Tell us a little about yourself and your work
I’m Graeme and I am from Lanarkshire in Scotland. I’m currently the Video Producer for Mary’s Meals International, a global school feeding charity which provides meals to more than two million children every school day in 18 countries.
I am responsible for the production of short-form video/documentaries, and social media content, for Mary’s Meals International and our affiliate organisations across the globe.
How did you first get interested or involved in humanitarian work?
I recently completed a master’s degree in International Development which touched on humanitarianism. I was keen to learn more about it, over and above the theoretical content of my course. It’s something I have become increasingly interested in being involved in.
How did you first hear about Kaya and HPass and what made you start your learning journey with us?
I wanted to learn more about humanitarian responses and while looking online, came across the Kaya platform.
It was exactly what I was looking for at this stage – to increase my knowledge and awareness of humanitarianism and the multifaceted nature of emergency responses. I enjoy adding my learning achievements to my myHPass profile.
What are your top three Kaya courses?
Humanitarian Operations Programme (HOP) Fundamentals – this really set the foundations from which to build upon.
Introduction to the Core Humanitarian Standard – a very important course which sets the standard for humanitarian response.
Humanitarian Information Management, Communications and Media – practical skills in the role communication plays in humanitarian responses.
You were awarded your HPass Bronze Level Learner of the Year badge – congrats! What inspired or motivated you with your learning?
The majority of the courses I completed were done between working full time and studying for my master’s degree. It allowed me to switch off from my research, while allowing me to still learn and make the best use of my time. This is really one of the great things about Kaya – that you can save your progress and learn whenever it suits you.
Has your learning changed your outlook, perspective or approach to your humanitarian work?
A key area of my job is producing communications for emergency responses, mainly from an awareness raising and fundraising perspective – most recently for the earthquake in Syria, and so this learning has built on my knowledge and understanding of such responses and can be channeled into further enhancing how we communicate.
My advice for fellow humanitarian learners: I would encourage people to enrol in courses which may not at first seem relevant to them. This will likely provide a better understanding of that field and may offer an alternative perspective from which to see and consider their work.
