Introduction

My name is Lincoln Smith. The purpose of this blog is to share what I am getting up to now that I have finished my degree (Chemical & Energy Engineering at Birmingham university) and my thoughts and ideas as I move from being a student to graduate engineer.

All views and opinions stated on this blog are my own, and do not represent the views and opinions of my employer, or any other organisations.

In September I start my life as a graduate chemical engineer at BP. I volunteer as Training Co-ordinator for Engineers Without Borders.

Tuesday 28 May 2013

How can you stay safe when working aboard?

This week, I am taking part in a 4 day training course with Clarity Security Training. The aim of the training is to prepare humanitarian workers for the Safety and Security situations they may experience when working overseas.The purpose of this blog is to communicate some of the key lessons from the training to all members of EWB-UK. I hope the course will be useful for my own future overseas travel opportunities, and also be of benefit to EWB-UK members through better future security training opportunities.Yesterday, the course covered analysed and assessed threats of working in a fictious country. After an Icebreaker we broke of into groups, and assumed the role of an NGO wanting to carry out needs assessments in country. Exercises got us mapping out security threats in the country, identifying principal actors in the country, and assessing significant threats to security using a risk matrix. One session yesterday afternoon came as a surprise; a session on sexual violence and assult of humanitarian workers. Talk about submissive, passive and active responses to sexual assault sparked a lively debate within the group.  From other sessions, I now understand what to look out for regarding vehicle safety and security, and good practice tips for radio communications.My greatest learning from today is the importance of understanding country cultures, and understanding contexts of situations before working and implementing projects. These factors can have a dramatic effect on your personal security on the ground.Today focuses on first aid. I hope this will be taught in context! 

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