Being a humanitarian aid worker is more than a job, a salary, career growth, or the possibility to travel – it is, above all, an intrinsic desire to help and save others despite the sacrifices and risks. Aid workers assist people in need at the risk of their own safety when conflicts, natural disasters, pandemics, and other outbreaks occur. Humanitarian work requires professional experience, mental and physical stamina, as well as the necessary material and personnel resources. In honor of aid workers who risk their lives to help others, every year on August 19, the international community marks the World Humanitarian Day. For those interested in what it takes to become part of this work, read some insights shared by experts.
Key Takeaways:
- Established by the UN in 2008, World Humanitarian Day is observed every August 19 in memory of the 22 aid workers killed in the 2003 bombing of the UN headquarters in Baghdad.
- Experts argue that humanitarian system needs are growing; crises are multiplying and becoming more complex, while financial resources are increasingly constrained.
- Despite the aid cuts, humanitarian workers are driven by the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of vulnerable people affected by increasingly complex crises.
- Experts suggest a strong professional background, openness, and compassion as essential qualities for those who want to become humanitarian aid workers.
DevelopmentAid: What inspired you to pursue a career in humanitarian assistance?
“Throughout my career, I have been driven by the desire to make a tangible difference in people’s lives. I have worked across emergency response, linking relief, rehabilitation and development, and longer-term development programs. These experiences taught me that humanitarian actors can have a decisive impact when the authorities are overwhelmed, absent, or unable to protect and support affected populations. This ability to deliver concrete, meaningful change has been one of the strongest sources of motivation throughout my missions.”
“During the three years spent organizing and analyzing the results of the post-crisis census of Rwanda in the period of 2002 to 2005, I gained abundant experience of a humanitarian crisis environment and its impact. When I later joined UNFPA as Regional Adviser in Dakar in 2005, I often focused on countries in crisis contexts. Then UNFPA created a Humanitarian Response Unit in New York, which recognized the need to better coordinate data assembly and the collection and collation of data for use in humanitarian contexts. What impressed me the most was that they recognized the importance of post-crisis data gathering for planning in the domains of measurement of impact and planning for rebuilding and reconstruction. I was then recruited as an adviser on humanitarian data at the Humanitarian Response Unit at the Programme Division in New York for seven years.
“My career in the humanitarian sector was inspired by the fact that humanitarian issues are increasing around the world due to several factors (conflicts, disasters, diseases, climate change, etc.) impacting vulnerable people who, in most cases, are victims. ”
DevelopmentAid: Looking back to your humanitarian career, what experience or moment has had the greatest impact on you, both personally and professionally?
“Rather than one single event, I would highlight the immense privilege of leading teams of committed professionals in extremely demanding contexts. What marked me most deeply were the relationships built in the field, the trust we placed in one another, and the strength of collective commitment in both good and very difficult moments. My leadership was shaped through these interactions, through mistakes as much as successes, and through the responsibility of supporting teams while serving people affected by crisis.”
“Our intervention in Haiti in 2010 during the earthquake was a powerful experience of on-site multi-agency intervention in a country where all statistical evidence had been destroyed. We struggled with a destitute population and managed to reconstitute some basic information base and organize collection, centralization and use of data for organizing efficient responses. We admired the coordination of lodging for humanitarian agencies in tents with regular supply of basic needs. There was ample interagency cooperation in terms of using the datasets we had assembled to direct response and eventually agree on broad lines for longer-term planning and reconstruction.”
“My experience in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (the DRC) as Program Manager of the DRC Humanitarian Fund from 2015 to 2020 has significantly impacted me, both personally and professionally. This was an opportunity to confront the issues and difficulties faced by the affected people and how humanitarian intervention can save lives and give hope. Professionally, this has been a strong experience for me for being involved actively in one of the most challenging humanitarian contexts. I was also proud to see the immediate impact of my engagement in a limited timeframe.”
DevelopmentAid: Humanitarian workers often operate in complex and sometimes dangerous environments. What are some of the biggest challenges you have faced in the field, and how did you overcome them?
“Before joining the humanitarian sector, I served as a peacekeeper, and later worked in highly insecure environments, including Afghanistan during the conflict between Massoud’s forces and the Taliban; Haiti amid civil unrest and political instability; eastern DRC, where humanitarian operations had to navigate the presence of armed groups. I was also once caught in a deadly ambush in northern Macedonia. In such situations, the first responsibility is to remain focused on the safety and security of the team. Concentrating on the protection of staff helped me manage my own fears and remain calm under pressure. I also learned never to rely on personal judgement alone: seeking advice from the right people, especially those with deep contextual knowledge, is essential. In the field, humility, discipline and collective decision-making are often what keep people safe.”
