DEVELOPMENTS Page 37 the Latest Issues and Trends in International Development and Humanitarian Assistance

Check Out Our Jobs MONDAY Section! DEVELOPMENTS Page 37 The Latest Issues and Trends in International Development and Humanitarian Assistance

My Boss Doesn’t Get It! Why Good Management and Staff Well-being Matters Insights From Peer Support In a Novice Humanitarian Gardener Organizations Staff Counselling In the UN System The Importance of Psychosocial Intervention With National Staff Staff Working In Care HIV/AIDS Projects

September 2008 Vol. 26, No. 9 InterAction MONDAY DEVELOPMENTS

Managing Editor/Art Director Chad Brobst

Copy Editor Kathy Ward

Advertising & Sales Michael Haslett

Communications Department Nasserie Carew, Public Relations 19 Tawana Jacobs, Public Relations Tony Fleming, New Media 21 Chad Brobst, Publications Michael Haslett, Publications Margaret Christoph, Admin Associate

Editorial Committee 10 InterAction Communications Team ContentsSeptember 2008 • Vol. 26 • No. 9 InterAction 1400 16th Street, NW Suite 210 Features Addressing Stess In Walking the Walk | 28 Washington, DC 20036 National Staff | 21 World Concern introduces “Know Tel: 202.667.8227 Why Bother With Stress Secondary traumatic stress Your HIV Status Day” for staff. [email protected] Management? | 10 and burnout can affect national ISSN 1043-8157 Ignoring stress in the staff too. Helper’s Fire II | 29 workplace leads to inefficiency, Conference works to build ineffectiveness and turnover. USAID and Staff Care | 23 resilient communities for Monday Developments is published 12 Task force establishes agency- humanitarian and development times a year by InterAction, the larg- Staff Counselling Within wide procedures. assistance field staff. est alliance of U.S.-based international development and humanitarian non- the UN System | 13 governmental organizations. With more United Nations staff and If You’re Not Infected, Taking Care of Each than 160 members operating in every families benefit from a You’re Affected | 24 Other | 31 developing country, InterAction works to well organized system of Psychosocial intervention Peer Support in overcome poverty, exclusion and suffer- psychosocial support. Humanitarian Organizations ing by advancing social justice and basic benefits national staff working dignity for all. in HIV/AIDS projects. • Peer Support Network Social Support | 14 • “I No Longer Feel Alone” InterAction welcomes submissions of Is staff care an individual or an Lest We Reinvent the • Staff Care in CARE Lesotho- news articles, opinions and announce- agency responsibility? South Africa ments. Article submission does not guar- Wheel | 27 antee inclusion in Monday Developments. Guidelines do exist for good We reserve the right to reject submis- Insights From a Novice practice in managing stress in The Power of Presence | 34 sions for any reason. It is at the discretion Gardener | 17 humanitarian workers. Sometimes just “being there” of our editorial team as to which articles When it comes to nurturing makes all the difference. are published in individual issues. staff, consider growing a All statements in articles are the sole wellness garden. opinion and responsibility of the authors. Departments Articles may be reprinted with prior per- My Boss Doesn’t Get It! | 19 mission and attribution. Letters to the Why good management and Inside This Issue | 3 editor are encouraged. staff well-being matters. Letters | 4 A limited number of subscriptions are Washington Update | 4 made available to InterAction member agencies as part of their dues. Individual Inside Our Community | 6 subscriptions cost $80 a year (add $15 for airmail delivery outside the U.S.) Southern Voices | 8 Samples are $5, including postage. Additional discounts are available for 17 Career Developments | 36 bulk orders. Please allow 4-6 weeks for delivery. Advertising rates are available Employment on request. Opportunities | 37 INSIDE This Issue Understanding Staff Care

