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| Why did you become a humanitarian? Aid workers share their motivations | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| ‘My goal is to reach those in need’ | ‘My goal is to reach those in need’ |
| My cause shines through my heart. I lived through war, and as a first aid trainee I could rescue the wounded. I carried the wounded and the body parts, I made it to besieged areas giving vaccinations and chemotherapy medications under fire and bombings and air strikes. I had nothing to lose; my goal is to reach those in need. | My cause shines through my heart. I lived through war, and as a first aid trainee I could rescue the wounded. I carried the wounded and the body parts, I made it to besieged areas giving vaccinations and chemotherapy medications under fire and bombings and air strikes. I had nothing to lose; my goal is to reach those in need. |
| I am from Damascus, but never stayed to watch my people dying. I have been in Lebanon for three years taking the lead supporting LGBT communities in Syria and Lebanon or those who made it abroad. I am dedicating my knowledge and efforts providing psychosocial support to Syrian refugees, women and children affected by war. | I am from Damascus, but never stayed to watch my people dying. I have been in Lebanon for three years taking the lead supporting LGBT communities in Syria and Lebanon or those who made it abroad. I am dedicating my knowledge and efforts providing psychosocial support to Syrian refugees, women and children affected by war. |
| I believe there are humanitarian NGOs taking advantage of the crisis, making money out of the donations which are not going to the refugees. Still, there are a few humanitarian souls who really believe in what they are doing to make a positive change in people’s lives. (AmySyria) | I believe there are humanitarian NGOs taking advantage of the crisis, making money out of the donations which are not going to the refugees. Still, there are a few humanitarian souls who really believe in what they are doing to make a positive change in people’s lives. (AmySyria) |
| ‘I vowed I was going to feed the hungry’ | ‘I vowed I was going to feed the hungry’ |
| While growing up, I knew myself to be a compassionate person but I didn’t know there was another dimension to that. As a child born in the northern part of Nigeria, I had to relocate to another part of the country as a result of a religious crisis. | While growing up, I knew myself to be a compassionate person but I didn’t know there was another dimension to that. As a child born in the northern part of Nigeria, I had to relocate to another part of the country as a result of a religious crisis. |
| In 2007, I heard that some children died of hunger in Sudan. I was shocked, not because I was born with a silver spoon – in fact, I think mine was a wooden spoon – but because I had never thought that people could die of hunger. I remembered those times that we went hungry because there was no food in the house. | In 2007, I heard that some children died of hunger in Sudan. I was shocked, not because I was born with a silver spoon – in fact, I think mine was a wooden spoon – but because I had never thought that people could die of hunger. I remembered those times that we went hungry because there was no food in the house. |
| That news sent reactions of sadness and anger down my spine – sad because of the occurrence and angry because the global food wastage in 2007 could fill almost 1.4bn hectares (about £570bn) according to the Food and Agricultural Organisation (2013). This meant that majority of us humans were in the habit of food wastage and didn’t even spare a thought for the hungry. | That news sent reactions of sadness and anger down my spine – sad because of the occurrence and angry because the global food wastage in 2007 could fill almost 1.4bn hectares (about £570bn) according to the Food and Agricultural Organisation (2013). This meant that majority of us humans were in the habit of food wastage and didn’t even spare a thought for the hungry. |
| I vowed I was going to feed and empower the hungry, especially those affected by displacement. Then, in 2010 I enrolled in a postgraduate programme in humanitarian and refugee studies at the University of Ibadan, Nigeria. | I vowed I was going to feed and empower the hungry, especially those affected by displacement. Then, in 2010 I enrolled in a postgraduate programme in humanitarian and refugee studies at the University of Ibadan, Nigeria. |
| My dream is a world where no one dies again of hunger. I founded the Hunger Hunters Group, an organisation geared towards ending malnutrition and the provision of humanitarian assistance (Hunterphil). | My dream is a world where no one dies again of hunger. I founded the Hunger Hunters Group, an organisation geared towards ending malnutrition and the provision of humanitarian assistance (Hunterphil). |
| ‘The danger seems worth it’ | ‘The danger seems worth it’ |
| I’m the CEO and president of Finca, a global microfinance organisation. I didn’t set out to become a humanitarian worker. Like many others, I just fell into it, and it doesn’t feel that long ago since I was a young man fresh out the Peace Corps clutching an envelope from John Hatch, the co-founder of Finca. | I’m the CEO and president of Finca, a global microfinance organisation. I didn’t set out to become a humanitarian worker. Like many others, I just fell into it, and it doesn’t feel that long ago since I was a young man fresh out the Peace Corps clutching an envelope from John Hatch, the co-founder of Finca. |
| Inside that envelope was a small cheque, a plane ticket to the Dominican Republic and a little yellow Post-It note saying: “You’re Hired! See you in Santo Domingo!” | Inside that envelope was a small cheque, a plane ticket to the Dominican Republic and a little yellow Post-It note saying: “You’re Hired! See you in Santo Domingo!” |
