What two international diploma in humanitarian assistance graduates took away from the program
My IDHA Journey by Haymond Lam
Prologue
My name is Haymond Lam. As a Public Health Toxicologist at the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), I have responded to incidents at home and abroad affecting British subjects by drawing upon my disaster management expertise. Following my recent completion of IDHA 60, I want to offer my perspective on the course.
Imagine: you have just finished a short response exam in the morning that covers the past week of intensive lectures and workshops, and you feel jubilant as the course director, Dr. Mark Little, has just told you that you have passed. Barely an hour later, your syndicate is asked to provide minimum sanitation facilities for 10,000 internally displaced people. I didn’t mention that you have 20 minutes to convey your strategy and deliver your work.
Our group is scrolling frantically through the Sphere Technical Standards publication for the chapter dealing with washing, sanitation, and hygiene. We scribble down rough calculations needed to work out minimum water volumes, taps, latrines, and the sufficient standoff distance of those latrines from water sources. We can’t mess this up — we would be constructively critiqued, and lives are on the line. If you were to ask me those same questions two weeks previously, I wouldn’t have the faintest clue.
Born from Hard Lessons
In my course commencement address, Brendan Cahill, Executive Director of Fordham’s Institute of Humanitarian Affairs (IIHA), spoke with unmistakable gravity about the programme’s origins. The International Diploma in Humanitarian Assistance (IDHA) wasn’t born from academic theory — it emerged from the difficult lessons of the Bosnian War. His father, Dr. Kevin Cahill, alongside colleagues like Professor Larry Hollingworth CBE, witnessed a critical gap: aid workers desperately needed common standards of technical skills and professional behaviour.
The Crucible
The IDHA is a 4-week crucible transforming mid-career humanitarian professionals into versatile leaders. After wanting to take this course for four years, I finally joined seventeen other professionals, including NGO veterans, government officials, PhD students, and disaster response professionals.
Our diversity ran deeper than job titles. Some had fled war themselves before dedicating their lives to helping others escape similar fates. Others made life-altering refugee determination decisions or worked on the frontlines of social services. Each brought hard-won wisdom from different corners of human suffering and resilience.
What struck me most was how this course strips away all pretence. Whether we’re crafting emergency responses or durable humanitarian solutions, delivering presentations, drafting assignments, or rapidly synthesising information at a brisk pace, there’s nowhere to hide. Bravado, egocentrism, and showiness has no place here. Every aspect of my character emerged under pressure — this was embedded into the course design, yet I, along with my cohort, was closely mentored and supported by the faculty.
What struck me most was how this course strips away all pretence.
Transformative learning
The curriculum emphasised practical application of a full range of humanitarian action disciplines — from International Humanitarian Law, sector reform, camp management to Sphere Standards. We were kept busy learning the rudiments of the humanitarian trade. To place theory into context, our visit to Mamelodi showcased pioneering advocacy work that integrated the efforts of academia, local NGOs, and citizen leaders. Throughout this intensive learning, we remained reflective practitioners, constantly examining our assumptions and biases.
We were taught by exceptional faculty led by Martine van der Does, Helen Hamlyn Humanitarian Fellow at IIHA. She was supported by seasoned professionals, including Course Director Dr. Mark Little, Angie Jackson, Gonzalo Sanchez-Tehran, among other luminaries.
The completion of the course only signifies a beginning
Yet something remarkable happened. We emerged not just as better professionals, but as close friends forged by a shared goal. We had become T-shaped practitioners: retaining our deep specialised expertise while gaining fluency across disciplines that once seemed incomprehensible.
From day one, the teaching faculty treated us as peers and colleagues. At graduation, something shifted — we were embraced as family, future colleagues whose paths would cross in conflict zones and areas of need. They’ve since become good friends and mentors — an inevitable outcome of such an intense shared experience.
From day one, the teaching faculty treated us as peers and colleagues. At graduation, something shifted — we were embraced as family, future colleagues whose paths would cross in conflict zones and areas of need.
Onwards
I close with a quote from one of the originals of the IDHA, Larry Hollingworth, in his address to IDHA graduates some years back. I hope I can continue to remember these words at the forefront of my mind:
“We are in that unique position that we’re not in uniform, but we fight in the frontline. Our enemy is poverty, hunger, homelessness, and our allies are the beneficiary.”
I am thankful to Martine, Brendan, and the IDHA tutors (and facilitators) I have not named personally, but they know who they are. I am so glad I signed up for the course and have met such dynamic people — may our paths continue to meet in this vast world.
Shela Rasebote — IDHA 60
The IDHA was a spectacular and phenomenal experience, with mind-opening moments and memories.
The most significant highlights were the people, the trips, and the course content. I met individuals from across the globe with different perspectives, personalities, backgrounds, and cultures. These individuals were significant in producing various ideas to solve humanitarian situations from their different experiences, which was the beauty of it all.
We went to Mamelodi to observe real-life humanitarian situations. I learned that it is essential for humanitarians to develop various strategies to improve the standard of living of marginalized people, including refugees, and ensure that their rights are respected and protected.
I learned that it is essential for humanitarians to develop various strategies to improve the standard of living of marginalized people, including refugees, and ensure that their rights are respected and protected.
I enjoyed syndicate work, which helped us solve various problems one can experience within the humanitarian sector. In our first week, there was a team-building exercise that is typically a surprise for all IDHA students. In a short time frame, we were instructed to brainstorm ideas to build something. This exercise helped me to discover some of the skills I did not know that I had. I have also learned a lot from our daily classes, which made me aware of what other countries are going through regarding the humanitarian sector and what strategies one can apply within the humanitarian crisis. Syndicate presentations have also improved my presentation skills, which I can use in the workplace and in the future.
I have learned a lot from weekly tests and scenario exams, which stimulated real-life humanitarian situations that we needed to be aware of.
Overall, the IDHA 60 has excellently impacted me, and I am grateful for this opportunity to learn more about humanitarian assistance. I am also thankful to all the lecturers, organizers, administrators, and colleagues for making this journey such a positive one.
Thank you.
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Every year since 1997, the Institute of International Humanitarian Affairs has hosted the International Diploma in Humanitarian Assistance, a 4-week rigorous training program. We have just completed our 60th cohort and look forward to hosting IDHA 61 in Amman, Jordan for the month of November 2025. Please visit https://iihaglobal.org/program/idha/ to learn more and apply.
