Representing the needs of humanitarian workers
Voices added together For the last half decade the central purpose behind my research has been to hear and then amplify humanitarian voices from around the globe. Collaborative efforts all, I have administered four major Internet based surveys, reaching a total of 1,397 humanitarians. By providing a place where individuals can anonymously voice their opinion, the hope of me and my collaborators has been that data collected from these surveys can inform useful discussion, perhaps eventually leading to policy changes. One question key question on our survey targeting humanitarians from the ‘global South’ is “Do you feel there is a need for an organization whose primary mission is to represent the needs of humanitarian workers?” Our survey to this point has generated 186 responses from around the world, with most of the responses coming from three nations: Jordan, Iraq, and Ethiopia. Here are the results overall and then broken down…
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FollowResearch update: by the numbers
[If you would like to take the survey, click here.] Research update: by the numbers Context Our survey targeting humanitarians from the ‘global South’ has been open since mid February 8 Versions of the survey live online (2 x 4 = 8) 50 Questions on the long version 25 Questions on the short version 4 Languages available (English, Arabic, Bangla, and French) 180 Total survey responses as of 12 May 2019 75 Survey responses to English Long version; 71% completion 71 Survey responses to English short version; 76% completion 21 Survey responses to Arabic long version; 62% completion 8 Survey responses to Arabic short version; 75% completion 2 Survey responses to French short version; 100% completion 1…
Read MoreResearch update: Humanitarians from the ‘global South’
Research update: Humanitarians from the ‘global South’ [Note: If you are a national (local) humanitarian aid or development worker from the ‘global South and have not done so already, please take the time to have your voice heard by taking our survey. Click here for links to all versions.] Update: Nice surge in responses, total now at 156 Overview Our survey targeting humanitarian aid and development workers has been open since mid February, and to date has 139 responses from 22 different nations. Respondents are from Bangladesh (Cox’s Bazar), Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Panama, Venezuela, Argentina, Ethiopia, Kenya, Sudan, South Sudan, Nigeria, Mali, Burundi, Somalia, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, and, all the way from the South Pacific, comes one respondent from Vanuatu. Representation from Ethiopia and Iraq is very strong, each having 44 respondents just now, largely due to the effective networking efforts of Samuel Lemma Kibret in Ethiopia and Hero Anwar…
Read MoreWhite savior complex
White savior complex [Updated 22 April 2019] More preliminary results One month ago I posted a very early glimpse at the data coming in from our survey of humanitarians from the ‘global South’. At this writing we have 120 responses from over 16 different nations from all over Africa, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and even the Pacific islands. When the survey does close there will be a full analysis and reporting of the data, but until then I will continue to scan all responses and report trends and themes I see emerge. [Note: If you are a national (‘global South’) humanitarian and would like to participate in this survey click here.] In my earlier post I reported on questions related to #AidToo, noting that there are two questions on the survey hitting on that topic. As more data come in, the results remain somewhat consistent and predictable on those questions….
Read MoreA call to national humanitarians from research team
A call to national humanitarians from the research team Have your voice heard! What good can come from this survey? Why should humanitarians from the ‘global South’ take the 15-20 minutes to fill out an online form? This method of reaching out to humanitarians has its challenges, to be sure, but we are committed to pushing through these difficulties. I asked my research team to speak directly to their counterparts around the globe. where is some of what they said. Samuel Humanitarian consultant Samuel Lemma Kibret based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia had this strong message, “Humanitarian and development organizations are a hidden world where injustice is prevailing. This research is very important as it focuses on hearing voices of humanitarian and development workers that try to contribute in changing the lives of needy but are being pulled back by injustices. Please take the time to have your voice heard.” Hero…
Read MoreMethodology notes and ethnocentric assumptions
Methodology notes and ethnocentric assumptions Some thoughts on the methodology Our survey has been live now for a couple weeks, and the response has been, by any measure, weak. To date 40 people have started the survey (27 in the ‘long’ version and 13 the ‘short’ version, all in English). Exploratory research The target population for this global survey of humanitarians from the ‘global South’ is, well, exactly that. According to ALNAP there are over 500,000 national humanitarians serving globally. Realistically, there is no means possible to make every one of these women and men aware of this survey, nor would it be possible to translate the survey into the many dozens of languages and dialects used by this global population. Translating the survey from English into Arabic, French, and Bangla makes it possible to reach, perhaps, a sizable majority of the half million national humanitarians. That said, we can…
Read MoreSome early results from global humanitarian survey
Some early results from global humanitarian survey Quick update With just several dozen responses so far, to call this even preliminary data seems premature. All of the responses have been to the English versions of the survey, 10 from the ‘short’ and 26 from the ‘long.’ Scanning the data thus far, I am already struck by a few of the narrative responses. Emotional toll In her comment responding to the question “In general, do you like your job as a humanitarian (aid or development) worker?” one female humanitarian working as permanent national staff stated, “I think I would like it more if took care of the people working in the space. A lot of what we do [is] physically and spiritually taxing and I sometimes feel that there aren’t a lot of spaces where we get to revive and rejuvenate ourselves. We are unfortunately expected to move to the…
Read MoreThe research team for the ‘Humanitarians from the ‘global South’ survey
The research team for the ‘Humanitarians from the ‘global South’ survey The team This global survey project has been in the works for many months and is an extension of research I have already done in the Philippines and Jordan. Dozens of humanitarians have read, commented on, edited, and even added questions to various drafts of this survey. Our common interest is in hearing the voices of ‘global South’ humanitarians and then bring these voices into conversations that might inform meaningful dialogue in various forums. Min Wah Voon has 14 years experience in the development and humanitarian sector with various UN agencies and NGOs in Asia, the Pacific, and Washington, DC. She has been working with the Rohingya refugee population and the local Bangladeshi host community in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, since 2008. In July, 2018 Min Was reached out to me for counsel on an essay she was writing…
Read MoreNational humanitarians: you are invited to share your voice
“Humanitarian and development organizations are a hidden world where injustice is prevailing. This research is very important as it focuses on hearing voices of humanitarian and development workers that try to contribute in changing the lives of needy but are being pulled back by injustices. Please take the time to have your voice heard.” -Sammel Lemma, Ethiopian humanitarian Listening to humanitarians from the ‘Global South’ Our invitation to share your voice If you are a humanitarian worker (aid or development) from the so-called ‘global South’ you are invited to share your views by responding to our global survey. More detailed information about this research can be found linked here and you can meet the research team here. By ‘global South’ we mean people from nations in red in the image to the right. There are two versions of the survey, each in three languages. The ‘long version’ with 50 questions may take near…
Read MoreA global survey targeted at national humanitarian workers
A global survey targeted at national humanitarian workers [Updated 4-23-19] English, French, Arabic, and Bangla versions are now live. A global survey targeted at national humanitarian workers In the last seven months I have been working with humanitarians in several nations drafting a wide-ranging survey instrument. Our goal now is to get the word out as broadly as possible and, ideally, find ways to reach all national humanitarians, making them aware of the opportunity to share their voice via this survey. Our target population includes humanitarian aid and development workers that are from and are working in the so-called ‘global South.’ The purpose of this survey is to learn about the views and lives of national humanitarian workers and then to share this knowledge with the humanitarian (aid and development) community. Tentative plans have been discussed to hold one or more mini-summits among thought leaders in various locations, including Iraq, Bangladesh, and…
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