Upcoming Course: 13th Management of Humanitarian Emergencies     Our Mission:   To educate and train health professionals, relief workers and policy makers to recognize and address the unique needs of children affected by man-made and natural disasters world wide.   What We Do: We offer intensive and interactive training programs and workshops that give participants the critical reasoning skills required to make appropriate decisions on behalf of children in disaster settings both at home and abroad.   Why We Do It: Natural and man-made disasters have increased dramatically over the past 15 years.  The potential for a pandemic event of immense proportions has also been recognized.  Children are more vulnerable than adults to all types of disasters and are usually the most seriously affected victims. Millions of child survivors around the world suffer devastating physical and psychological injury that affect their development and often cause irreversible damage.  Despite the magnitude of this problem, training and planning to specifically address the needs of children affected by disasters has been extremely limited.   Who We Are: The Rainbow Center for Global Child Health at Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital in Cleveland, Ohio is home to a core group of pediatricians and disaster management experts.   Dr. Karen Olness, founding director of the Rainbow Center for Global Child Health, is recognized both nationally and internationally as an expert and a leader in pediatric disaster preparedness and response.  Most team members have received direct experience while offering their services in disaster settings.   Our international network includes partners in global health, developmental and behavioral pediatrics and disaster relief in Africa, Asia, the Middle East and Latin America.   Our Goals: Reduce the acute and long-term negative effect of disasters on children Increase awareness of the special needs of children worldwide Provide training to health professionals and relief workers, both in the United States and in critical locations overseas on how to identify and respond to physical and emotional needs of children affected by disasters Train  an international cadre of experts who have the knowledge, skills and understanding required to care for children on disaster sites Train trainers capable of training others in their own community settings Develop a pool of child-advocates who will influence leaders and policy makers to address children’s specific needs in their disaster preparedness planning Foster networking and communication among professionals and organizations engaged in relief operations to better address the special needs of children