NetHope ICT Skills Building Program

The NetHope ICT Skills Building Program provides low-cost technology training and resources to ICT staff and programme workers at NGOs serving developing countries. Interviews with 10 different NGOs were conducted to develop a comprehensive needs analysis and address real-world scenarios that NGOs face today. With that input, the NetHope team set to work developing a scalable programme that was designed to leverage curriculum and delivery modes (instructor-led training, self-paced e-learning, etc.) that the organisations were already accustomed to using. The focus on the courses, which are detailed on the NetHope ICT Skills Building Program website is on flexible learning through a variety of training solutions, including classroom training at local facilities, live online training with support from technology and learning industry personnel, and self-paced online training, are designed to meet practitioners' specific needs as they fulfill their humanitarian missions. The programme also has built-in tracking mechanisms to measure success and adjust the offerings as needed.

Collaborative in its creation, this initiative encourages peer learning, facilitated in part through the NetHope ICT Skills Building Program website. "Champions" are individuals who are willing to share their computer, IT, and business skills within their own NGOs as well as with a wider community of humanitarian organisations. Modes for extending the benefits of one's expertise include answering co-workers' technology questions, acting as a "resident expert" who serves as a resource to colleagues, or leading training sessions that educate larger groups.

Technology, Risk Management.

From September 2005 to March 2006, the Emergency Capacity Building Project (ECB) conducted a survey around the use of ICT in emergency response. This research was motivated by the conviction that, when disaster strikes, ICT has the potential to support humanitarian organisations in saving lives and easing human suffering by gathering information about the affected area, sharing assessments, communicating requirements, and reporting on progress of relief efforts. However, the ECB survey found that, in many cases, while ICT systems were in place at humanitarian organisations, workers lacked the necessary skills to take full advantage of the tools they had been given. NetHope launched the Skills Building Program in response to these findings.