Tuesday, August 02, 2005

Back from PPDL Training

I got back from training around 2:00 am Saturday morning. The training was great! We hit on a lot of subjects really quickly, but we also got an abundance of information on where to look for references the first time we need to do something. Topics included:

  1. Where logisticiens/administrators fit into MSF
  2. The MSF technical library (where to look for references and info, based on 30 years of experience)
  3. Health indicator statistics
  4. Urgencies: needs and responses
  5. Security
  6. Energy (providing electricity needs in the bush)
  7. Water, hygene and sanitation (finding and cleaning water, public facilities like latrines, and waste treatment)
  8. Malnutrition campaigns
  9. Purchasing (local and via MSF France)
  10. Transportation
  11. Accounting
  12. Human Resources (managing the local personnel)
  13. Communications (radio, telex, telephone, etc. in the bush)
  14. Refrigeration (active and passive, especially for vaccinations, including the use of kerosene-powered refrigerators)
  15. Vaccination campaigns
  16. Mechanics (maintaining a fleet of vehicles)
  17. Cholera treatment

Not bad for 5 days, huh? The trainers were all MSF veterans, with a lot of field experience, and my 10 co-trainees were super people. I would be happy to go into a field mission with any of them.

I'm continuing to get my life together so that when my mission proposal comes in, I can leave with with a minimum of hassle. Wish me luck!

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