Education in emergencies: working in partnership to deliver localised training in Afghanistan

The HLA Asia Regional Centre is reflecting on the successful delivery of the Education in Emergencies (EiE) Fundamentals course in Afghanistan – the first time that this comprehensive training programme has been delivered in the country.

The EiE Fundamentals programme in Afghanistan is an initiative of the Humanitarian Leadership Academy and Education Cluster leads together with Save the Children in Afghanistan and UNICEF.

The five-day programme was delivered in Kabul between 1-5 October 2023 to Education Cluster members in Afghanistan. The aim of EiE Fundamentals is to equip education and EiE practitioners on the principles, processes and techniques essential for EiE programming.

37 participants benefited from the training: 12 representatives from local and national organisations in Afghanistan, together with 25 participants from international organisations including the UN, UNICEF, IRC, Norwegian Refugee Council, World Vision, and Save the Children International.

Contextualised training

The expert EiE training team led by Efren Lubuguin, the HLA’s EiE Professional Development Programme Manager for Asia, guided the participants through a total of 46 hours of blended learning: 35 hours of in-person training and 11 hours of online learning and remote video lectures with face-to-face support facilitation.

Working in collaboration with Education Cluster in-country leads enabled the EiE Fundamentals training content and delivery to be carefully adapted in line with the Afghanistan national context and directives.

Throughout the training programme, participants from national and local organisations were invited to share daily presentations on their EiE work and experiences in Afghanistan which served as an effective information sharing and discussion tool for the group.

Continuous training feedback enabled dynamic adjustments to the programme, fostering a positive reception from the participants.

The HLA’s EiE Professional Development Programme Manager for Asia praised the engagement and collaborative efforts of all stakeholders and participants, highlighting the active participation and high levels of interest in topics such as EiE assessment, analysis, programme design; teacher supply; and wellbeing.

EiE work across the Asia region

This training builds on the roll-out and delivery of the HLA’s Education in Emergencies Professional Development Programme across the wider Asia region this year including the inaugural EiE Fundamentals training in Nepal in May, and the launch of the EiE Certificate of Advanced Studies (EiE CAS) programme in Asia, which welcomed a new cohort in November.

Further work in Afghanistan

The HLA will continue its work on the education and EiE context in Afghanistan in partnership with Save the Children in Afghanistan and Education Cluster members

The EiE Fundamentals training in Kabul provided a valuable forum for the Education Cluster members to discuss and identify capacity strengthening support needs, and to consider how the Education Cluster leads will plan and implement technical support to members.

In the immediate term, the HLA Asia Regional Centre team continues to liaise with the training participants and Save the Children in Afghanistan, particularly in the aftermath of the devastating earthquakes which hit Herat Province shortly after the conclusion of this initial EiE Fundamentals training. At least 14 schools have been damaged across the area, resulting in major disruption to children’s education.   

To aid humanitarian efforts, the HLA has launched a Response Learning Hub for Afghanistan to provide relevant and up-to-date open-access humanitarian training resources including EiE. These resources will be continuously reviewed and updated in line with identified needs.

The HLA Asia Regional Centre extends its thanks and appreciation to Education Cluster members, Save the Children in Afghanistan, as well as to the EiE Fundamentals training funders Save the Children Norway.

Further Information

Education in Emergencies Professional Development Programme

Response Learning Hub for Afghanistan

About the HLA Asia Regional Centre
HLA Asia Regional Centre

Podcast episode
Education in Emergencies: the viewpoint from Asia in 2023