Every day humanitarian aid workers impact the lives of countless people around the world. Treating Ebola patients in Liberia, administering cash transfer programmes in Dadaab, doing inventory in a refugee camp in Turkey; all these jobs demand experienced workers. Their efforts frequently mean the difference between life and death.
But as worthwhile as their work is, it is not without its occupational risks. The year 2014 was the most dangerous year to be an aid worker. And on top of the risk of injury or kidnapping, research shows that mental health and well-being issues are commonplace.
So what keeps aid workers in their jobs? Recently I worked with a seasoned aid worker to survey more than 1,000 humanitarians fulfilling a variety of roles in communities from sub-Saharan Africa to the South Pacific. Their responses provided insight into what makes the work meaningful, as well as how we can improve conditions for staff in the field.
So what did aid workers tell us?
Going back home can be daunting
Some told us that even a short amount of time in the field creates a sense that they no longer fit in at home after their assignments. This is especially true for those who’ve worked in conflict zones and in emergency relief.
Many told us that they felt changed in ways friends and family could not understand, and remaining in the sector provides a place to share experiences with like-minded people. “You do get addicted to the job and it’s hard to settle back to life in Europe and a normal job,” said one respondent. Another reported not even trying to explain the job: “I say I work in international aid and leave it at that.”
I would argue for a mandatory sector-wide detox transition period for field staff coming back home. Those who feel they don’t need it might be those that need it the most. Spending time with others who have experienced similar mental stresses can be critical, especially with HR staff who have been trained in counselling. Having to go back and forth between gears, from home to field, can be physically and mentally exhausting.
... and seem banal
A second answer to why workers choose to stay in the field is a desire to test their mental, physical and spiritual potential. Working there is intense, and brings out strengths that might have remained dormant in life outside the job. Back home, life can seem banal.
One respondent captured this common theme: “It is much more difficult for me to fit in at home, where people do not care about the inner workings of [the] war. I think it is difficult to un-know things, and knowing things that I do, I find it difficult to think of giving up this work and moving to a different sector, without any resolution to these crises. Perhaps it’s putting a bandaid on a gaping chest wound, but I still feel it is better than doing nothing at all.”
Some saw life outside of aid work as pedestrian. “What else would I do with my life?” one worker reported. “Live in the suburbs and drive kids to sports activities?”
The vast majority of our respondents came into the sector with a sense of purpose about making a positive impact in the world. Being a part of the sector provides meaning in their lives and most (57%) reported very much liking their current jobs.
Options elsewhere feel limited
More than 50% of our respondents have devoted at least five years of their life to aid work, 22% of them more than 10 years. This mental, emotional and time investment has prepared them to do ... more aid work.
“After so much time gaining expertise and competence in this field, it seems daunting to start again in another one … even if I could figure out which other one I would choose,” said one aid worker.
In any occupation the thought of making a radical move to another field is intimidating. Also it usual means, at best, a lateral move and often settling for less money, less responsibility and, for many, less meaningful work. For most aid workers, the sense of purpose is critical. One survey respondent said “… the underlying moral call to action, remains the same.”
A sense of loyalty
“What keeps me coming back are the colleagues I have worked with for a long time, women who I love and feel as deep friends, my loyalty to them, my rage at the continuing injustice in the world, particularly for women, and my sense that we can’t give up and roll over,” said one female survey respondent.
This sentiment reminded me of research I did years ago on US soldiers who volunteered for multiple tours of duty in Vietnam. Like those soldiers, aid workers want their work to make a positive difference in the lives of those caught in conflict – not the least of which is the lives of their colleagues. No one wants to abandon other aid workers with a common purpose.
Despite all the challenges of the job, the aid workers we spoke to want to be in the field. They’re dedicated. In the words of one survey respondent, they’re like “Rottweilers” who have “bitten into a leg and will not let go even though it’s been bashed over the head with a heavy metal frying pan”.
We need to listen more to aid workers about how they feel about their jobs. By listening to their voices we can develop a deeper understanding that can lead to a more effective, mentally healthy workforce.
Tom Arcaro is a professor of sociology at Elon University. A beta version of Aid Worker Voices: survey results and commentary is planned for publication early summer 2016.
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