The LEGS training programme continues to prove its value well beyond emergency response practitioners, demonstrating its flexibility and relevance for diverse audiences. By tailoring its tools and training content to specific contexts, LEGS helps strengthen emergency preparedness and response capacity at every level – from communities to national policymakers.
© Astrid de Valon
Originally designed as a three-day course for practitioners working in crisis-affected settings, the LEGS Core Training has since shown its adaptability. Many components can be adapted for used directly with community groups and livestock keepers, enhancing local capacity and supporting more effective decision-making and planning for emergency response.
Practical tools play a key role in this process. The Participatory Response Identification Matrix (PRIM) enables communities prioritise and sequence interventions based on needs, potential impacts, and the stage of the emergency. The LEGS decision trees guide users through critical planning questions, while the LEGS Principles – community participation and a livelihoods-based approach – ensure that all groups and needs are considered during both planning and implementation. LEGS technical chapters, such as those on fodder production and shelter support, also offer communities practical guidance to help them prepare for and respond to emergencies.
LEGS actively encourages practitioners who have facilitated such community awareness sessions, as recently held in Colombia, to share their experiences with the LEGS Secretariat and their wider contacts.
Contextualising training is another key priority for LEGS. While participant feedback on Core Training is overwhelmingly positive, many note that the generic case studies do not always reflect local realities. Trainers are therefore encouraged to develop locally relevant case studies, using the guidance in the LEGS Trainer’s Guide. In addition, the LEGS website hosts a library of global case studies covering all six technical interventions and the LEGS approach, providing additional material for adaptation.
For further support, practitioners and trainers are invited to contact the LEGS team directly.