fter three days in El Fasher, Darfur, I realized that the coordination and stability of the NGO humanitarian effort in this insecure environment depended on the well being of a small group of NGO professionals. AEveryone had a story to tell. Staff in all twelve organizations I visited mentioned attacks, fear, frustrations, burn out, and concerns for the safety of colleagues. In Darfur, I saw first hand the staff care needs of people working in that difficult environment. This is an extreme humanitarian context where NGO staff are under ongoing and severe amounts of stress, and our community needs to find ways to intervene. The being national, special consideration should be given to their problem is not just in Darfur; staff care is essential for na- needs when designing staff care programs. The stressors on tional and expat staff throughout the world, as humanitarian local staff may be different from expats and there may be dif- work has become ever more challenging. ferent cultural approaches to stress reduction. The leadership of major NGOs understands that employ- Poor or unresponsive management in field offices or at ees are their most valuable asset. Investing in staff, and in headquarters has been identified as one of the largest factors particular staff care, is not only the right thing to do, it is contributing to the stress experienced by staff working in cri- also the cost-effective thing to do. It improves staff retention sis situations. Better management is often synonymous with rates and the completion of assignments, and it decreases better staff care, and simple actions such as including staff the costs associated with frequent staff turnover. care in job descriptions and performance evaluations of field Government donors and the United Nations have staff de- and HQ managers, can help us reach this goal. ployed to many of the most difficult humanitarian environ- There is an existing community of professionals that are ments throughout the world. Donors recognize the risks as- available to support NGOs as they attempt to incorporate sociated with working in these environments, and they are staff care into the work that they do. Some members of In- working to improve their staff care procedures in the field. Ky terAction have institutionalized their commitment to staff Luu, the Director for USAID’s Office of Foreign Disaster As- care, some hiring full-time professionals, and finding more sistance (OFDA), has repeatedly stressed the need to find bet- demand for these services than they ever imagined. ter ways to care for staff in the field. In this issue of Monday InterAction is committed to promoting staff care among its Developments, he has included a call for NGOs to do more, to members, and has applied for funding to address the imme- take on the care and well being of their own staff in the field. diate concerns in Darfur and eastern Chad through a series Ky has offered OFDA’s support for these interventions. of “stress reduction and self-care” (SSC) trainings; to develop Investing in staff care is not a big-ticket item. There are a training module on “Management in High-Stress Environ- low-cost and high-impact interventions that NGOs are easily ments”; and to facilitate an interagency process among In- incorporating into their day-to-day programming. Examples terAction member NGOs to improve staff care provision, with of these interventions appear throughout this issue, whether the aim of developing a set of staff care guidelines. it is taking a group of staff members to be tested for HIV/ At InterAction’s annual CEO retreat in December I will AIDS, setting up peer support networks, or even something raise the profile of staff care with the leadership of our mem- as simple as ensuring staff posted in the field have access to bers, and I hope to impress upon my colleagues the impor- television and DVD players to watch movies and relax. Men- tance of incorporating staff care into their programming tal health care is often covered under an organization’s pre- throughout the world. MD existing insurance policy, both for staff at HQ and overseas, so it is worthwhile to review these policies to see what kind of interventions might already be covered. Often, when discussing staff care issues, individual staff Sam Worthington are able to come up with creative solutions to relieve stress President and CEO

Photo: Christina Moore Photo: specific to their context. With the majority of staff in the field InterAction

MONDAY DEVELOPMENTS September 2008 3 Send your letters to: Letters Chad Brobst at [email protected]