“As data specialists, we do not personally deploy on acute crises. We provide ample information as requested. Unfortunately, most anticipated crises often go beyond anticipation and provide no ample evidence for further planning. Others are rather unpredictable and we must search background data to determine the affected population and basic needs. Professionally, the biggest challenge was that humanitarian agencies do not refer to the central databases when planning response, but rather refer to their own databases.”
“The biggest challenges in the DRC were logistics and access issues because of the complexity of the country; financial issues because of the level of resources mobilized compared to the need. However, solid collaboration between humanitarian actors, central and local authorities, civil societies and beneficiaries helped most of the time to overcome access and logistics issues. Strong advocacy and communication contributed to enhance resource mobilization, but also the accountability mechanism.”
DevelopmentAid: How has the humanitarian sector changed during your career, and what improvements are still needed to better protect affected populations and aid workers?
“I started working in the sector in 1997. At that time, humanitarian action was still less structured and, in some cases, too dependent on good intentions rather than professional standards. Over the years, donors and humanitarian organizations have significantly strengthened accountability, compliance, quality assurance and results-based management. This professionalization was necessary and has largely benefited the sector. Today, however, the humanitarian system faces a different challenge. Needs are growing, crises are multiplying and becoming more complex, while financial resources are increasingly constrained. The sector must find new ways to remain effective, agile and capable of reaching more people without losing its soul. This means protecting the core humanitarian principles of humanity, impartiality, neutrality and independence, while also strengthening accountability to affected populations and ensuring better protection for aid workers operating in high-risk environments.”
“I noted closer collaboration among the humanitarian community. In most crises, the role of UNFPA and partner agencies has increasingly been recognized, and the directives from the Data Guidelines have helped to anticipate response, coordinate early response and chronic/prolonged situations and measure impact including planning for recovery and reconstruction. With several delays in programming of census data collection operations in several countries, reliable/recent data is becoming scarce and making it rather difficult to organize proper and coordinated preparedness planning. Bigger efforts are needed to bring such countries to mobilize funds to properly conduct, analyze, publish and encourage the use of updated data sources. Unfortunately, we have cases where censuses are being programmed when parts of the country are still under crisis and inaccessible (Cameroon, the DRC). This results in delays in the data collection process and render eventual results unreliable.”
“During my career, many things in the humanitarian sector changed, including humanitarian structures and governance mechanisms. There are also more actors involved, which significantly increases the risks. There is a need to reinforce security measures, improve governance mechanisms, strengthen accountability requirements, risk management and fraud awareness. There must be an emphasis on inclusion and participation with particular attention to vulnerability criteria, gender and age markers, PSEAH.”
DevelopmentAid: What message would you like to share with young professionals who are considering a career in humanitarian assistance?
“Humanitarian assistance can be an extraordinary life experience. It will make you grow professionally and technically, but also personally and humanly. My main advice to young professionals is this: people affected by crises deserve compassion and respect, but they also deserve efficient, high-quality assistance delivered by competent professionals. Compassion alone does not save lives. Professional action does.”
“We need to better acquaint them with the overall orientations of the Humanitarian Charter, the need for proper coordination and use of common operational datasets and for regular feedback to monitor frequently changing situations. The training provided by statistical and data institutions should increasingly include the component on data issues in humanitarian crisis situations in order to better prepare them for use in the field. Data collection technologies have been evolving rapidly! However, most of them need to be better adapted before recommendation for use in crisis situations.”
“My message to the young professionals is to let them know that this is a noble profession where you spend your time saving lives and assisting vulnerable people. They will find self-satisfaction and see themselves useful for society.”
Working in emergency and high-risk settings can be deeply rewarding, with each duty station offering a unique set of opportunities and challenges. To see what positions are available in the humanitarian field, candidates can check DevelopmentAid’s job board for open vacancies. With the Individual Professional Membership, they increase their chances of getting a spot, by having full access to the requirements and increased exposure. To pave their way into this field, they can also consider short-term consultancy contracts by exploring open tenders and grants for individuals. Exploring these opportunities can be the first step toward gaining valuable field experience and building a long-term career in the humanitarian sector.