As part of our ongoing technical support to International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Guatemala, IRMA designed and conducted the first round of a “Training of Trainers” on the incorporation of environmental considerations in humanitarian response to population displacement in Guatemala. Following a positive evaluation of the first round, IRMA will conduct a second round of the training in November 2021.

The training, which is provided in Spanish, aims to:

1) Strengthen participants’ knowledge about environmental impacts that result from humanitarian response to migration,

2) Develop participants’ capacities to identify ways to prevent and mitigate such impacts,

3) Equip participants with resources and techniques to replicate the trainings within their respective institutions.

Each session applies an environmental lens to assess unintended negative impacts that result from humanitarian responses in shelter, WASH, health and wellbeing, food, livelihoods, gender, and protection programming. Critical thinking exercises, use of visual and game-like applications (Miro, Kahoot) and a peer-to-peer learning approach encourage and sustain participant engagement and interest.

The course culminates in a virtual simulation of a humanitarian response to a sudden, massive migration flow. Participants test their newly acquired knowledge and skills to design and deliver an environmentally-responsible response.

The training is led by IRMA partner Marilise Turnbull, with research and technical support from Chandler Smith.