Security and Partisan Goals Require tives? Someone outside these domains is often the best advocate for such activity. Partnerships for Effective Aid Delivery At a November 2007 speech at Kansas State University, Sec- Jim Bishop’s presentation on the “Militarization of retary of Defense Gates articulated a conviction that economic Foreign Aid” [July 2008] follows on the heels of a concern over development, rule of law, provision of government services, and the militarization of foreign policy. Such fears arise when a be- the like are necessary to meet our goals in Afghanistan and hemoth enters one’s own area of expertise. I would recommend Iraq. More recently, USAID Administrator Henrietta Holsman another look at his observations and perceptions. He notes Fore has pointed to an emerging realization of how fundamental that in November 2005, the Defense Department raised the security is to her agency’s mission in fragile and failed states. profile of stability operations, but he calls the tasks “spanning Bishop faults the Bush Administration for providing insufficient … peace to combat … a radical departure for the armed forces.” advocacy to Congress to fund greater capacity in the Depart- Not so. Despite a history of preferring to address combat opera- ment of State. But Congress has both a preference for funding tions as if they were isolated from transition-to-peace, occu- the military and an aversion to funding foreign aid. In her recent pation, counterinsurgency, advisory, and constabulary duties, article in the military journal Parameters (38.2 [2008]), the AID the military’s current emphasis on counterinsurgency repre- Administrator writes, “While relations between the military and sents a pendulum swing welcomed by observers who see policy USAID have evolved, stereotypical views outside the Agency’s engagement in many more shades of gray than those who per- walls, including in Congress, have not. This may prove to be one ceive black-and-white distinctions between war and peace. of the chief impediments to the Agency’s future effectiveness.” Bishop attributes to the relief and development activities of Belligerents often do not see humanitarian activities as im- the commands focused on Africa and Latin America a need to partial; they frequently divert aid only to their partisans and justify staff and budget. Is it not equally likely that an analysis away from those who may support others. As a donor to aid of the challenges in these regions led national-security plan- agencies, I resent a charity paying a “tax” to local warlords or ners to conclude that our country’s interests there require the corrupt authorities. Aid workers are not necessarily more fa- expertise of multiple sectors? If food insecurity could lead to miliar with the local environment than are the troops deployed mass migration of Africans to Europe, isn’t agricultural de- to a trouble spot. Thus, every agency must become familiar velopment an appropriate response? If narco-trafficking is a with local conditions. We hope that aid reaches those who need major challenge in Latin America (and Afghanistan), wouldn’t it, but commodities in tight supply require security to ensure our government be most effective if we foster multilateral co- equitable distribution. Humanitarian relief is not a question of operation among law-enforcement authorities combined with either troops or aid workers; it requires all appropriate means. agricultural advisors who can provide attractive crop alterna- Kurt E. Müller, Ph.D.

WASHINGTON Update

Budget and Appropriations Resolution (CR) that extends into early next year. A Congress left for the August recess with most CR is a joint resolution enacted at the end of a fiscal appropriations bills still unpassed. Thanks to dis- year if the regular appropriations bills for the next agreements over off-shore drilling, committee con- fiscal year have not been enacted. It provides bud- sideration of appropriations bills was called to a halt. get authority for federal government agencies and programs At this point, the House has moved five bills through com- to continue in operation at current funding levels until the mittee, and passed one of those on the floor – Military Con- regular appropriations bills are enacted. At that point they struction/Veterans Affairs. The State/Foreign Operations bill hope to be dealing with a new and more flexible administra- was passed out of the House subcommittee but awaits full tion, with which they can negotiate spending levels and pass committee consideration, and the subcommittee has released bills (probably glommed together in an omnibus) to fund the neither the text of their bill nor the text of their report. rest of the fiscal year. In the Senate, nine bills were passed out of committee, including State/Foreign Operations, but none made it to the Recess Senate floor. Unlike the House, the Senate did release the Congress began its summer recess on August 1, and will State/Foreign Operations bill text and report. be in session for three more weeks starting September 8. MD Democrats reportedly plan to pass and send two bills to If you have any questions, or would like to be added to the the President – Military Construction/Veterans Affairs and email list for the weekly public policy update, please contact Defense – and will fund everything else with a Continuing Margaret Christoph at [email protected].

