Silver Spring, Maryland--The Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) International recently completed its Latin American competency-based training session, delivered by the ADRA Professional Leadership Institute (APLI). The APLI training program prepares staff to organize, implement, and manage development and emergency relief projects that follow current high-level international professional standards.

"The APLI is an initiative that aims to prepare the worldwide staff of ADRA in current, high level professional standards, enabling our agency to be at the cutting edge of trends and principles of development and emergency management," says Mario Ochoa, executive vice president for ADRA International.

During the APLI session held outside of Santiago, Chile, from July 30 to August 10, attendees participated in courses in crisis anticipation and management, security, emergency management, finance management, and planning.

Olivier Guth, bureau chief for finance and operations for ADRA International, conducted the session's finance management courses. "We spent significant time sharing experiences and discussing specific scenarios participants might encounter in the field," he says. "At the end of the session, participants were well equipped with competencies that are directly applicable to and will positively impact their work."

At the Latin American APLI session, attendees also received academic accreditation from Chile Adventist University. More than 120 participants attended, representing more than a dozen countries, including Haiti, Honduras, Guatemala, Peru, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Argentina, and Chile.

In addition to the courses taught in Chile, the APLI core curriculum also
includes: marketing and development, health, education, food security, monitoring and evaluation, governance, civil society, leadership and management, economic development, and human resource management.

The APLI training plan includes the delivery of the core training competencies at least once each year with sessions conducted in three geographic areas: Asia, Africa, and the Americas. To complement its competency-based training, APLI also offers field and language internships and graduate study assistant programs.

ADRA is present in 125 countries, providing community development and emergency management without regard to political or religious association, age, gender, or ethnicity.

Additional information about ADRA can be found at www.adra.org.