A list of trusted online humanitarian learning opportunities
As humanitarians, we are never too experienced to embrace new knowledge and never too young to ignite change. With years dedicated to humanitarian aid (worked my entire professional career in this sector) and an MSc in Humanitarian Assistance, I’ve often been asked about the best entry points for learning in our field. This has inspired me to curate a collection of free online courses tailored for those passionate about humanitarian work.
Initially this was a list of introduction courses into Humanitarian aid, Emergency assistance and disaster responses. However over the months and years that followed, I’ve developed various sub lists (from Humanitarian Logistics to Public Health, from Humanitarian law to Water and Sanitation and many more). I first published this list on World Humanitarian Day a few years ago. I’m excited to share this list of digital, free learning opportunities that I believe are invaluable for anyone looking to make a difference. The collections have always been work in progress, and I’ve been constantly updating this and all the sub-lists that followed.
The lists will never be complete, far from exhaustive. If you know of other platforms, MOOCs, or online courses; please reach out. Together, we can build a more comprehensive resource for our community. After all, there’s a humanitarian in each of us, ready to learn and lead. If you want to start on the history and what is Humanitarianism and Humanitarian aid about, it’s great to start with this one hour course of Kaya and Save the Children: Introduction to History of Humanitarianism.
Introduction courses to Humanitarian Assistance, Disasters and the sector
- Introduction to Humanitarian Aid by Deakin University (3 hours – 2 weeks)
- Humanitarian Action, Response and Relief by Coventry University (3 hours per week – 2 weeks)
- When disaster meets conflict by Erasmus University Rotterdam (9 hours)
- Humanitarian Response to Conflict and Disaster by Harvard University (3-4 hours per week – 5 weeks)
- Internal Displacement, Conflict and Protection by University of London (27 hours)
- International Charities in Humanitarian Crises by Hamad Bin Khalifa University (1-3 hours per week – 10 weeks)
- Doing good in a conflict zone by FutureLearn (5 hours per week – 3 weeks)
- Refugees in the 21st Century by University of London (28 hours)
- Humanitarian Operations Programme (HOP) Fundamentals by Save the Children & the Humanitarian Leadership Academy (40 hours)
- Operational Research for Humanitarians by The Geneva Centre of Humanitarian Studies (5 hours per week – 3 weeks)
- Humanitarian Action in the Digital Age by Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (3–4 hours per week – 6 weeks)
Other thematic lists of online humanitarian learning opportunities
Initially, this list contained an overview of several online courses in humanitarian logistics. However, based on the various requests following this blog, that list is now separate. Also, multiple lists of other thematic and technical domains within the humanitarian sector have been (or are being) created since the first blog post was launched, so this list is constantly updated (contact me for other requests or courses to add) or send me a message on LinkedIn. I am also adding more thematic lists over time
Four platforms offering humanitarian courses from top universities
- Coursera (link to their humanitarian courses): (eg Public health in humanitarian crisis)
- edX (link to their humanitarian courses): (eg International Humanitarian Law)
- FutureLearn (link to their humanitarian courses): (eg Introduction to Humanitarian Logistics)
- Classcentral (link to their humanitarian courses): (eg Protection Children in Humanitarian Settings)
Humanitarian courses and digital training platforms
- IFRC online learning platform
- UNICEF (Agora)
- WHO (World Health Organization)
- Bioforce
- ICRC online Learning centre
- DisasterReady
- UN-CMCoord (humanitarian civil-militairy coordination)
- La Cooperativa Humanitaria
- Kaya
- HPass
- Humanitarian Leadership Academy
- WFP Nutrition platform
- IOM eCampus
- ReliefWeb
- (American) Red Cross Learning Centre:
- KUNO platform
- Sphere
- UNHCR
- Save the Children
- OXFAM
- Strategia Netherlands
General and academic online digital courses
- Udemy: for taking courses to improve technical skills and hobbies.
- NAU: pioneering in Portugese (and English)
- Khan Academy: fabulous for math
- Linkedin Learning: for short courses targeting specific skills ex: EXCEL, JSON, etc
- Udacity: for digital skills (all computer science-related)
- DataCamp: excellent for learning data skills
- MIT OpenCourseWare: excellent for practical skills
- Skillshare: great for learning digital and practical skills like film and writing.
- CanopyLAB – Social Learning Powered by AI: a platform for MOOCs on SDGs and entrepreneurship
- Alison – Free Online Learning: entry-level courses like Diploma certification.
- e-Learning Africa: a platform sharing news, information and stories about ICT for learning, training and skills development in Africa.