Prepare for Humanitarian Action

The academy for humanitarian action (aha) provides advanced training courses for the humanitarian community. It combines unique insights from humanitarian practice and academic research. Join us on our mission to spread the skills we need when crises hit – start today.

Upcoming courses

Basic Security Training for Humanitarian Missions Abroad

German

October 2025

© Aktion Deutschland Hilft / Loeffke

This course will prepare you for potentially dangerous situations in foreign deployments. By using interactive case studies, you will learn to develop a feeling for dangerous situations and to use preventive measures. You will learn how to react to aggression and violence in a de-escalating way and how to protect yourself in the long term. The basic idea of ​​the training is de-escalation. Furthermore, processing options after stressful events and how to deal with stress in foreign assignments are discussed and reflected, both in terms of personal perception and with regard to the team members concerned.

The course will cover following topics:

Preparation for travelling abroad: arrival at the airport, travelling in the country of assignment, selection of accommodation (e.g. hotels) from a safety perspective.

Behaviour and handling using de-escalation strategies: with criminals, in situations with a latent threat from a weapon, in the event of an acute threat from a stabbing weapon, with people who are highly stressed and prone to violent behaviour, at legal and illegal checkpoints, in the event of an ambush with an assault in a vehicle, against authorities/official representatives of state power

Handling of your own and others' stress in extraordinary situations and of colleagues who are experiencing an acute stressful event.

Knowledge about the types and effects of firearms, mines and hand grenades and about hazard-minimising behaviour in crowds, traffic accidents and pursuits abroad.

WASH in Emergencies 2025

English

October 2025

1 ECTS

© Thorsten Reckerzügl

In the 3-day course "WASH in Emergencies" you will receive a comprehensive overview on the field of WASH in humanitarian and transitional assistance, technical and non-technical options of intervention as well as specifics and challenges in the WASH sector. The course covers the basics of humanitarian assistance in the WASH sector, including the related humanitarian principles and WASH standards. Approaches and technologies for water, sanitation and hygiene provision in humanitarian crisis settings will be presented and you will discuss WASH-specific project planning approaches and cooperation structures in humanitarian aid. Experienced speakers from the German WASH network and external experts will give technical inputs and contribute up-to-date practical examples to the course.

The training is part of aha's certification scheme and can be credited towards a Certificate of Advanced Studies in "Foundations of Humanitarian Action". Staff of Aktion Deutschland Hilft member organizations can apply for reimbursement of the course fee. Please note: The course language is English or German depending on the participants. Materials will be provided in English. Individual sessions by international speakers may be only feasible in English.

Humanitarian Carbon Calculator - Hands-On Training

English

October 2025

© Alice Smeets / Aktion Deutschland Hilft

Climate action begins with understanding your impact—and humanitarian organizations are no exception. In a sector increasingly committed to climate neutrality and sustainability, accurately measuring your carbon footprint is essential.

The Humanitarian Carbon Calculator is a useful tool to allow humanitarian agencies to calculate, and thereby systematically reduce, their carbon emissions.

This course will enable you to confidently use the calculator to track the greenhouse gas emissions from their organization. This can be a starting point for transformation in your organisations leading towards climate neutrality. The training is a combination of interactive lectures, group work, practical activities and self-directed ‘homework‘ that will help you develop the skills needed to calculate carbon emissions in their own organisations. Using real-world examples and your own projects and examples the course will explore the steps needed to understand and reduce carbon emissions within the operational realities of humanitarian settings.

Who we are

The academy for humanitarian action (aha) is an institution for further education in the humanitarian sector. It is located at the intersection of humanitarian practice and research and pools the expertise from over 25 years of work in the humanitarian sector. The aha carries out high quality trainings and offers a platform for other training providers in the field of humanitarian action. Our trainings are based on internationally established initiatives to systematize and standardize education in humanitarian action. Visit the about us section to find out more!

What we aim for

Our work is inspired by the desire to create a positive impact and advance the professionalization of humanitarian action in Germany and beyond. Our aim is to support humanitarians in their continuous effort to further improve the quality of their work, address new challenges and meet important requests for reform, such as the commitments that were made in the course of the World Humanitarian Summit. A special emphasis of our work is on anticipatory humanitarian action and community-led response. Visit the about us section to find out more!

What we offer

The academy for humanitarian action offers a wide range of different training courses on topics related to humanitarian action and international collaboration. The trainings are carried out by aha members and by external providers who have proven expertise in selected areas. Our curriculum is based on the indicated needs of target communities and will be continuously updated and adapted in collaboration with experts from different practical and academic disciplines. Click here to get an overview of our current course offer or here to download a pdf version of our course curriculum for 2024. Participating in several courses of the curriculum will allow you to gain a “Certificate of Advanced Studies” (CAS).

Aktion Deutschland HilftRUBInstitut für Friedenssicherungsrecht und Humanitäres VölkerrechtFH MünsterKompetenzzentrum Humanitäre HilfeAkademie der Ruhr-Universität Bochum

Your tailor-made certificate

The academy for humanitarian action offers flexible and tailor-made certificates that can be adapted to your purpose. You may opt for a simple certificate of attendance, a course certificate or a “Certificate of Advanced Studies” from one of the core tracks: Foundations of Humanitarian Action, Anticipatory Humanitarian Action or Locally-led Humanitarian Action. Each “Certificate of Advanced Studies” comprises five course certificates. To get a more detailed overview of our modular certification scheme, click here.