From lessons learned to lives protected — a global commitment to be ready before disaster strikes.
When disaster hits, there is no time to figure things out from scratch.
Homes are already gone. Families are already afraid. Communities need help now.
Twenty years ago, ADRA asked a hard but faithful question: Are we ready?
A wake-up call that changed everything
In 2004, the Asian tsunami shook the world — and the humanitarian sector with it. The loss was overwhelming. The needs were immediate. And looking back at our response as ADRA, it became a moment of deep reflection.
Were we prepared for something this big?
Did we know how to work together across regions?
Did we have shared tools, systems, and skills when everything moved fast?
Out of that honest After Action Review came a clear commitment: preparedness had to matter as much as response.
That promise gave birth to ADRA’s Emergency Response Team (ERT) programme.
Where it all began
ADRA’s first ERT training took place in Indonesia in October 2006. It was built around a simulated volcanic eruption and mass displacement — real problems, real pressure, real learning.
Designed and led by ADRA’s own Robert Patton, the training was practical and hands-on. Local communities and first responders were involved. Simple tools were used. Emerging humanitarian standards were tested long before many became official.
The heart of that first training still beats in the programme today: learn by doing, prepare together, and serve with humility.
A global network aiming at being ready
Fast forward twenty years, we can be thankful of what has been achieved.
- 54 ERT trainings delivered
- 764 people trained
- 121 trainers, from across ADRA and partner organisations
- 34 countries hosting trainings
- 101 ADRA Country Offices participating
This has never been about one headquarters or one expert team. It has always been about the Network — people across the world choosing to be ready for their neighbours. Being ready to help in their own country or to being deployed whenever another office needs extra support to manage a disaster response.
The programme has also grown in depth. What started as one course is now a clear learning pathway, moving from Core to Advanced and Leadership ERT training. In the past two years, Cash in Emergencies training has been added in partnership with the CALP Network, helping ADRA keep pace with how humanitarian response continues to evolve.
Building local strength
In recent years, trainings are happening more often, closer to where disasters strike, and with a stronger focus on local leadership.
Also in Europe, we take preparation seriously. Last year in May 2025, ADRA staff from across Europe gathered in Slovakia for an ERT training — strengthening regional readiness and shared skills. And in the next weeks, early in 2026, a training in Belgrade, Serbia, will bring together offices to practise activating their National Emergency Management Plans (NEMP).
These moments of learning together matter. They mean that when crisis comes, responses can be led locally, with global support standing ready — exactly as ADRA’s strategy intends.
None of this happens by accident.
For years, ADRA International’s Emergency Management Unit has consistently invested in ERT training. In the past 18 months, regional offices have stepped forward in powerful ways — hosting and delivering trainings even when international support was limited.
That shared ownership speaks volumes. It shows a Network that believes preparedness is an act of love.
Ready because people choose to be ready
As ADRA looks toward the twentieth anniversary of the ERT programme in 2026, one truth stands clear:
We are better prepared today not because of one team or one office — but because hundreds of people across the ADRA Network have chosen to learn, to train, and to show up before disaster hits.
In a world where crises are becoming more frequent and more complex, preparedness is not optional. It is a promise.
A promise to protect dignity, to act with courage, and a promise to serve humanity — so all may live as God intended.
Watch a short video of ADRAs ERT Training 2025 in Slovakia here: