Alan Noble is the Manager of Global Surge Capacity at World Vision International. He is based in Monrovia, California, but travels often to World Vision offices around the world to identify and support the training of people to serve in responding to the largest global emergencies. Here is his personal opinion and advice about getting a job as a humanitarian aid worker.
Nick: Alan, tell us a little about your background – how did you find your way into this line of work? Read more…
Alanna Shaikh, International Public Health practitioner
Alanna Shaikh
Alanna has been working in international development for about a decade, she has worked for NGOs, contractors, the US government and the UN. She has been an intern, a manager and a technical specialist in East Africa, Central Asia and the Middle East. You can learn more about her and her take on international development at her blog Blood and Milk. I caught up with her in Dushanbe, Tajikistan where she is currently a consultant for international development organizations, and asked her about how she got started in this line of work.
Nick: Tell me about what made you want to get into humanitarian work, and how you went about it? Read more…
Welcome!
This site is about getting your first job as a humanitarian aid worker. Whether you want to run refugee camps, micro credit programs or health programs, this is my personal opinion (not my employer’s) about ways to make the transition to international relief and development work.
If you find this site at least as useful as a coffee and a bagel, and wonder how you can possibly thank me, please consider buying my e-book on Amazon! Getting your first job in relief and development
My take on getting a job as a humanitarian aid worker is organized by chapters (on the right-hand side under the heading Book chapters) – and is supposed to be read top-to-bottom more or less like a book. Book reviews, practitioner interviews and other pieces are posted below. Find out more about this blog here.
Please read the disclaimer, and understand that this line of work is not risk free. You need to do your own research, make your own decisions, and take responsibility for them.
If this site is as useful to you as a book you might have paid for please consider buying my new Kindle eBook, which contains much of the content from this site, thoughtfully formatted for off-line reading on a Kindle, iPad, laptop, or other e-reader. It’s $6, and honestly, what can you get for that these days? Get it here
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A roundup of development and relief manuals
Perhaps it ages me in this time of PDFs and e-books that I think about books in terms of the relative value they provide against the weight and space they take up in my luggage, but this is the list of books that I think have the highest general benefit to weight ratio. For what it’s worth, even though I have most of these as electronic files, I still pack the hard copies with me. They need no batteries, are still usable if you spill coffee on them or drop them in a puddle, and are (slightly) less likely to be stolen. They’re also easier to mark up with a pencil or highlighter, and can be used to hold down pile of papers in a breeze or if there is a fan on in the room.
Of course, there are any number of more specific books that might prove invaluable, depending on what you’re doing and where, but here, in no particular order, are the ones I most often find myself reaching for when I’m working in the field:
Oxfam Handbook of Development and Relief
Although it’s getting a little long in the tooth (1995), this one is on my list of must-haves just because it is such a thorough treatment of many of the issues in community development from a practical perspective. It manages to pack a good chunk of development theory in with a lot of practical advice. The first volume in the set deals with approaches to development, the importance of focusing on people and capacity building, while the second is devoted to economic production, health and responding to emergencies (some editions have a third, which is a directory of aid agencies, but in the internet age that’s largely useless). The books are very much a guide to Oxfam’s approach, and not every NGO will agree with all of it, but every section has the same in-depth-pro-poor-gender-aware-thoughtfulness that we’ve come to expect from Oxfam, and is well worth packing in your suitcase. You can buy it from Amazon.com
Engineering in Emergencies
I think that if I could only recommend one book to people who think that they would like to be humanitarian relief workers, or indeed, to humanitarian relief workers, it would be this one. My first copy fell apart though being used so much, my second got stolen, and I think I must have left three or four copies behind in different offices when I moved on. Don’t be put off by the title – while it is a little engineering heavy in parts, and while the initial target of the first edition was civil engineers looking to make the transition to relief work, it covers a lot of the same issues that everyone will face.
The book is divided philosophically into two parts, the first is general information on relief work. It includes an introduction to the nature of emergencies, humanitarian standards, the humanitarian system, a primer on the kinds of organizations you will find, personal effectiveness, security, safety, assessment, planning, and management. It’s a whistle-stop tour, for sure, but it’s packed with useful information and fascinating insights.
