Page 156 - EMCAPP-Journal No. 14

Palestinian Refugees in Yarmouk, Syria (2014) UN Photo, UNRWA

“I used to think that I was kind of hardened to suffering and misery...You learn to deal with it and hold
it at bay while you are working. It’s when you’re alone that it creeps up on you.” Arès (2002, pp. 117)

In this article we focus on the wellbeing and effectiveness (WE) of staff in the humanitarian sector. More
specifically, in Part One we highlight stress and trauma for humanitarian workers and in Part Two we
share perspectives and resources to support humanitarian workers. We draw from our work as Chris-
tians in mental health and member care and in the context of our broad, multi-sectoral involvements
for “engaging
in humanity Numbers at a Glance
care.” Keep in
mind the per- • 200+ million people needing humanitarian assistance (ALNAP)
sonal and or- • 25% of people in need from 3 countries: Yemen, Syria, Turkey (ALNAP)
ganizational • 70+ million people forcibly displaced with 25M+ international refugees (UNHCR)
benefits when • $40 billion needed in funding annually, $25+ billion received, short $15 billion (ALNAP)
everyone in- • 570,000 humanitarian aid workers—over 90% are national staff (ALNAP)
volved in the • 14 million Red Cross and Red Crescent volunteers worldwide (IFRC)
humanitarian
sector stay re-
silient and healthy. This includes administrators, managers, leaders, volunteers, international and lo-
cal/national staff, family members, teams, organizations, and the helpers themselves. This article is
by no means comprehensive, so take a look at the resources at the end of the article for additional
information (we especially recommend Helping the Helpers: 50 Resources for Humanitarian Workers
and the many resources developed by the Headington Institute).
Despite its ubiquitous presence, whether in crisis zones such as Syria, Yemen or the Congo, or day-
to-day existence in both the developing and industrialized worlds, stress and trauma take their toll on
people’s lives. It is the same in the humanitarian sector. As mental health professionals working for
dozens of years in the mission and humanitarian sectors, we have observed our own vulnerability–
and that of others—to the debilitating impacts of stress and trauma. One resource we regularly use
and recommend is the CHOPS Inventory, a self-assessment tool which explores ten areas of stress in
terms of struggles, successes and strategies (latest version, Tone et al., 2020).

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