4 MONDAY DEVELOPMENTS September 2008

INSIDE Our Community

10-20 countries. 10th Anniversary of Women Thrive Worldwide “The new estimates are a major advance in poverty mea- On September 10, 2008, Women Thrive Worldwide surement because they are based on far better price data for (formerly the Women’s Edge Coalition), the leading non- assuring that the poverty lines are comparable across coun- profit organization shaping U.S. policy to help women in tries,” said Martin Ravallion, Director of the Development Re- developing countries search Group at the World Bank, “Data from household sur- lift themselves out of veys have also improved in terms of country coverage, data poverty, celebrated access, and timeliness.” its ten year anniver- “The new data confirm that the world will likely reach the sary in Washington, first Millennium Development Goal of halving the 1990 level DC. The event, which of poverty by 2015 and that poverty has fallen by about one was hosted by CNN Anchor and Reporter Carol Costello, percentage point a year since 1981,” said Justin Lin, Chief honored four individuals who have made extraordinary Economist and Senior Vice President, Development Econom- contributions to women’s global empowerment. ics at the World Bank. “However, the sobering news that Congresswoman Nita Lowey (18th-NY) received the poverty is more pervasive than we thought means we must Leadership for Women to Thrive Award for her leader- redouble our efforts, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa.” ship in Congress to ensure the U.S. government’s sup- The new data show that marked regional differences in port for women’s economic opportunity, education and progress against poverty persist. Poverty in East Asia has healthcare. Ambassador John J. Danilovich, CEO of fallen from nearly 80 percent of the population living below the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), Juan Se- US$1.25 a day in 1981 to 18 percent in 2005. However, the bastián Chamorro, Director General of Cuento Reto del poverty rate in Sub-Saharan Africa remains at 50 percent in Milenio (MCA Nicaragua), and Imara Martínez of Con- 2005—no lower than in 1981, although with more encourag- sejo de Mujeres de Occidente, a local women’s organiza- ing recent signs of progress. tion in Nicaragua, were jointly awarded the Partnership for Women to Thrive Award for their successful partner- InterAction Members Respond to Georgia Crisis ship which has resulted in model programs that have International aid organizations are mobilizing a response to had a powerful initial impact on the ground. the humanitarian crisis following the recent outbreak of fight- ing between Georgian and Russian forces. The United Nations now estimates that up to 100,000 people have been displaced, New Data Show 1.4 Billion Live On Less Than $1.25 adding to a previous caseload of over 220,000 internally dis- A Day, But Progress Against Poverty Strong placed from hostilities in the early 1990s. According to Rus- The World Bank said improved economic estimates showed sian and Georgian officials, up to 30,000 refugees have fled there were more poor people around the world than previ- northward into Russia since the Georgian offensive to retake ously thought while also revealing big successes in the fight control of the autonomous to overcome extreme poverty. territory of South Ossetia The new estimates, which reflect improvements in interna- began on August 8th. It is tionally comparable price data, offer a much more accurate estimated that 56,000 peo- picture of the cost of living in developing countries and set ple have fled from the Gori a new poverty line of US$1.25 a day. They are based on the region in Georgia toward results of the 2005 International Comparison Program (ICP), the capital Tbilisi, approxi- released earlier this year. mately 80% of the popula- In a new paper, “The developing world is poorer than we tion of the town. thought but no less successful in the fight against poverty,” Twenty-four InterAction Martin Ravallion and Shaohua Chen revise estimates of pov- member organizations are erty since 1981, finding that 1.4 billion people (one in four) responding to the humani- in the developing world were living below US$1.25 a day in tarian needs with emergen- 2005, down from 1.9 billion (one in two) in 1981. cy medical, food, shelter, An earlier estimate—of 985 million people living below the water and hygiene sup- former international US$1 a day poverty line in 2004—was plies. Many organizations based on the (then) best available cost of living data from have offices in the region 1993. The old data also indicated about 1.5 billion in poverty While on a two-day trip to access implementing health, edu- in 1981. However, the new and far better ICP data on prices in the U.S. humanitarian response cation and conflict resolu- developing countries reveal that these estimates were too low. to the situation in Georgia, USAID tion programs, which have The new estimates continue to assess world poverty by the Administrator Henrietta Fore met with been mobilized to respond standards of the poorest countries. The new line of US$1.25 President Mikheil Saakashvili in Tbilisi. to the emergency needs. It

for 2005 is the average national poverty line for the poorest is hoped the recent cessa- USAID Photo:

