They will train the next generation of humanitarian leaders and responders, especially those located in vulnerable countries and communities. Kaya will be the main learning tool and will be accessed by over forty countries.

The Academy is funded and supported by a wide range of organisations, including the UK government, the Norwegian government, philanthropists, and the corporate sector.

Totara Partner Catalyst is responsible for creating Kaya, the large-scale learning platform, and has adapted the award-winning open source LMS with several innovative customizations to optimize it for humanitarian workers globally. These include an offline player, enabling users to download and complete learning in areas of poor connectivity and access to learning through Catalyst’s global content delivery network (CDN), which ensures the LMS and its content is easily accessible from anywhere in the world.

Joey Murison, Business Development Manager at Catalyst-IT, said, "The Kaya platform has been delivered in record time for our partners at the Academy thanks to the significant benefits presented in the use of free and open source software, enabling bespoke humanitarian developments provided by Catalyst’s previous NGO and humanitarian-sector customers to be leveraged."

Lars Hyland, Chief Commercial Officer at Totara Learning, said, "At Totara we are seeing increasing adoption among high-profile NGOs, charities, and public-sector organizations that require both the flexibility and cost effectiveness our learning-management platform offers. It’s exciting and hugely satisfying to see our open source software supporting organizations that perform such important work across the world."

As well as the Kaya platform, the Humanitarian Leadership Academy also comprises a series of Academy Centres, which act as centers of networks to allow humanitarians to build relationships and partnerships with organizations through workshops and training activities. By 2020, they aim to have ten training centers around the world offering classroom and virtual training for surrounding regions.

Kat Sandford, Digital Planning Manager for the Humanitarian Leadership Academy said, "We have been able to use the Totara LMS and develop it to fit our objectives.  One of the key things was the responsive design, being able to be on brand as well as user friendly. We now have a product that suits us and will grow as the Academy grows too."

Humanitarian Leadership Academy’s Kaya is available in English, French, and Arabic.