Bangkok--12 Oct--AIT
Eight volunteers from the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) participated in a training organized by T?l?coms Sans Fronti?res (TSF). Six students and two AIT employees participated in the TSF training program organized from 28-30 September 2012.
According to Mr. Gregory Rebattu, TSF delegate for Asia, students who participated were from Disaster Preparedness Mitigation and Management (DPMM), Telecommunications (TC), and Information and Communication Technology (ICT). Participants attended theoretical courses on emergency environments and satellite telecommunications. They also participated in hands-on practical sessions where they were taught to deploy and use satellite equipment.
Volunteers also learned about TSF’s procedures, and about various aspects of mission deployment including objectives, activities, security, and reporting. The training concluded with a simulation exercise where AIT volunteers established a telecom center with internet connectivity, and prepared a small-scale humanitarian calling operation with satellite phones. These skills and technical know-how are aimed at equipping students with the capability to establish emergency telecom and internet facilities in disaster areas to enable them to provide connectivity to the affected population, and various organizations working in humanitarian relief.
TSF is a partner of AIT, and AIT volunteers have been engaged in humanitarian operations in various parts of the world including Indonesia, Philippines, Pakistan, Myanmar, and Thailand among others.