The humanitarian emergency in Syria is a very interesting, unusual and heartbreaking one, ultimately. Caused by violent conflict within the country, outsiders are having difficulty getting in and are providing  humanitarian outside of the country, for refugees from the crisis. Here is an organization taking the lead in Syrian humanitarian relief. They are asking for volunteer - I am not sure what you could or where they would send you as a volunteer, but it would be worth taking a look.

But of course, to do this kind of work professionally you would need to be skilled and trained - ready to manage yourself and maybe others in a stressful situation. I learned enough, when I took my Red R course, Essentials of Humanitarian Aid to know that I would like to to do this kind of work eventually, probably with emergency education. It is going to take some time and I may wait till my kids are in college, but I know I would be of value on the ground in some of these situations and I am almost ready for the challenge.

ReliefWeb offers the newest and best method to look at jobs available in the humanitarian field. Whether entry level, volunteer or experienced, the searchable database is amazing. It also give you a way to keep track of what is going on around the world. Technology is also upfront for those interested in new ways to use technology in humanitarian and emergency aid in ReliefWeb Labs. There they have new tools for humanitarian work. If you are already in the IT or ICT field you could meld these two areas together and get the opportunity to do some amazing work for those that need help around the world.

Apps for Humanitarian Aid workers seem to be exploding on the scene - Global Overview and Humanitarian Kiosk are two to surely be included on the iPad mini that goes to every student in the Global Development and Humanitarian Aid Training Program. Mirroring our use of the ipad mini to distribute useful apps and documents to students for the program, TED has decided to do the same thing at the upcoming conference in Long Beach, CA. Good company!

People have asked me how my own experience relates to my interest in humanitarian and emergency aid and also asked me if I was planning on doing this kind of work myself! Well, since I am now 52 and never expected I would travel and teach in Kosovo, Liberia or Rwanda, I can't say that I won't ever do this kind of work. I am particularly interested in emergency education. A new aspect of the humanitarian sector, I can see myself getting involved in this kind of work if I had the opportunity. Since I have already taken the RedR UK course Essentials of Humanitarian Practice, (the centerpiece of our program in Pittsburgh) I would probably be qualified, considering my 20 years of teaching, to work in a project like this.

On a cold, snowy night in Pittsburgh, one could do a lot worse than running into Carrie Richards at the Park House on the North Side when the Beagle Brothers are playing. Ultra-helpful, and always cheerful, she works at the RMU Bayer Center and she has lots of great connections and ideas for publicizing The Global Development and Humanitarian Aid Program. Another sign that Pittsburgh non-profits cooperate and collaborate. If you want to get into this world, humanitarian and emergency aid training could be one way. First, it shows you are serious, made a commitment and followed through. Second, bringing this background to any non-profit will make you the go-to person for this field, and that is never a bad thing. Third, the publicity we are getting for this program may make our students in high demand - Feed The Hungry, in the UK, has asked us to let them know if we have any star students for possible work in Sudan, Somalia or the DRC. This is a great starting point for anyone entering this field.