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To whom is the training on the application of the System directed?

To the personnel of governmental national agencies responsible for the coordination of emergencies in their country, as well as public, private and nongovernmental organizations and others that participate or have some linkage with the different aspects of emergency response, with emphasis on organisms from the health sector. Members of the international community are also included, such as United Nations agencies and bilateral agencies.

It is important to take into account, insofar as possible, the following institutions:

     Civil Defense / National Emergency Committees
        Ministry/Secretary of Health
        Social Security
        Sanitary Military / Police
        Red Cross Society
        Custom Services
        Foreign Affairs (Chancellery)
        State/Provincial/Local Authorities
        NGOs of great presence (as CARE, World Vision, CARITAS, etc.)
        United Nations Agencies involved in the Management of Supplies in Emergencies, such as UNDP, WFP, UNICEF.

A representative distribution of participants should be ensured among the different institutions. This depends on the objective of the course: if it is a course at operating level on the SUMA software or a course at political/decision making level on SUMA as a tool for the international humanitarian assistance.
The participants of the courses will be selected by the national institution who organizes the event. The selection is a very important factor for the success of the course, since a good selection of people guarantees a good level of trained people and guarantees that these same people are available and committed at the time of an emergency.

The participants of the two courses are not necessarily the same. The SMS course is for those staff members who are going to operate the computers for the data entry at the time of a disaster. As a result, it is very important that the Chiefs/Responsible persons in charge of computation of the different participating institutions take part as well as warehouse employees.
For the MISE course those people are required who make logistical decisions in operations, who are disaster managers or warehouse/storeroom managers, people who have managerial responsibilities in the logistical management of the organization. In both cases, the participants should have some experience in the subject.

The participants should meet the following requirements:

Professional formation: physician, pharmacist, nurse, warehouse or logistical staff member.

Experience in the use of computers and most common programs. It does not only involve having experience in the use of commercial packages, such as "Office", but also in the use and common installation of computers, printers, UPS, etc. For example, the participants should know how to connect the printers to the computer, change ink cartridges, solve basic printing problems, install programs at the computer, install drivers of different printers, know how to copy and paste files with "Explorer" between diskettes and hard disks. It is very important the participation of the Chiefs/persons in charge of computation of the different institutions.

Experience in the management of supplies. The participants should have a basic knowledge of logistics and supplies, which makes it possible for them to understand adequately the categories and subcategories of the items, for the purpose of entering the information correctly, and besides they should know how to assess the usefulness of the relief items to be entered.

The participants should commit themselves seriously to devoting their time, in emergencies, to the activity of supply management. At the time of a disaster, they should be available for the management of supplies and to work with SUMA. Similarly, the institution at the time of making the selection should make sure that the participants are people who at the time of a disaster are available. In this way, it should be avoided including personnel who by the nature of its functions will be devoted to other tasks in case of a disaster, as search and rescue.

The participants should commit themselves to attempting to install the Warehouse Module in its institution, as a way of continuing the training, which is important for being prepared for an emergency at any time. And of course, take advantage of a useful tool in the management of supplies in normal times in the storeroom(s) or warehouse(s) of its institution (warehouse management, inventory control). Furthermore, they should be willing to carry out monitoring activities of the SUMA methodology, such as attending refresher courses or if necessary being part of a national SUMA team.

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How much does the training last and for how many
participants  is it?

The course on the software application (SMS) lasts two days and the course on Comprehensive Management of Supplies (MISE) lasts three days, including a field visit to a supply warehouse. The duration of the two courses in combination would be of five days.

The total group of participants should not be more than 35 people, for didactical reasons and also for logistical reasons (availability of computers). In general, the groups are between 25-35 people.

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 What is needed to receive a training?

The promotion and coordination of SUMA is carried out through the country agencies related to the subject, such as the Ministries of Health, Emergency Committees, the Red Cross, etc. Any institution interested in receiving training support should contact primarily the office in charge of disaster management of the Ministry of Health, or they can also contact the Representative Office of PAHO/WHO of their country. The project has a special interest in the participation of nongovernmental organizations.

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What material is needed?

If possible, the national coordinating institution or among the different participating institutions could provide the computers, one per every two or maximum three participants, with the following characteristics:

Processor Pentium or higher

16 MB RAM memory minimum

40 MB free disk space

CD ROM (recommended)

Disk floppy unit 3.5 inch, high density

Monitor monochrome or color VGA or higher

Windows 3.x, 95 or higher

Furthermore, two laser printers, with its role.

2.      Classroom

A place should be identified that permits teaching classes and working group sessions, for example a large room. More or less ten working groups will be installed. The place need to have the facilities to darken the room, with good ventilation and illumination and with sufficient outlets and extensions. Expenditure on room rent is not allowed.

3.      Board or flip chart

4.      Electric extension cords type plug (multi outlet)

5.      Overhead Projector or ideally a multimedia projector (date-show, video beam)

6.      Training materials.

Such as the instruction manuals, diskettes, CDs, the practices and other audiovisual material; this will be contributed by FUNDESUMA. Usually an electronic copy of the manuals and the practices is sent so that they can be reproduced locally.

7.      Instructors.

FUNDESUMA will select the instructors.

8.      Participation certificates (optional)

The following is recommended, depending on the local customs:

a)      Not acquire files/portfolios, clipboards, ball-point pens, pencils, office materials, notebooks, blocs, commemorative objects of the event and related things.

b)      Not cover tickets and national per diem. These should be covered by the participating organizations.

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