6 MONDAY DEVELOPMENTS September 2008 tion of hostilities following the Russian government’s decision • The need to elevate international development as a compo- to halt its offensive will allow humanitarian organizations to nent of U.S. foreign policy—namely by creating a Cabinet- access the affected populations to deliver much needed aid. level Department for Global and Human Development. The U.S. Embassy in Georgia issued a Disaster Declaration on Sunday, August 10, and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has announced an initial $250,000 Free Web Portal for African in emergency assistance for the people of Georgia. Countries Civil Society Organizations throughout the world have pledged their assistance, and are GuideStar International (GSI) and the United Nations calling for protection of civilians and respect for international Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) announced humanitarian and human rights law. The Government of Geor- in August a joint venture to develop a free web portal for gia has requested humanitarian assistance, specifically medi- African civil society organisations, which will showcase cines, medical supplies, emergency shelter items and food. the work of all NGOs, charities, nonprofit organisations and community based organisations from the smallest to Sam Worthington Testifies Before Senate the largest. Utilising a shared internet platform, organisa- InterAction President & CEO Sam Worthington testified tions will, for the first time, be able to display their vision on July 31, 2008 at a hearing on Capitol Hill—“A Reliance and mission, objectives, activities, needs and finances to on Smart Power: Reforming the Foreign Assistance”—before donors, researchers, policy makers and the general pub- the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Oversight of Government lic. The service, known as GuideStar, is already fully op- Management (part of the larger Committee on Homeland Se- erational in the US www.guidestar.org and the UK www. curity). His testimony focused on: guidestar.org.uk where these websites contain detailed • The mission of U.S. foreign assistance. information on hundreds of thousands of registered char- • The U.S. Government’s capacity to be an effective partner ities and non-profit institutions. GuideStar International in development. is also working to develop similar systems in Europe, • Protecting the “humanitarian and development space,” Canada, India, South Korea and South Africa. MD within which InterAction’s member organizations work. Brandeis University

The Heller School of Social Policy and Management Knowledge Advancing Social Justice

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Over 150 students in residence from 65 countries forming one of x M.A. in Sustainable International Development the largest programs of its kind in the world. x M.S. in International Health Policy and Management

x M.B.A. concentration in Sustainable Development Alumni are employed by U.N. agencies, bilateral and multilateral aid organizations, and NGOs throughout the world. x M.P.P. concentration in Poverty x Dual M.A. programs in Sustainable Development with Generous financial assistance for Peace Corps and other service Coexistence & Conflict and with Women & Gender Studies organization volunteers.

A community of activists and scholars on the front lines of social policy. 781-736-3820 heller.brandeis.edu [email protected]

