The Sphere Story II - Groundbreakers

“The Sphere Story” is a three-part video documentary on the origins, dissemination and impact of Sphere humanitarian principles and standards (http://SphereProject.org).

The three parts, each lasting 10-13 minutes, are:

I. Mavericks
How the Sphere standards came into being
   • The Sphere Story I - Mavericks  

II. Groundbreakers
How the Sphere standards were disseminated

III. Game changers
A movement that transformed the humanitarian system
   • The Sphere Story III - Game changers  

“The Sphere Story” complements existing Sphere films like
— “Introducing the Sphere Handbook,” (   • Introducing the Sphere Handbook 2011 edition  ) which describes the contents and structure of the latest edition of the Handbook and
— “Humanitarian standards in context,” (   • Humanitarian standards in context - Bringi...  ) which offers an in-depth view of how Sphere and its companion standards are being applied in different regional contexts.

“The Sphere Story” explores the drivers of the Sphere Project, the challenges in developing a common vision, and the impact that people experienced already in the early days, all from the perspective of the actors themselves. It is based on interviews with 11 people who played crucial roles at different stages of the Sphere Project’s development:

Peter Walker and Nicholas Stockton, the two co-initiators;
Susan Purdin and Nan Buzard, the first two managers;
Rebecca Larson, a member of the first management committee;
Margareta Wahlström, a contributor to the first edition of the Sphere Handbook;
Rafael Vilasanjuan, General Secretary of Doctors Without Borders between 1999-2005;
Véronique de Geoffroy, a member of the French think tank Groupe URD;
José Patrocínio from Angola and Maynor Cerón from Honduras, both humanitarian field practitioners involved in the early stages of the project; and
John Borton, the team leader of the humanitarian branch of the Joint Evaluation of Emergency Assistance to Rwanda.

The documentary is available in Arabic, English, French and Spanish.

High-resolution copies for screening at workshops and courses are available from the Sphere office (email us at info ~ sphereproject.org)

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