The Logistics Cluster is only as strong its partners. If emergency responders are familiar with the strategy of the cluster in-country, its functions and how to access the available resources, then the coordination mechanism works at its best and the humanitarian response is most effective.

This is always true, but it is particularly crucial in Yemen where the ongoing crisis affects millions of individuals each day, requiring systemic and integrated actions to overcome a multitude of logistics constraints and ensure life-saving aid gets to where it needs to go.

That’s why over the past three months the Logistics Cluster team has worked to deliver tailored training courses for humanitarian responders in Yemen. In May, the cluster held a hands-on training on installation of Mobile Storage Units (MSUs) in Sana’a, followed by the same exercise in Aden in July. Also in Sana’a in July, the team led a Logistics Cluster Induction Training.

Thirty-two people participated to the induction training in Sana’a and fifty-two to the installation exercises in Sana’a and Aden, standing for a total of 38 organisations with international and national NGO and UN agencies represented proportionally.

The Induction Training walked participants through the concepts of cluster system and cluster approach, clarified the activities of the Logistics Cluster in Yemen and explained step by step the procedures necessary to access the services. Participants were very engaged and during the two days grew confident of their knowledge.

The exercise in Aden was also a very positive experience with participants truly working as a team. The need for training in Mobile Storage Units installation comes primarily from the fact that organisations are able to obtain MSUs on loan from WFP if they require temporary storage space and are willing to manage the space on behalf of the Logistics Cluster, creating overall greater storage capacity for the wider humanitarian community.

But, of course, if they take the MSUs on loan, they need to be able to set it up.

While the Logistics Cluster can help, the idea is to build partner capacity. In a country where movements are limited and where security restrictions dictate the number of staff deployed, it is critical that this kind of technical skills are readily available among all actors.

Going forward, the Logistics Cluster is looking to extend training to more humanitarians in other locations.

 

Find out more about the Logistics Cluster Yemen operation here: https://logcluster.org/ops/yem10a