Marian P. (doctor, 46 years old)

“What motivated me to take part in the LandsAid webinar was my interest in this important work. As a doctor, I would like to go on a humanitarian aid mission one day. Working full-time in development aid is out of the question for me because, as the head of an emergency room and father of three children, I wouldn’t be able to do that. My expectations of the seminar were fully met. However, I would have found a joint meeting with camping, navigation training etc. quite nice. The personal experiences that were reported on in the online seminar and the contacts that resulted from the seminar were nice and important for me. All in all, the seminar strengthened my resolve to take part in a mission. I would definitely recommend it to others.”

Birgit K. (Pharmacist)

“My intention to register for the seminars at Landsaid came from my membership of “Apotheker Helfen”. I signed up there because I wanted to do something in my free time that was related to my profession as a pharmacist and at the same time offered a new field of activity in a possible humanitarian aid mission abroad.

The seminars at LandsAid were very informative for me. The various topics that are important during an assignment abroad were discussed and explained in an extremely clear manner. Risks and dangers were not left out either. As a result, I feel very well informed. Nevertheless, I am pleased that a special briefing is held shortly before an actual deployment to prepare all participants for the current situation.

I can well imagine volunteering for a foreign assignment in the future. As this probably doesn’t happen too often, I volunteer elsewhere in my local area.

It is definitely worth taking part in the LandsAid seminars. Their content broadens your horizons!”

Anne-Katrin K. (Midwife)

“I attended the complete online seminar “Fundamentals of Humanitarian Aid and Development Cooperation” by Landsaid. Every evening of the event was a complete success from start to finish. The topics were taught in a very interactive way, so that you really had the feeling of experiencing the seminar together in person. I was impressed by the incredible wealth of knowledge and experience of all the lecturers. As a midwife, the medical lectures were of course very relevant to me. My interest was aroused even more and the course encouraged and confirmed my desire to work in humanitarian missions in the future.”

Laura E. (Business lawyer, 33 years old)

“I had registered for the entire online seminar “Fundamentals of Humanitarian Aid and Development Cooperation” organized by LandsAid e.V.. I have been interested in the topic for some time, so the information about available places came at just the right time. Each block of topics was made very interesting by the speakers, extremely lively by bringing in their own experiences and very interactive by using the break-out rooms for group work/discussions. There was enough space for all our questions. We dealt with how a mission team should be structured, which role suits you best, where your own strengths and weaknesses lie, how to deal with stressful situations, how cultural differences can influence cooperation, how to behave in (former) war zones so as not to put yourself in danger, what the Sphere Project is all about and what the next steps up to your own mission might look like.

The course strengthened my desire to get involved in humanitarian aid/development cooperation. I learned that I can find my place there even without medical training. Thank you very much for that. I can highly recommend the seminar.”

Alice O. ,(doctor)

“I really have to say that I found the seminar super interesting and varied. There were a few highlights for me: getting to know the team management system, the presentation of the Sphere Project, lots of concrete insights into humanitarian aid, the unit on the dangers of mines and munitions in an operational area, the presentation on dermatology, the report from the mobile clinic and also the introduction to the field of logistics. There were many highlights and certainly something for every participant! I found the good organization, the pleasant atmosphere and the activating break-out sessions particularly great. There was a great atmosphere in the group and the fact that different professional groups were together often led to very interesting discussions. I took away a lot for myself and learned a lot.”

Cathrin H. (Pharmacist)

“How can I imagine working in a crisis or disaster area? Which role in the team suits me, what stresses me out and how can I deal with it better? In a small group of motivated participants, we were able to immerse ourselves in the exciting field of humanitarian aid and development cooperation over a total of 11 evenings. Among other things, the LandsAid seminar covered the basics of first aid in areas of operation and tropical medicine and used practical experience reports to show, for example, which political structures need to be observed in the country of operation, how to respond to questions from a crisis journalist, what challenges a coordinator has to face and what is behind the do-no-harm approach. A very varied and wide-ranging course which, despite – or perhaps because of – the online format, makes you want to get to grips with these exciting topics even more. Thank you for letting me be part of it!”

Jennifer B. (Pharmacist)

“I took part in the seminar because I would like to work in development aid and could also imagine using my pharmaceutical expertise in disaster relief. That’s why I wanted to use the seminar to gain a deeper insight into the topic. The expectations I had of the seminar were met – and even exceeded. I had hoped for a broad overview of various topics in development cooperation and disaster relief, and I got it. The speakers were all in the field themselves and were able to give clear and interesting reports.

The very new message for me was that it is probably not so easy to gain a foothold in disaster relief. I had actually imagined it would be a bit easier. In terms of content, team cohesion was emphasized again and again, which I found very impressive. The seminar influenced me to move away from the idea of disaster relief and more towards long-term project support and development cooperation.

I recommend the seminar to anyone who is thinking about going into operations or development cooperation and would like to get an overview of the subject. However, you may have to complete a “practical training course” with various other organizations in order to be accepted into the pool of potential emergency personnel. However, the seminar is a good basis and you become aware of whether you want to delve deeper into the topic.”