This module examines the consequences of war and the effort needed to respond to them. Through simulation, analysis, dilemmas, and videotaped accounts from victims, students attempt to grasp the scope and impact of humanitarian action.
Download PDFs of the module or of individual explorations here.

Exploration 5A: Needs that arise from the devastation of war

• Students begin to understand how war disrupts the normal functioning of life. They use a photo collage, a video, and a worksheet. These materials also help students comprehend the scope of humanitarian action needed to reduce, or prevent, the suffering caused by armed conflict.

Exploration 5B: Planning a camp for people displaced by war

• By designing a refugee camp, students refine their understanding of the scale of humanitarian effort required in such an undertaking. After identifying displaced people's needs, they assess the resources at their disposal and develop strategies for meeting these needs. In addition to a photo collage, they use information sheets and a planning worksheet.

Exploration 5C: Focus on protecting prisoners

• To understand how international humanitarian law (IHL) provides protections for the lives and human dignity of prisoners, students look at videos and study a list of the protections contained within IHL. They analyse a dilemma faced by humanitarian workers in their efforts to protect prisoners. They consider the perspective of prisoners, through examining official forms such as a registration card and a Red Cross message form and by viewing artwork made by political detainees.

Exploration 5D: Focus on restoring family links

• Students explore the plight of families split apart by armed conflict, especially of children separated from their parents. They learn about the scale of effort required to restore and maintain links between family members and are introduced to the methods employed in tracing and reuniting families. Photographs, a tracing inquiry form, a message form, and a fact sheet assist them in their learning.

Exploration 5E: Ethics of humanitarian action

• Students examine the key principles of neutrality, impartiality, and independence, which guide humanitarian action. They apply these principles as they analyse some of the most common ethical dilemmas that humanitarian workers face in the field.