TRAINING
Building genuine, lasting capability in partner nations is the central thread running through everything Golden West Humanitarian Foundation does. We don’t measure success by the number of courses delivered or certificates issued, we measure it by whether a country’s EOD and PSSM capability is stronger, safer, and more self-sufficient once we’ve completed our mission.
Every training programme we design is built around the responsible transfer of knowledge. Our team of professionals bring patience, trust, and a dedication to the long-term interests of our partners to every one of our courses.
Every training programme we design is built around the responsible transfer of knowledge. Our team of professionals bring patience, trust, and a dedication to the long-term interests of our partners to every one of our courses.
How We Work
Develop the Trainers, Not Just the Students
Classroom instruction alone doesn’t build institutional resilience. We prioritize train-the-trainer models wherever possible, working with military technical academies and national EOD schools to develop cadres of qualified local instructors who can sustain and expand capability independently. When a country’s own instructors are teaching to international standards, progress compounds over time rather than stopping when we leave.
Embed at Every Level
Effective capacity building works from the bottom up and the top down simultaneously. Golden West Humanitarian Foundation builds relationships with frontline operators who carry out the daily work, middle-tier supervisors who translate doctrine into field practice, and senior leaders who shape policy and resource allocation. Sustainable change requires buy-in at every level of an organisation.
Leave Behind Infrastructure, Not Just Skills
We have invested in our training facility in Cambodia precisely because bricks-and-mortar matter. A country with a functioning, accredited EOD training centre, staffed by nationally qualified instructors, equipped with current tools and standards can continue developing its own workforce indefinitely. That is the legacy we aim to leave.
What We Can Teach
- EOD Level 1–3 to IMAS international standards
- Humanitarian Mine Action (HMA) survey and clearance techniques
- Physical Security and Stockpile Management (PSSM)
- Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW) management
- Demolition range design, safety, and operation
- Post-blast investigation and evidence collection
- UXO first responder awareness for civilian and police personnel
- Instructor development and train-the-trainer facilitation
EXAMPLES OF OUR TRAINING IN ACTION
VIETNAM
International support dealing with the legacies of war in Vietnam are primarily focused on ERW clearance. Golden West enhances this effort by providing EOD training and certification at international standards and sharing new technologies to improve safety and efficiency in operations.
Our approach incorporates training to develop a sustainable resource by working with an enduring organization like Provincial Military Command’s (PMC’s) who will be tasked to conduct residual clearance if international support ever concludes. We believe Golden West training and mentoring will result in significant and sustained long-term impact.
Since 2014, Golden West and our Swim for Life Vietnam program has conducted drowning prevention training and capacity building in Quang Binh and Quang Tri provinces. Our program helped to develop a national level drowning prevention curriculum and has contributed to a 16% reduction in child drownings in Vietnam.
CAMBODIA
Golden West’s EOD orientated capacity building in Cambodia began back in 2005; however, our PSSM capacity building commenced much later in 2014. Since then, working with the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (RCAF), Golden West has destroyed over 80 tons of obsolete and unserviceable munitions, quickly improving facilities’ safety across the Kingdom.
In parallel, Golden West built relations with RCAF’s Technical Military Academy and together developed a new SOP for national ammunition management. To ensure sustainability, a cadre of eight RCAF Instructors have also been tutored by Golden West to ensure international standards and best practices are maintained over time.
SOLOMON ISLANDS
Rural communities in the Solomon Islands are regularly discovering dangerous items of UXO left over from World War Two. Golden West worked to support the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force (RSIPF) in developing a homegrown and sustainable EOD capability training and mentoring a total of 8 Officers.
Today, long after Golden West completed this capacity-building project, the RSIPF continues to conduct UXO collection and destruction safely and efficiently for communities they protect and serve.
PERU
Blending Golden West’s EOD and PSSM training capabilities, our Technical Advisors worked closely with the Peruvian Army to identify, move, and destroy obsolete and unserviceable munitions held in national stockpiles. This mission was completed within a limited timeframe with 33 Army students trained in Demolition Range Safety/Operation, and over 32,000 pieces of ordnance were destroyed – equivalent to 28 tons.
Golden West has undertaken numerous missions such as this. With capability and equipment positioned across the globe, we can move swiftly to assist partner nations.
Saving Lives Through Innovation.
Let’s Build National Capacity
and Safer Communities Together
Lasting humanitarian impact depends on strong partnerships and shared expertise. Discover how to collaborate with Golden West and support communities worldwide.