The second half feels like the original scope of the book – it’s a guide to a lot of the practical problems people face in the field, and includes chapters on logistics, telecommunications, environmental health, sanitation, water supply, pumps, mechanical & electrical plant, vehicles, road building, airstrips, and refugee camp management. So don’t try to read this thing cover to cover, just skim it, and then, at the point when you have to figure out why the only generator in your compound has stopped working, or how to pull your Land Rover out of a river, or how much water 1,000 refugees will need, reach for your copy. You can buy it from Amazon.com
UNHCR Handbook for Emergencies
The United Nations High Commission for Refugees Handbook for Emergencies was last updated in 2007 (third edition). It is solid (if somewhat UN-centric) look at the issues of emergencies involving large numbers of refugees or displaced people. It is divided into four main sections, the first focusing on an introduction to the UN and their mandate in refugee emergencies; the second on the mechanics of emergency management (planning, assessment, implementation etc), the third on technical sectors and problem areas in refugee response (population estimation, community based approaches, site management, water, food etc) and the final section deals with administrative and other support functions (including staffing, communications, dealing with stress and military relations).
While some sections are very specific to the UN, the book as a whole is well worth the weight in your luggage for its thorough discussion of the issues and approaches to refugee emergencies. Better still, it’s available as a free download from the UNHCR here. While you’re there, check out the UNHCR electronic library, which has a lot of other interesting resources.
USAID Field Operations Guide
The classic little red book, this is the United States Agency for International Development’s handbook for Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) members. While it does deal specifically with USAID systems, that’s not a bad thing – understanding how DART works is worth the time in itself, and the general information packed into this tiny book is incredible – every inch of every page is packed with tables, charts and information of every kind.
The first section deals mainly with USAID information, but also includes a checklist on personal security and health that is worth having, along with some general advice on culture shock and stress. Part two focuses on assessments, and again has a useful series of checklists that are great when you’re trying to remember all the things you need to look for, as well as a quick one paragraph on a huge number of topics including data collection, needs assessments, terminology and the specifics of assessments in each of a bewildering number of sectors. The third part is about vulnerable populations and assistance, including topics like protection, assistance, water, food, health etc while part four covers the structure of the DART, and is only really useful if you find yourself dealing with one, or serving on one.
Perhaps the most interesting part of the book is that its appendices are packed with tables from everything from unit conversion, to characteristics of different types of radio, and from map reading to aircraft lift capabilities and runway requirements. The value of the book is not as a manual, it is too small and abbreviated, the reason this book has stood the test of time is that it is an aide-memoir that is small enough to carry in your pocket.
You can download the book for free here.
SPHERE Guidelines for Minimum Standards in Disaster Response
Another must-have, this is the generally accepted reference for minimum standards in emergencies, SPHERE is an inter-agency effort to set guidelines for quality and quantity of service provision to disaster affected communities. The book, and much, much more, can be found on their website. It’s a great starting point for figuring out the minimum number of latrines a population will need, or what the lowest possible ration size you can get away with is, but more importantly, it’s a philosophical approach that will help you do better work in the field. Take the time to explore the site and become familiar with the methodologies. If you’re buying a hard copy, make sure you get the most recent (orange) version, not the older (blue) edition.
I teach a course on what MBA students need to know about international non-profits. It’s not a development theory course, but they do need to know some of the basics of development theory, the history of development, how the development community got to where we are, and where we’re headed. This is by far the best introduction I’ve found. Published by Oxford University Press, it is the core textbook for the Open University’s Masters level course on Development Management.
The book is divided into five sections:
1. Conceptions of poverty and development, which deals with conceptual models of what we think is going on when we talk about these concepts;
2. A world of problems, which is a whistle-stop tour of the major threats to development;
3. The great transformation, a history of pre-capitalism, colonialism, ‘development’, socialism and what the authors call ‘late capitalism’;
4. Understanding contemporary development, dealing with globalization, democracies, governance issues, gender, urbanization, technology and culture and their impact on development;
5. The future of development, a largely speculative chapter that builds on the current trends to talk about live issues like the role of genetic modification, ethnicity etc.
It would be a happy thing if all of the staff of international development organizations could be persuaded to read this book, a happier thing still if all of the people who engaged as project participants with them did as well. It is well written, engaging and thought-provoking and touches on most of the important strains of though and viewpoints that continue to shape development, but perhaps more importantly it brings to the surface and challenges strains of thought and ideas that are so embedded in our culture and ways of doing things that we don’t even recognize them as forms of thought. It’s one of the few books that I really keep on coming back to even after I have re-read it.
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What to pack when you are travelling?
I’ve never learned to pack properly. I always take too much stuff, and end up wishing I had halved what I took. Having said that, there are a few things that I wholeheartedly recommend to anyone traveling almost anywhere.
A word about luggage
I like to have three bags with me on longer trips, packed ‘onion fashion’.
