Care International - Emergency Toolkit

How do I get a login?

A login for all staff is included in the CET Users Guide which has been sent to all CARE offices. Please ask someone in your office for advice, or send an email emergencytoolkit@careinternational.org to request the login details.

The toolkit is huge! How can one person even start to look at it?

• The CARE Emergency Toolkit should be understood as a resource collection which provides a menu of guidelines for different users, like a library which caters for many different users.
• It is not a single manual where all staff should use all parts of it!
• Users of the toolkit should look for the guidelines which are relevant to their role within an emergency response, eg the HR manager = HR protocol and guidelines, Assessment team = Assessment protocol and guidelines.
• You can also see a condensed version of the toolkit guidelines in the CARE Emergency Pocketbook.

Which parts are for which people?

Is it compulsory to use the toolkit?

• All parts of CARE must comply with the Ch 2 Humanitarian Policy Framework and Ch 4 Management Protocols.
• Other parts are ‘guidelines' to help manage a response. They are highly recommended to ensure program and operational standards are met, but should be adapted as appropriate to the local context.

At what stage of an emergency do I use different parts of the toolkit?

• The toolkit is organised according to functional areas/ user groups rather than time sequencing.
• Ch 3 Basic Guide to Emergency Response and Ch 4 Management Protocols tell you what to do at what stage of the emergency, according to timeframes.
• See the flowchart to help you know what to use each part of the CET for.
• The rest of the guidelines in the CET apply throughout all stages of the emergency response and guide managers on the steps that they should follow throughout the duration of emergency in relation to their particular function.

What MUST I know as a Country Director, Emergency Coordinator or Senior Manager?

• All Country Directors, Emergency Coordinators and CO senior managers must be familiar with Ch 2 Humanitarian Policy Framework, and Ch 4 Management protocols and ensure they are followed.
• Ch 3 Basic Guide for Emergency Response is designed to help Country Directors and Emergency Coordinators to manage a response.
• The most important protocols for CDs to be familiar with are: A1 Mandates, roles and responsibilities; A2 Emergency Typology; and C5 Response decision making.

How does the toolkit relate to the CARE Emergency Pocketbook?

The toolkit and the pocketbook are complementary resources. The pocketbook provides a summary of key information from the toolkit for quick access, while the toolkit provides more detailed guidelines and a more comprehensive set of tools and resources. Use the pocketbook when you need to carry guidelines in the field or need quick guidance on what to do in an emergency. Use the toolkit when have internet or CD access, you need detailed guidelines or are searching for resources and tools. 

What other languages is the toolkit available in?

• The toolkit is available in English, Spanish, French and Arabic. Follow the language links from the home page. Some other language translations have been completed for some chapters.
• Country Offices are encouraged to translate the toolkit to other languages. Please send translated sections to emergencytoolkit@careinternational.org so they can be placed on the site.

I need a visual diagram to help understand how this all fits together.

• Please see the attached document CET and Protocols Flowchart.

How can I provide feedback on the toolkit or ask for help?

• You can ask for help or provide feedback by filling out the Feedback Form.
• You can discuss feedback or questions with other CARE colleagues in the Discussion Forum .

I can't download it from the web. How do I get a CD-ROM version?

• Send an email to emergencytoolkit@careinternational.org.

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Can I share this with other agencies and colleagues?

The CET can be shared with all CARE staff, partners and peer agencies. All CARE staff can use the universal staff login supplied to CARE offices. For partners outside of CARE, please send a request for a login for them to emergencytoolkit@careinternational.org, please include their name, agency and relationship to CARE in the email and we will be happy to provide them with access.

Some chapters are empty. Where are they?

Common technical problems

Problem: Login not working

Solution: Check you have the correct username and password. Especially if you copied and pasted the username and password, make sure you didn't accidentally include some extra spaces at the beginning or end of the username or password.  The site will tell you on the left hand side of the home page when you are correctly logged in.

Problem: When I try to download an annex, I get a pop up blocker and/or the page returns to the top and takes me away from the annexes.

Solution: Note- this is an annoying problem with Internet Explorer, but there are ways around it. Follow these steps:

• Attempt to download the annex. If it brings up the yellow pop up blocker, right click on the yellow bar to ‘allow download'. The page will go back to the top.
• Return to the annexes or file you were trying to download and try again. This time, a grey window will pop up asking if you want to open the file. Before you say yes, look at the small check box in the bottom left of the the pop up window. It says "always ask before opening this type of file". Uncheck this box.
• Choose yes to download the file and it should now work. You should no longer get the yellow pop up blocker for any similar file, however, you may need to repeat the steps above for different types of files (eg Word, Excel, PDF, Zip)
• It does not permenantely eliminate the problem for zip files. In this case, simply always try twice if you get blocked the first time and it should always work the second time.