Kenya Conference

Small NGO’s and the Humanitarian Logistics Association

Have you ever felt humbled when in the company of a group of individuals who are leaders in their field? That was exactly my experience attending the Humanitarian Logistics Association ( HLA ) general Assembly in Nairobi Kenya. With years of experience doing government based disaster response, this impression is not the result of a lack of knowledge, but rather a reflection of how specialized humanitarian logistics is.

As a board member of a small NGO the need to acquire and master effective logistical skills cannot be overstated. With the creation of the HLA, a point of access to the knowledge of leaders with organizations such as the UN, OXFAM, ICRC, World Food Program and many others is available to small NGO’s. Each of these individuals sharing their years of hard won lessons in both formal presentations and after hours conversations. It is not an exaggeration to say that the collective efforts of the attendees at this conference have saved millions of lives around the world.

This organizations’ focus on individual membership creates an even playing field where there is an open exchange of information, lessons learned and best practices among all participants. Additionally, HLA’s participation in the development of formal certification programs presents an opportunity for smaller NGO’s to establish professional logistics development programs with international scope and recognition.

Specifically at this conference I had the opportunity to:

Learn about the unique challenges in supply chain logistics within the humanitarian field.

Begin building invaluable contacts that will serve my organization well.

Focus on issues surrounding ethical cargo contracting.

Engage in discussions on cultural sensitivity in international response.

Develop an understanding of the logistics cluster concept that enables effective usage of resources in the field.

Formalize a plan for continued learning and involvement by becoming a regional contact person for the HLA.

It would not be possible to overstate how valuable this experience was. Small NGO’s can’t afford to ignore the opportunity to develop professional logistics skills in support of their programs. HLA membership deserves to be considered a minimum standard for our logistics staff.

Peter Dybing
Pagan at Large