Humanitarian Academy

Field mission

Preparing a field mission: analyse, plan, travel and return safely

Terms of reference, context analysis, risk matrix, health, budget, movements, incidents and return: prepare a field mission like a professional, in 2 days.

  • 2 days · 12 hours
  • 3 levels · 3 certificates
  • 2 scenarios
  • Verifiable certificate
Start the course Complete manual (PDF)
  • Free, unlimited access
  • 2 one-day modules
  • 2 scenarios and 6 quiz questions
  • 3 graded case studies and 3 exams
  • Certificate in your name, verifiable online

What you will learn

  • Prepare a complete mission: terms of reference, context analysis, risk assessment, health, documents, logistics, communications and budget.
  • Plan and conduct safe movements, and respond appropriately to an incident.
  • Work with communities and authorities in line with humanitarian principles, then close the mission with a useful debriefing and report.

Course information

Level
Beginner → Intermediate → Advanced (one certificate per level)
Study time
12 hours over 2 days (lessons, case studies, exercises)
Format
Online, at your own pace, free and unlimited access
Assessment
Per level: graded case study + 20-question exam (30 to 40 min, pass marks 70%, 75% and 80%)
Credential
Named, numbered certificate of achievement, verifiable online (QR code)
Reference frameworks
Global Interagency Security Forum (GISF) · Humanitarian Practice Network (ODI) · D. Roberts, International Committee of the Red Cross

💼 Safety, security and access jobs

Put this course into practice: the latest jobs in this field.

See all 64 Safety, security and access jobs →

Prepare for the written test and interviewA model written test in this field, interview questions with sample answers and the STAR method.See the model test →

A 3-level certification pathway

Progress from Beginner to Advanced. Each level ends with a graded case study and a timed exam, and leads to its own verifiable certificate.

Level 1Beginner

Exam: 20 questions · 30 min · 70% to pass

Beginner certificate

By the end of this level, you will be able to:
  • Turn terms of reference into a mission plan.
  • Calculate a risk with the probability × impact matrix.
  • Prepare health, documents, communications and budget.
  1. Day1Before departure: analyse, assess risks, prepareFrom terms of reference to mission plan · Analysing the context and the actors · Assessing risks: the probability × impact matrix · Health, documents and duty of care · Logistics, communications and mission budget Scenario: The day before departure
  2. Graded case study : Preparing a rapid assessment Northern Province, after floods, 300 km from the capital · 20 questions including a case study · 70% to pass
Level 2Intermediate

Exam: 21 questions · 30 min · 75% to pass

Intermediate certificate · Opens after the Beginner certificate

By the end of this level, you will be able to:
  • Plan a realistic movement with check-in calls and a return deadline.
  • Respond to an incident and write a report.
  • Work with communities in line with humanitarian principles and data protection.
  1. Day2In the field: travel, respond, work and returnArrival: briefing and first days · Planning and conducting a movement · Responding to and reporting an incident · Working with communities and authorities · Returning: debriefing, report and recovery Scenario: The roadblock
  2. Graded case study : A monitoring mission that does not fit into one day Rural health zone, rainy season · 21 questions including a case study · 75% to pass
Level 3Advanced

Exam: 20 questions · 40 min · 80% to pass

Advanced certificate · Opens after the Intermediate certificate

By the end of this level, you will be able to:
  • Decide whether to continue, suspend or cancel a mission in the face of a new risk.
  • Prepare a team's hibernation, relocation or evacuation.
  • Balance duty of care, programme and equity between national and international staff.
  1. Graded case study : The situation changes during the mission Small garrison town, NGO field base · 20 questions including a case study · 80% to pass

Who is it for?

Anyone going on a field mission: programme officers, MEAL and evaluation teams, logisticians, coordinators, consultants, visiting headquarters staff, volunteers and newcomers to the sector.

The certificate

With at least 70% correct answers in the final assessment, you receive a certificate in your name, with a unique code that recruiters can verify on Humanitaires Jobs. A free Humanitarian Network account is required.

Key concepts

The vocabulary you need to master for this course and the exam.

Show the 14 concepts
Terms of reference (ToR)
Document that sets out the objective, scope, deliverables, duration and resources of a mission.
Risk matrix
Table that scores each threat for probability and impact in order to derive the level of risk.
Residual risk
Risk that remains after risk-reduction measures have been put in place.
Acceptable risk
Level of residual risk considered justified by the importance of the programme for people.
Duty of care
The employer's obligation to take all reasonable measures against foreseeable risks to its staff.
Proof of life
Confidential personal questions used to verify the identity of a kidnapped person.
MEDEVAC
Medical evacuation of a sick or injured person to an appropriate care facility.
Movement plan
Document describing a movement: passengers, route, timings, check-in calls and tracking.
Check-in call
Radio or phone contact at an agreed time or point to confirm that a movement is going well.
Acceptance
Security strategy based on being known, understood and seen as useful by communities and other actors.
Hibernation
Phase in which the team stays sheltered in place with stocks, waiting for an improvement or a relocation.
Relocation
Temporary movement of staff to a safer location within the country.
Evacuation
Departure of staff from the country or the crisis area.
Near miss
Event that could have caused harm but did not; it is reported like an incident.

References and recommended reading

The official texts and sector reference works on which the course is based.

Show the 6 references
  1. Global Interagency Security Forum (GISF) (2020). Security to Go: a risk management toolkit for humanitarian aid agencies. gisf.ngo
  2. Humanitarian Practice Network (ODI) (2010). Operational security management in violent environments (Good Practice Review 8, revised edition). odihpn.org
  3. D. Roberts, International Committee of the Red Cross (2006). Staying alive: safety and security guidelines for humanitarian volunteers in conflict areas. www.icrc.org
  4. Antares Foundation (2012). Managing stress in humanitarian workers: guidelines for good practice. www.antaresfoundation.org
  5. E. Kemp and M. Merkelbach, Security Management Initiative (2011). Can you get sued? Legal liability of international humanitarian aid organisations towards their staff. gisf.ngo
  6. CHS Alliance, Groupe URD and Sphere (2024). Core Humanitarian Standard on Quality and Accountability (CHS). www.corehumanitarianstandard.org