Format: Live instructor-led online training via Zoom / Microsoft Teams

Nutrition in Emergencies Training Course

Course Overview

The Nutrition in Emergencies Training Course is designed to equip humanitarian professionals, healthcare workers, nutritionists, emergency responders, government officials, UN agencies, NGOs, development partners, and disaster management practitioners with practical knowledge and technical skills to effectively prevent, detect, and manage nutrition challenges during humanitarian crises. Emergencies caused by conflicts, natural disasters, disease outbreaks, displacement, droughts, floods, climate change, and economic shocks significantly increase the risk of acute malnutrition, chronic malnutrition, micronutrient deficiencies, food insecurity, infant and young child feeding challenges, and nutrition-related mortality. This comprehensive course provides participants with internationally recognized approaches to emergency nutrition programming, life-saving nutrition interventions, nutrition surveillance, community-based management of acute malnutrition (CMAM), emergency food assistance, and integrated humanitarian nutrition response.

Participants will gain practical competencies in nutrition assessments, SMART surveys, Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), emergency nutrition surveillance, infant and young child feeding in emergencies (IYCF-E), maternal nutrition, therapeutic feeding programs, supplementary feeding programs, nutrition cluster coordination, emergency health and nutrition integration, food security analysis, nutrition information management, emergency logistics, monitoring and evaluation, and accountability in nutrition programming. The course also introduces modern digital technologies including Artificial Intelligence (AI), Geographic Information Systems (GIS), KoboToolbox, Open Data Kit (ODK), mobile nutrition assessments, cloud-based nutrition information systems, digital dashboards, predictive analytics, and remote sensing to improve emergency nutrition decision-making, resource allocation, and humanitarian coordination.

The training aligns with internationally recognized humanitarian standards including the Sphere Humanitarian Standards, Core Humanitarian Standard (CHS), World Health Organization (WHO) nutrition guidelines, UNICEF nutrition frameworks, Global Nutrition Cluster standards, Integrated Management of Acute Malnutrition (IMAM), Community-Based Management of Acute Malnutrition (CMAM), Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Accountability to Affected Populations (AAP), and the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction. Participants engage in practical exercises, emergency simulations, nutrition surveys, case studies, and real-world humanitarian scenarios that strengthen their capacity to respond effectively to complex nutrition emergencies.

Upon successful completion of the course, participants will be able to conduct emergency nutrition assessments, implement life-saving nutrition interventions, strengthen nutrition surveillance systems, coordinate humanitarian nutrition responses, improve infant and maternal nutrition outcomes, integrate nutrition with health, WASH, food security, and protection sectors, apply digital technologies for nutrition programming, monitor nutrition program performance, and build resilient nutrition systems capable of reducing morbidity and mortality during humanitarian emergencies.

Course Objectives

1. Understand the principles of emergency nutrition programming.
2. Conduct emergency nutrition assessments and surveillance.
3. Implement Community-Based Management of Acute Malnutrition (CMAM).
4. Strengthen infant and young child feeding in emergencies (IYCF-E).
5. Improve maternal and child nutrition interventions.
6. Utilize digital technologies for nutrition information management.
7. Coordinate multi-sector humanitarian nutrition responses.
8. Apply international nutrition standards and humanitarian guidelines.
9. Monitor and evaluate emergency nutrition programs.
10. Strengthen organizational preparedness for nutrition emergencies.

Organization Benefits

1. Strengthens emergency nutrition preparedness and response capacity.
2. Improves nutrition surveillance and early warning systems.
3. Enhances quality of humanitarian nutrition interventions.
4. Reduces malnutrition-related morbidity and mortality.
5. Strengthens nutrition data collection and analysis.
6. Improves coordination among humanitarian sectors.
7. Supports compliance with international nutrition standards.
8. Enhances evidence-based planning and resource allocation.
9. Builds institutional capacity for sustainable nutrition programming.
10. Improves health outcomes among vulnerable populations during emergencies.

Target Participants

This course is designed for nutritionists, dietitians, public health professionals, medical officers, nurses, humanitarian program managers, emergency response coordinators, food security specialists, WASH professionals, maternal and child health practitioners, community health workers, epidemiologists, monitoring and evaluation specialists, NGO staff, UN agency personnel, Ministry of Health officials, disaster management professionals, researchers, humanitarian logisticians, nutrition information officers, social workers, policymakers, consultants, and professionals involved in emergency nutrition, humanitarian health, food security, or disaster response.