MONDAY DEVELOPMENTS September 2008 7 SOUTHERN Voices

national staff – people with their own needs, aspirations, expectations, and responsibilities. Now What? How Yolanda, a gender specialist, explained: “My perception is that NGOs are not sending a coherent message based on the Project Termination principles of solidarity and altruism they advocate. I especially felt this when I discovered the absence of internal national Affects National Staff staff care policies once projects finish, and when I remember how our supervisors constantly reminded us of the impor- By Ana Uriarte, Advisor, InterAction tant role we played as valuable individuals with technical skills that helped achieve the agency’s goals. We were told stark contrast exists in NGO policies when that we contributed to maintaining the high prestige that the it comes to the treatment of staff at the completion of organization enjoys worldwide. This process has been very Ain-country projects. Suddenly unemployed and without tough and frustrating.” income, national staff are often left in similar conditions to In general, there was disappointment and sadness among the populations they had previously been supporting. This is staff as the program started its termination phase. Many felt much different to international staff, who are free to apply for other positions within the same organization and have many other opportunities throughout the world. National staff however, must remain behind, often without the funds or the freedom to pursue work in other locations. For them, there is little organizational support – they are left only with the skills they’ve learned and a sense of a job well done. Neither of these feeds their family. To better illustrate this situation I interviewed several staff in one Latin American country, who until recently, worked for a large U.S.-based NGO. After restructuring its program, the NGO let dozens of national staff go. Many had worked on the project for years and now found themselves faced with the prospect of being unemployed in a poor job market that did not value their NGO betrayed and used. Feelings of frustration and impotence skills. I asked how they felt when their employer terminated were widespread and the feeling was that the agency cared their contract and what their expectations were. only about the budgets, auditing, and closure dates that One staff member named Miguel stated: “As a national complete a successful project. staff member, I expected project termination would be a more Jimena, a technical coordinator, writes: humane process, less shocking or traumatic considering the “My initial feelings when I started working for this NGO type of organization we were working for. As a non-profit were very positive. I felt honored given the great prestige the NGO, we assumed it would be different from private enter- agency represents. But when the project ended and many of prises that are focused on productivity levels of manufactured us did not even receive a simple paper acknowledgement of or consumable goods. We understood our existence was not our contributions, and knowing all the dedication and com- based on local or international market prices, because what mitment we had given to our work, my feelings suffered a we produced were improved lives. And here is where I ask drastic change. Now I strongly believe there is a level of hy- myself why national staff are not part of the benefit that de- pocrisy in some NGOs and I don’t regret voicing my profound velopment projects bring? I truly believed the organization bitterness after all I have been through.” would provide us some positive alternatives for our future. “My personal suggestion to other agencies from my position Soon I realized there was nothing reliable for us.” as a national staff member is that they should help us look Humanitarian agencies should understand that the over- for opportunities in future expansions of the projects. We felt whelming positive impact they achieve worldwide would not the organization was not interested in investing time in our

be possible without the extraordinary technical capacity of program staff because our future with them was already de- Sywulka Sara Photo:

8 MONDAY DEVELOPMENTS September 2008 “I strongly believe there is a level of of their skills. Their perspective and feelings are the opposite of national staff because they do not face abrupt unemploy- hypocrisy in some NGOs and I don’t ment and a dearth of assistance in job placement. Often international staff are already thinking about their regret voicing my profound bitterness next assignment before the current one is even finished. In after all I have been through.” fact, when told local staff (past and present) would be interviewed for this article, the Country Director of the NGO in termined to end. I insist that it would have been a good policy question reacted with deep concern. He instructed them to to listen to us, or at least let us present our proposals for the contact headquarters before making any statement. National formation of new enterprises by taking advantage of the expe- staff assumed that he did not want an expression of their dis- rience we had acquired while working with the program.” satisfaction to jeopardize his new position within the organi- Many feel the treatment of national staff is ironic and inconsis- zation. Of course several of the people that were interviewed tent. NGOs understand the essential roles these staff members had already been terminated and certainly didn’t have to get play in developing countries, and their invaluable contribution permission from headquarters to give their opinion. to maintaining relationships with the community leaders that The expressions and feelings captured from those inter- ensure humanitarian assistance reaches targeted populations. viewed are testimonies in their own words. Hopefully, their Yet most agencies do not have a project completion plan that comments will spur NGOs to begin a dialogue with staff to addresses national staff’s needs – they simply terminate staff address their concerns. A positive step would be to make na- contracts and focus on new projects based on new trends. tional staff an integral part of the overall organization, start- On the other hand, international staff members have a ing with their inclusion in developing policies and procedures much different experience when projects end. In most in- at the country level. In addition, work needs to be done to stances, the organization facilitates their transition to a new reduce the existing gap between the treatment of local and destination in another part of the developing world. They are expat employees. MD given the opportunity to continue the use and development *staff names have been changed

