Aid Worker Voices / Our survey had 1,010 respondents. Only one was The Lord.

Our survey had 1,010 respondents. Only one was The Lord.

Posted on: September 21, 2015 | By: Tom Arcaro | Filed under: Aid Worker Voices book

Our survey had 1,010 respondents. Only one was The Lord.

Our survey was live for many months and when we finally deactivated the link we had 1,010 respondents completing at least some portion. I was pleasantly surprised that with 61 items -including 19 open-ended and/or follow-up questions- so many people gave their time to do the survey and took the effort in many cases to compose very thoughtful narrative responses.

Some respondents were more serious than others. None more so than The Lord. Below are some of His responses.

Q1: Which best describes your current situation?

I am currently employed by a humanitarian aid organization.

Q2: Which best describes your current situation?

Local aid worker

Q3: Which best describes your history of experience doing humanitarian aid work?

I have been doing humanitarian aid work for ten or more years.

Q4: With which gender do you identify?

Male

Aid Worker Jesus appears to be a deployment smoker.

Q5: How old are you?

71 or older

Q6: Which below best describes you?

Non-White

Q7: Please use the space below to (1) react to the inappropriateness of the choices in the question above and (2) describe how you identify yourself based on common cultural-linguistic, ethnic, racial, tribal, national or other categories.

I am the Lord thy God.

Q8: Which best describes your institutional educational background?

Less than high school

Q9: How would you describe your non-institutional educational background?

Carpentry / woodworking apprenticeship and trade practice in my adopted father’s workshop, from age 14-30.

Q10: Which nation do you currently call home?

Country:Occupied Palestinian Territories

Q12: Which best describes your relationship status?

Single and not dating

Q13: Which best describes your marital status?

Unknown

Q14: Do you have any children?

Yes, three or more

Q15: Which best describes your travel experience related to humanitarian aid work?

I have done work related travel outside of my home nation more than 20 times.

Q16: Which best describes your deployment experience related to humanitarian aid work?

My longest deployment outside of my home nation is more than 2 years.

Q17: Which best describes the humanitarian aid work organization with which you are (or were) most recently affiliated?

Faith based. [author’s note: well, duh]

Q22: Which statement below *best* describes your primary reason for becoming an aid worker?

I felt called by God or a higher power.

Q23: Please elaborate on the response you gave to the question above on why you became an aid worker.

Many aid workers early in their career feel they are trying to save the world, to prove themselves. Unlike other aid workers, I already saved the world, back when I was 33. So you could say I am in the aid worker game as a sequel. And like most sequels, the budget is bigger but the story is worse.

Q24: What are your primary reasons for remaining an aid worker? Are your reasons for staying in this field different from the ones that brought you to it in the first place?

I was put on earth to work miracles by my father. Nowadays people need miracles of a different kind: keeping an airbridge open; getting a better price from suppliers for a few tons of soap; recruiting some good technical leads. It is either stay in aid work where the need for miracles is profound, or go back to carpentry.

Q26: Which response below best describes your coping mechanisms (coping with stress, coping with burnout, coping with loss of idealism)?

I have used an array of coping mechanisms but my “go to” is finding strength in my faith.

Q27: Please use the space below to elaborate on the response to the question above concerning your coping mechanisms (coping with stress, coping with burnout, coping with loss of idealism).

Well, a lot of people believe in me. About 2.1 billion by recent estimates. I try to use that to sustain me. It would be churlish not to, don’t you think?

Q29: Please use the space below to elaborate on your level of idealism related to your humanitarian aid work.

When you have been nailed to a cross, then maybe come and talk to me about how tough your job is. Until then, my idealism is undiminished.

Q31: Use the space below to elaborate on what do or do not like about being a humanitarian aid worker. An illustrative anecdote will be useful, perhaps.

Likes: Irregular hours, lots of travel, services in constant need in the minor daily miracles department just to keep the program running, not being nailed to a cross. Dislikes: Having a driver is nice and all, but it is no substitute for having a dozen disciples. I really used to “roll deep” back in the day, you know.

Q33: Which statement below best describes your ability to explain to non-aid worker non-significant other adult family members the nature of your job?

I have some difficulty explaining my job, and can only articulate a general sense of what I do.

Q34: Please elaborate on the response you gave to the question above regarding explaining your job to adult family members.

My father created the heavens and the earth. Not a sparrow falls that he does not see. He gifted all mankind with the gift of free will. Nonetheless it is still impossible to explain participatory appraisal methods without devolving into debates about PFIM and the like in the time between now and judgement day.

Q35: Which statement below best describes your ability to explain to non-aid worker significant other the nature of your job?

I have some difficulty explaining my job, and can only articulate a general sense of what I do.

Q36: Please elaborate on the response you gave to the question above regarding explaining your job to your significant other.

I’m not allowed to comment about my significant other, despite the allegations in certain racier pages of the non-canonical gospels.

Q37: Which statement below best describes your ability to explain to non-adult family members the nature of your job?

I don’t even try to explain my job.

Q38: Please elaborate on the response you gave to the question above regarding explaining your job to non-adult family members.

The Holy Spirit works in mysterious ways. By which I mean he/she hasn’t really been a good family member in recent years. It’s been difficult. Teenagers eh?

Q40: To what extent has your gender been a factor in your humanitarian aid work experience?

Overall has been a very negative factor

Q41: Please use the space below to elaborate how your gender has or has not been a factor in your humanitarian aid work experience.

When two thousand years old you are, see how many times a week you are accused of being ‘too male, too pale, stale’.

Q43: Please use the space below to elaborate how your race/ethnicity/cultural identity has or has not been a factor on your humanitarian aid work experience.

People tend to project their own race onto me. (See: Renaissance, Art Of). This comes in handy both in meetings with donors and also with community leaders. Son Of God skills FTW.

Q45: Please use the space below to elaborate on the previous question about why humanitarian aid workers will ultimately become ex-humanitarian aid workers.

All aid workers will ultimately be gathered unto my father. Well, except maybe Protection types. Dad says the jury is still out on them.

Q58: What is your general view of so-called MONGOs (My Own NGO) or other smaller humanitarian aid work entities?

Yea, the smallest miracle brings grace to the giver and receiver. Grace but perhaps limited impact.

Q59: Which statement below best describes your views about the overall direction of humanitarian aid work?

Humanitarian aid work is and will continue to have a significant positive impact on the lives of more and more people.

So, yes, I would love the chance to ask The Lord some additional followup questions. Lord, if You read this humble blog post please know that I would be honored to hear from You. Email works great and Skype is even better, and, well, f2f would be kicking’ it, but, hey, Your call.

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Tom Arcaro

Tom Arcaro is a professor of sociology at Elon University. He has been researching and studying the humanitarian aid and development ecosystem for nearly two decades and in 2016 published 'Aid Worker Voices'. He recently published his second and third books related to the humanitarians sector with 'Confronting Toxic Othering' published in 2021 and 'Dispatches from the Margins of the Humanitarian Sector' in 2022. A revised second edition of 'Confronting Toxic Othering' is now available from Kendall Hunt Publishers