Course Outline

Module 1: Foundations of Nutrition in Emergencies

• Principles of emergency nutrition
• Humanitarian nutrition standards
• Causes of malnutrition during emergencies
• Nutrition vulnerability analysis
• Sphere Standards and CHS
• Nutrition response planning

General Case Study: Developing an emergency nutrition response plan following a severe drought affecting food security, child nutrition, maternal health, and livelihoods in vulnerable communities.

Module 2: Emergency Nutrition Assessment and Surveillance

• Nutrition assessment methodologies
• SMART survey implementation
• Nutrition surveillance systems
• Food security and nutrition analysis
• Anthropometric measurements
• Nutrition information management

General Case Study: Conducting an emergency nutrition assessment using SMART methodology, digital mobile data collection, GIS mapping, and nutrition surveillance dashboards to identify malnutrition hotspots.

Module 3: Management of Acute Malnutrition

• Community-Based Management of Acute Malnutrition (CMAM)
• Integrated Management of Acute Malnutrition (IMAM)
• Therapeutic feeding programs
• Supplementary feeding programs
• Micronutrient interventions
• Referral systems

General Case Study: Implementing an integrated CMAM program in a refugee settlement experiencing high rates of severe acute malnutrition among children under five and pregnant women.

Module 4: Infant, Maternal and Community Nutrition

• Infant and Young Child Feeding in Emergencies (IYCF-E)
• Maternal nutrition interventions
• Breastfeeding support during emergencies
• Community nutrition education
• Social and behavior change communication
• Community engagement strategies

General Case Study: Designing community-based infant feeding and maternal nutrition interventions following large-scale displacement while maintaining protection, dignity, and cultural sensitivity.

Module 5: Digital Technologies and Nutrition Information Systems

• Artificial Intelligence in nutrition surveillance
• Mobile nutrition assessments using KoboToolbox and ODK
• GIS mapping of nutrition indicators
• Nutrition dashboards and visualization
• Predictive nutrition analytics
• Digital monitoring and reporting

General Case Study: Establishing a digital nutrition information system integrating AI, GIS, mobile data collection, cloud-based dashboards, and predictive analytics for early warning and humanitarian nutrition decision-making.

Module 6: Coordination, Monitoring and Future Nutrition Preparedness

• Nutrition Cluster coordination
• Multi-sector integration with Health, WASH and Food Security
• Monitoring and evaluation of nutrition programs
• Accountability to Affected Populations (AAP)
• Emergency preparedness and resilience
• Continuous quality improvement

General Case Study: Coordinating a national humanitarian nutrition response involving government agencies, UN organizations, NGOs, healthcare providers, food security partners, WASH actors, and community organizations to strengthen nutrition surveillance, improve emergency feeding services, monitor program performance, and build long-term resilience against future humanitarian crises.

General Information

1. Customized Training: All our courses can be tailored to meet the specific needs of participants.
2. Language Proficiency: Participants should have a good command of the English language.
3. Comprehensive Learning: Our training includes well-structured presentations, practical exercises, web-based tutorials, and collaborative group work. Our facilitators are seasoned experts with over a decade of experience.
4. Certification: Upon successful completion of training, participants will receive a certificate from Foscore Development Center (FDC-K).
5. Training Locations: Training sessions are conducted at Foscore Development Center (FDC-K) centers. We also offer options for in-house and online training, customized to the client's schedule.
6. Flexible Duration: Course durations are adaptable, and content can be adjusted to fit the required number of days.
7. Onsite Training Inclusions: The course fee for onsite training covers facilitation, training materials, two coffee breaks, a buffet lunch, and a Certificate of Successful Completion. Participants are responsible for their travel expenses, airport transfers, visa applications, dinners, health/accident insurance, and personal expenses.
8. Additional Services: Accommodation, pickup services, freight booking, and visa processing arrangements are available upon request at discounted rates.
9. Equipment: Tablets and laptops can be provided to participants at an additional cost.
10. Post-Training Support: We offer one year of free consultation and coaching after the course.
11. Group Discounts: Register as a group of more than two and enjoy a discount ranging from 10% to 50%.
12. Payment Terms: Payment should be made before the commencement of the training or as mutually agreed upon, to the Foscore Development Center account. This ensures better preparation for your training.
13. Contact Us: For any inquiries, please reach out to us at training@fdc-k.org or call us at +254712260031.
14. Website: Visit our website at www.fdc-k.org for more information.