MONDAY DEVELOPMENTS September 2008 9 Stress Why Bother with Stress

ManagementIgnoring stress in the workplace leads to inefficiency, By Joshua Levin ineffectiveness and turnover. Special Assistant to the Executive Counselor Mercy Corps

or me, stress is the long hours, symptoms of burnout, depression, or PTSD. These findings the loneliness and the attachment to work. highlight the importance of psychosocial support for field- I wonder how many IDPs [internally dis- based staff. ? placed people] we will reach today, and I So why, given its pervasiveness, have aid agencies been forget about my own needs. Meanwhile, so slow to respond to stress in their employees? Simply put, the government is breathing down my neck many organizations have not made employee wellness a andF insecurity keeps me from leaving our compound. priority. Under their funding constraints, they doubt their So much for privacy and relaxation. Individual person- ability to implement high-impact solutions without a high- alities really come out when you share the same liv- impact budget. Furthermore, many aid workers have ing quarters. The environmental conditions aren’t great grown to expect deprivation and self-sacrifice as inevita- either: dust, sun, heat. Oh, and kidnapping is now an ble. In other words, there is not enough complaining. Fa- issue; we are a soft target, you see. So what are my ma- talistic attitudes about on-the-job stress, however, have jor coping mechanisms? Well, the gym we were going to done little to inspire progress, and there are a number of was attacked, so I guess I’d say gin and chardonnay.” practical reasons NGOs should pursue comprehensive – Comments of an aid worker stress management systems for their employees. in Afghanistan First, stress affects judgment. Whether manifested as indecisiveness, fatigue, distraction or careless- Such sentiments are not unique to any particular or- ness, stress results in impaired decision-making. For ganization or region. Humanitarian relief and develop- aid workers this can mean poor strategic choices, ment organizations place inordinate mental and emotion- strained interpersonal relationships and diminished al demands on their practitioners. Aid workers frequently job satisfaction. For the international nonprofits suffer psychological strain as a result of isolation, difficult they work for, it translates into lost funding oppor- working conditions, demanding programming obligations, tunities, inefficiency and poor team dynamics. Of and physical danger. In a study published by the Journal perhaps greater consequence, though, unsound of Traumatic Stress in 2001, as many as half of all returned decisions may impact the efficacy of programs and

nongovernmental organization (NGO) expatriates exhibited the safety of teams in the field. After all, severely - Istockphoto.com Anantha Vardhan Photo:

