The Erasmus Mundus Joint Master on Coordinated Humanitarian Response, Health and Displacement (HumanResponse) aims to provide a unique multidisciplinary programme, uniting European and African universities in teaching about life-saving assistance and displacement in volatile contexts.
HumanResponse establishes an educational platform where European and African partners build a resilient global workforce to tackle future humanitarian crises. Amidst ongoing conflict and escalating climate disasters, HumanResponse addresses the pressing need for professionalisation of humanitarian workers through:
- a specialized offer,
- fostering South-North collaboration and multi-stakeholder cooperation,
- strengthening localized leadership, and
- articulating theory and practice to navigate organizational complexity in humanitarian action.
The partners bring extensive and relevant experience to this field from previous EU-funded projects and ongoing activities with the consortium’s associated partners. HumanResponse provides innovative training through three mobility teaching periods in Portugal, Norway and Uganda, providing students with a grounding in sociology, public policy, management, health, design, development and social work. A fourth mobility allows students to collect dissertation data in humanitarian contexts with 25 institutions (associated partners) in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, South America or Asia. The curriculum is taught by both academics and practitioners, emphasizing problem-based learning and knowledge application opportunities in summer schools and internships.
The master programme is organized in three teaching semesters, taught by three of the Full Partners.
Iscte – University Institute of Lisbon (Iscte), in Portugal leads the introduction to Humanitarian Action, its theoretical underpinnings, methodology, health and operational management and logistics. HumanResponse coordinating institution.
Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), in Norway leads core specialization courses in Global Health and advanced research methodology, as well as humanitarian design and innovation (technology and systems).
Makerere University (Makerere), in Uganda leads courses about social support, displacement, and the intersection between humanitarian and development aid, providing first-hand knowledge into local, highly contextualized humanitarian responses in volatile contexts affected by natural and man-made disasters. In addition, Makerere University offers internships to students in this programme.
Four additional Full Partners contribute Summer Schools and offer research sites for final student dissertations in their 4th semester:
University of Cape Verde (UniCV), in Cape Verde focuses on humanitarian coordination and responses to natural disasters and internal displacement.
University of Santiago (US), also in Cape Verde focuses on local policy and responses to natural disasters and internal displacement.
University of Rovuma (URovuma), in Mozambique focuses on local coordination and responses to natural disasters, conflict and internal displacement, bridging efforts with development.
University of Athens (UAthens), in Greece, focuses on local responses to migrants and refugees, human rights, and access to education.
Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.