Annual Conference Held for Groups Working in War Zones Disaster Areas

  With a worldwide increase in war, disaster, human rights violations and Christian persecution, the dangers for groups working in these types of areas have reached record levels. Mission organizations, humanitarian groups and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are facing ever-increasing risks as a result of their efforts.







To help address these concerns, a Christian organization has just completed its 10th annual Disaster Assistance Response Training (DART) Conference in northeastern Oklahoma. The purpose of this intensive, one-week training event is to equip missionaries and humanitarian workers for the rigors of working in difficult areas.



"Thanks to our staff and volunteers, this year's DART conference was a huge success," said Kevin Turner, president of Strategic World Impact (SWI), an international mission organization which held and sponsored the event.



"The comprehensive training received by our attendees will be an invaluable asset when they get in the field and apply what they've learned," he added.



In addition to lectures, classroom study and small group exercises, the conference also included a one-of-a-kind overnight stay in a "refugee camp" to help simulate conditions that will be faced in harsh environments.



"The refugee camp helped compliment our classroom training. Field training is important because retention of information dramatically increases when it's learned visually and through real-life application," noted Turner.



The DART Conference is recognized as a premier training event among missionaries, aid groups and even the United States military. The Defense Threat Reduction Agency, a combat support group of the Department of Defense (DoD), recently audited SWI's DART program and found it to be the best civilian training course of its kind in the United States.



The 2007 conference ran from June 17th to June 22nd and some of the courses included Disaster Assessment, Personal & Mission Protection, Trauma Counseling, Medical Care on the Battlefield, Survival in the Field, Infectious Diseases, Missions Planning & Preparation, Land Mine Awareness and Understanding Islam.



Attendees were offered mandatory and elective courses by instructors with a broad range of backgrounds, including experienced missionaries, expert physicians and members of the United States military.



"We're already planning next year's event and we encourage attendance by mission groups, missionaries, relief works, military members and anyone else who wants to learn how to stay alive in dangerous situations, particularly in the Islamic world," said Turner.



To learn more about this year's conference or to inquire about 2008 registration, please visit www.swi.org or call 877-RUN-TELL.