Harvard University. For more information, please click here.
Emergency Surgery Workshop Davos 2011
 Saturday, December 10, 2011
Davos, Switzerland
Recent mega-catastrophes, including the Wenchuan earthquake of May 2008 and the Haiti earthquake of January 2010, have caused extremely large numbers of casualties. Many of the people rescued have shown life-threatening trauma that has required immediate surgery. At times, the international response to such disasters has revealed highly questionable practices in the delivery of emergency medical assistance. This contrasts with a broader tendency in recent years to improve standards of humanitarian intervention.
The Emergency Surgery Workshop Davos 2011 will demonstrate how to improve the quality of medical response, in particular by clarifying:
- efficient decision making in extremely stressful situations
- treatment of complicated limb fractures under emergency conditions
- questions about when and how amputation surgery is necessary
Participation is recommended for representatives and delegates from medical institutions, the health sector, international medical response teams, UN and international agencies, NGOs, the EU and other government organisations. For detailed information about the workshop, programme details and online registration please visit www.grforum.org.
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PUBLICATIONS & PRESS
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- Aronson, Jane, "Monley's Parents Are Dead, But Is He Really an Orphan?," Huffington Post, July 11, 2011
- Besheer, Margaret, "Kadugli Bishop Appeals to UN to Stop Sudanese Bombings," Voice of America, August 5, 2011
- Brynen, Rex, "Humanitarian Studies Initiative and Applied Technologies," PAXSims Blog, August 20, 2011
- Clarkson, Frederick, "The Anglican and the Evangelicals: Insights from the Sudanese Genocide," RD Magazine, August 9, 2011
- Datz, Todd, "Technology boosts humanitarian efforts," Harvard School of Public Health, August 25, 2011
- El Wardany, Salma, and Maram Mazen, "Mass Graves Discovered in Sudan's Southern Kordofan State, Satellite Says," Bloomberg, August 18, 2011
- Farkas, Eszter, "U.N. seeks probe into possible war crimes in Sudan's Southern Kordofan," CNN, August 16, 2011
- Hough, Lily, "Congressional Hearings Paint Picture of Crisis and Atrocities," IPS News, August 4, 2011
- Ireland, Corydon, "Travel, by design," Harvard Gazette, October 3, 2011
- IRIN, "Rape as a 'weapon of war' against men," IRIN Africa, October 2011
- Jayawickrama, Sherine, "Developing Managers and Leaders: Experiences and Lessons from International NGOs," October 2011
- Kelly, Jocelyn, "Opinion: Rape Traumatizes All Congolese, Not Just Women," August 2011
- Lederer, Edith, "Bishop accuses Sudan of `ethnic cleansing'," Associated Press, July 29, 2011
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About The Harvard Humanitarian Initiative
HHI fosters interdisciplinary collaboration at Harvard University in order to improve the effectiveness of humanitarian strategies for relief, protection, and prevention; instill human rights principles and practices in these strategies; and educate and train the next generation of humanitarian leaders. In 2005, the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative was established as a University-wide interfaculty academic and research center, supported by the Office of the Provost and the Harvard School of Public Health with the participation of faculty from Harvard schools and affiliated hospitals. For more information, visit www.hhi.harvard.edu.
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