- a small day pack or grab bag with essentials like a change of clothes, toiletries, medications, a small first aid kit, some snacks etc.
- a rucksack with some more clothes.
- a suitcase with less used stuff, including smarter clothes.
The principle here is that you hang onto the small bag at all times, keep it with you in case you need to abandon your other luggage (or an airline looses it), the rucksack is easier to carry if you need to walk a mile with it, while the suitcase is easier to keep less used stuff relatively wrinkle free in.
Gear
Leatherman
I picked up the only Leatherman I ever bought in Austria on my way to Albania in 1999, and it immediately proved its worth when one of the first things I did for the aid agency I worked for was take delivery of a crate of computers with US power plugs. I used the Leatherman to chop these off, strip the wires, and put the correct plugs on them. I kept the same tool for the next 10 years, using and abusing it in some truly unreasonable situations. I eventually snapped the screwdriver, ironically, in an office building in the United States in 2010, trying to raise my desk a few inches. Fortunately Leatherman has a ridiculous 25 year warranty, and just sent me a new one. Buy one of these things, I promise you will use it for everything except opening wine bottles. For that, you need either a Swiss Army knife, or a French colleague. Buy it from Amazon
Maglite
I bought the only Maglite I have ever owned in Zagreb in 1997, and have used it all over the world since. I’ve abused it constantly, and it has outlasted numerous other flashlights I have had along the way. I recommend the AA version for travel, it’s small enough to fit in your pocket, but large enough to light up a large room. A question you will have to answer for yourself is whether you want the regular or the LED version. I have the regular one. I bought the LED upgrade bulb for it for the (much) better battery life, but ended up putting the regular bulb back because I hated the light quality. You be the judge, but choose wisely, you will own this flashlight for many years (unless someone steals it!). The LED version,
First Aid Kit
Always take a decent first aid kit to deal with cuts and scrapes, I like this one
Shortwave radio
Most international NGOs have ways to stay in touch with the outside world, but a lot of smaller local NGOS, and most Peace Corps volunteers, are off the information super highway. A shortwave may not seem to make any sense if you live in the US or Europe and have never been without FM radio, cell-phone coverage or internet, but if you spend any serious amount of time in more remote areas you will come to think of it as your best friend. You can pick up BBC, VOA and thousands more channels virtually anywhere with one of these. I have the impenetrably named Sony ICF-SW7600GR
iPod
You know, you’re in for some long plane journeys, drives, and evenings with not a lot else to do. I’ve owned other MP3 players, and loved them, but I’m ultimately seduced by the iPod for its simplicity and ease of use. I was won over recently by the Touch for use in more highly internet connected parts of the world
Water purification
I don’t usually take a water filter with me unless I know that water systems have been disrupted, but I always pack water purification tablets – they are tiny, so why not? 90% of the time you will be able to get trustworthy bottled or filtered water, and these are for the 10% of the time you are caught short. Don’t plan on using them for the long term, but keep them in your grab bag for emergencies. I use Potable Aqua Iodine Tablets
Silk sleeping bag liner
I know, I know, but actually I take sleep extremely seriously. You’re going to be busy, and you want to be well rested. The thing about these silk liners is that you never have to worry about the kind of sheets you are sleeping in (and believe me, you’re going to be sleeping in some dubious ones). In the tropics it is all you will need, and in colder climates it will be a welcome addition to blankets. I’ve used this one
Cliff bars
Local food, all the way. The problem is when you’re on the road, and you get to your hotel at 11pm, and there’s nowhere to eat, or you just are too busy to go out to get something, a stash of these things
Flash disk
Get one that’s big enough to back up all your files onto. These things
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Malarial areas
I recommend you take your antimalarial drugs, at least in the short-term, but you should still behave as if you’re not taking them because where there is malaria there is often also dengue fever. There is no prophylaxis for dengue, and, although it won’t kill you if you get treatment promptly, you will feel so bad you will wish it would.
So, long clothing at dawn and dusk, bed nets every night, tucked under the mattress, DEET spray all the time, and bug spray the room before you go to bed. Do these religiously, and you stand a relatively good chance of not getting malaria or dengue.
Mosquito net
I like this one
Mosquito spray
Get 100% Deet. Don’t bother trying to get something less toxic, toxic is the point I’m afraid. This one
Bug spray
Pack a spray can of this kind of stuff, and use it around your room before you go to bed. Try to plug holes in the room with netting, and keep insects out, but be aware that they will find their way in. Spraying the room with this stuff gives you more of a fighting chance.
