International Charities in Humanitarian Crises (edX)

This MOOC delves into the inner workings of charities and funds under both domestic and international law to examine how charities operate within different legal environments. The MOOC highlights some of the characteristic features of contemporary charities. It offers an alternative view, introducing the organization and operation of Islamic charities (particularly the Awqaf model) and the Islamic foundations of charity. It also pioneers a discussion about how new technologies such as blockchain can be employed as vehicles for effective aid delivery.

The course is designed for top and mid-tier executives of international and domestic charities; donor executives in ministries, international organizations such as the UN and OIC and those engaged with trusts or charitable work; scholars, students and government officials dealing with charities and charity-related work; persons thinking of setting up their own charitable NGOs; those interested in UN sanctions and terrorist financing as these relate to charitable work.

What you'll learn

Participants will learn about the structure of western charities and why they have become major players; Islamic ethics as applied to charities; how charities can effectively engage with the UN Sustainable Development Goals and avoid various pitfalls in order to ensure operational efficiency; as well as appropriate corporate governance and managerial models. Participants will also learn how blockchain and other new technologies can be employed to avoid corruption in the domain of charity work.