| I’ve had my fair share of scrapes. My job has brought me near to death four times. But I’ve been lucky. One of the biggest influences on my life was Mike Hammer, a man who dedicated his life to making other people’s lives better. A union leader in San Salvador who ran the Agrarian Union, he gave me my first break. Tragically, he also gave his life for his work – shot twice in the neck in the San Salvador Sheraton Hotel by assassins paid for by landlords opposed to the land reform programme. | I’ve had my fair share of scrapes. My job has brought me near to death four times. But I’ve been lucky. One of the biggest influences on my life was Mike Hammer, a man who dedicated his life to making other people’s lives better. A union leader in San Salvador who ran the Agrarian Union, he gave me my first break. Tragically, he also gave his life for his work – shot twice in the neck in the San Salvador Sheraton Hotel by assassins paid for by landlords opposed to the land reform programme. |
| Finca now serves nearly 2 million clients across five continents. So, on balance, the danger seems worth it. (RupertFINCA) | Finca now serves nearly 2 million clients across five continents. So, on balance, the danger seems worth it. (RupertFINCA) |
| ‘To bring back peace’ | ‘To bring back peace’ |
| To bring back the peace in the conflict-affected province Khyber Pkahtunkhwa of Pakistan. A women’s group Da Hawwa Lur conducted a “Peace Walk” in the time of extreme militancy. (Shawana Shah) | To bring back the peace in the conflict-affected province Khyber Pkahtunkhwa of Pakistan. A women’s group Da Hawwa Lur conducted a “Peace Walk” in the time of extreme militancy. (Shawana Shah) |
| ‘I can’t see myself being in another field’ | ‘I can’t see myself being in another field’ |
| World Humanitarian Day highlights the other side of being an aid worker – our vulnerability, just like the survivors affected by crisis. I can’t discount the feeling of being thankful when I celebrate my birthday. But there is something deeper in WHD. There is the feeling of pride and honour that I am an aid worker, but humility always prevails. As a humanitarian worker, people always recognise us for the courage and passion to serve despite being in a risky situation. However, the truth is, we’re also vulnerable. | World Humanitarian Day highlights the other side of being an aid worker – our vulnerability, just like the survivors affected by crisis. I can’t discount the feeling of being thankful when I celebrate my birthday. But there is something deeper in WHD. There is the feeling of pride and honour that I am an aid worker, but humility always prevails. As a humanitarian worker, people always recognise us for the courage and passion to serve despite being in a risky situation. However, the truth is, we’re also vulnerable. |
| Sometimes, we’re not only the responders but in some circumstances, we’ve also become one of the survivors. We position ourselves in many dangerous places. We brave through the floods, we travel in an insecure environment, and our lives are at stake. | Sometimes, we’re not only the responders but in some circumstances, we’ve also become one of the survivors. We position ourselves in many dangerous places. We brave through the floods, we travel in an insecure environment, and our lives are at stake. |
| There are moments when our body wants to rest but our heart would continue to go on. There is always this contradiction. They do not speak in unity especially when you see the need for aid. The heart usually prevails. The heart wins. | There are moments when our body wants to rest but our heart would continue to go on. There is always this contradiction. They do not speak in unity especially when you see the need for aid. The heart usually prevails. The heart wins. |
| Despite everything, I am still here and I can’t see myself being in another field not related to humanitarian work. (Mai Zamora) | Despite everything, I am still here and I can’t see myself being in another field not related to humanitarian work. (Mai Zamora) |
| ‘It came about by accident’ | ‘It came about by accident’ |
| I became a humanitarian aid worker by accident. After graduating from university with a degree in international studies, I started searching for jobs online. I finally got an internship in South Sudan, ending up in one of the most remote refugee camps in the world. I found my niche in camp management, helping to coordinate services in camps, often receiving new arrivals or managing relocations to better/safer areas. | I became a humanitarian aid worker by accident. After graduating from university with a degree in international studies, I started searching for jobs online. I finally got an internship in South Sudan, ending up in one of the most remote refugee camps in the world. I found my niche in camp management, helping to coordinate services in camps, often receiving new arrivals or managing relocations to better/safer areas. |
| In this picture, refugees from Sudan had just crossed the border into South Sudan, where UNHCR then provided transportation to one of the four camps in Maban county where they would be registered and given shelter, food, medical assistance, education, and protection services. (storyhajj) | In this picture, refugees from Sudan had just crossed the border into South Sudan, where UNHCR then provided transportation to one of the four camps in Maban county where they would be registered and given shelter, food, medical assistance, education, and protection services. (storyhajj) |
| Join our community of development professionals and humanitarians. Follow @GuardianGDP on Twitter. | Join our community of development professionals and humanitarians. Follow @GuardianGDP on Twitter. |