Venezuela’s National Strategy for Implementing Humanitarian Action boosted by Sphere Training of Trainers programme

By: Flor Piñango, Sphere trainer

Venezuela’s Vice Ministry of Risk Management, the National Civil Protection authority and Caritas Venezuela are organizing a series of Risk Management and the Environment workshops as part of a wider Implementing Humanitarian Action in Venezuela strategy.

As part of this initiative, 25 participants, including NGO managers and government actors, took part in a 5-day Sphere Training of Trainers (ToT) workshop from 29 November to 3 December 2021 in Caracas, Venezuela.

Our ToT workshop started with a refresher in the application of Sphere Minimum Standards for preparedness, response and recovery phases of humanitarian intervention. While the workshop itself was in-person, participants got their hands on some virtual training tools to prepare themselves for facilitating online learning. During the participant-led sessions on the final day, everyone had an opportunity to apply their new knowledge and skills.

The ToT workshop increased participants’ capacities to train others in Sphere Standards, but the work and learning do not stop there.

The Implementing Humanitarian Action in Venezuela strategy includes:

• Further training: ToT graduates are required to facilitate at least one workshop for partners and community members in the two months following the workshop, and provide event reports to Sphere;
• Development of protocols: ToT graduates will work together to start developing protocols for humanitarian assistance in Venezuela; and
• Disaster Risk Reduction: In the medium term, ToT graduates will organise technical workshops to inform the updating of Venezuela’s Comprehensive Risk Management and Disaster Risk Reduction

I would like to thank Venezuela Vice Ministry of Risk Management and Civil Protection, Alejandro Castañeda (Sphere trainer and focal point representative); the Venezuela Vice Ministry of Risk Management and Civil Protection; the National Civil Protection authority; the Caritas Civil Association of Venezuela; Aninia, Felicity and the rest of the Sphere team in Geneva; and the other individuals and organisations that contributed to the successful delivery of this ToT.

Next year, we plan to organise additional introductory, thematic and ToT Sphere workshops to further consolidate Venezuela’s Sphere network. Following this latest ToT workshop, Venezuela now has over 150 Sphere ToT graduates! Our Sphere network also includes hundreds of workshop graduates who continue to learn about Sphere and who advocate for the use of Sphere Standards in Comprehensive Risk Management and Disaster Reduction policies.

We believe strongly in Sphere because it focuses humanitarian action on the right to a dignified life, the right to protection and security, and the right to assistance, as well as promoting the active participation of people affected by disasters. Sphere provides a common language for working with local and national authorities, and it helps us to improve the quality and accountability of our humanitarian programmes, thereby improving resilience and outcomes for local communities.