10 MONDAY DEVELOPMENTS September 2008 Stress ?

MONDAY DEVELOPMENTS September 2008 11 Stress

stressed employees working in high-security environments Beyond the practicalities of strategy, efficiency and staff re- not only expose themselves, but also their colleagues and tention, humanitarian relief and development organizations beneficiaries to unnecessary risk. have a moral imperative to look after the health and well- Second, overwhelming stress decreases productivity. Better being of their team members. Staff deployed to the field face a mental performance results in better efficiency and morale. variety of situational stressors. They must cope with the fre- And although nonprofits may have priorities that are less con- quently conflicting interests of their organizations, beneficia- nected to the bottom line than their counterparts in the for- ries, and host governments. They endure perennial resource profit sector, the success of their missions is just as tied to the limitations and the challenges of a restricted personal life. effectiveness of their employees. According to the September They brave dangerous operating environments and uncertain 4, 2004 issue of The New York Times, “Workplace stress costs futures. International NGOs demand a great deal of their staff the nation more than $300 billion each year in health care, and owe them a supportive working environment. missed work and the stress-reduction industry that has grown Employee stress is not restricted to humanitarian relief and up to soothe workers and keep production high.” Investing in development organizations. In fact, the American Institute of psychosocial resources for NGO staff may, in the long run, Stress estimates that job stress costs the U.S. economy over make international nonprofits more cost-effective, not less. $300 billion annually. In contrast to most NGOs, however, Finally, unrelenting stress leads to “burnout” which hurts some private-sector companies have taken major steps to re- employee retention. Aside from the obvious loss of organiza- dress their staff support gaps. If the nonprofit sector wishes tional memory and the opportunity costs related to training to continue to grow and develop, it must do the same. De- and orienting new employees, turnover takes a significant fi- velopment and relief organizations must pursue innovative, nancial toll. In 2005 Financial Literacy Partners estimated that cost-effective employee wellness solutions. In the long term, the average cost of replacing a staff member is between $3,000 a robust support platform may improve their programming, and $13,000. These expenses are especially striking when reduce their health care costs, and enhance the safety and considered in conjunction with the approximately 40 percent security of their field teams. of job turnover that is directly attributable to stress. Given the Ultimately, the calculus is simple: Any money saved by ig- skyrocketing costs of recruitment, aid agencies stand to ben- noring stress in the workplace is lost tenfold in employee in- efit a great deal from well-managed staff support systems. efficiency, ineffectiveness and turnover. MD

12 MONDAY DEVELOPMENTS September 2008 UN system Staff Counselling Within

serve to improve access to UN Counsel- ling services. The Counsellors have a the UN System website where announcements can be posted, locations tracked, and tools and United Nations staff and families benefit from a well resources can be shared. A number of Counsellors have pro- organized system of psychosocial support. duced publications for advice to UN staff on managing stress and trauma, By Penelope Curling, Staff Counsellor, UNICEF building resiliency, domestic violence as an issue impacting on individual here are more than 80 UN Some staff members prefer to con- staff or colleagues, substance abuse Counsellors based in headquar- sult a local mental health professional, and other issues. Many also manage ters and field locations. Some of who is familiar with the local culture intranet websites for their colleagues the Counsellors are international and removed from the workplace, to to access information about workshops staffT and some are nationals of the coun- guarantee anonymity. For others, be- and other staff support activities, as try in which they serve. Broadly, the cause the Counsellor is a colleague, well as to download publications and Counsellors are responsible for the psy- the stigma they may associate with other staff well-being information. chosocial welfare of UN staff, and offer mental health professionals is absent During critical incidents affecting a interventions, consultations and train- when they contact a Counsellor. For a large number of UN staff, the UN Depart- ing to individual staff and to managers staff member in the field, consulting a ment of Safety and Security’s Critical In- on work-related stress and psychoso- Counsellor based in headquarters of- cident Stress Management Unit coordi- cial health issues, including burnout, fers additional distance and “safety.” nates the UN Counselling response, depression, anxiety, traumatic stress, When a headquarters UN Counsellor ensuring that staff of all UN agencies family and marital problems (including goes on mission to a field location, col- have access to Counselling resources domestic violence), bereavement, work- leagues sometimes share intimate de- and avoiding a duplication of services. A place harassment and substance abuse. tails of their lives, only to close with: “I UN Counsellor on-site in an emergency Counselling is offered on a face-to-face can tell you all of this because I know or following a critical incident offers basis, or referrals are made to local you are going away again.” much more than the availability of coun- mental health professionals. Some of the UN Counsellors have selling: the Counsellor also advises and If a UN staff member or one of his implemented Peer Support or Peer guides managers on creating a support- or her direct dependants is affected by Helper systems in their organisations, ive working environment, and boosts the a traumatic event, the UN Counsellor and are responsible for the training, morale of staff, who see the presence of would usually make direct contact with supervision and support to these Peer the Counsellor as a sign that the organi- him or her, providing some informa- Helpers. These trainings include a first sation cares about their well-being. MD tion about common traumatic stress level and an advanced level training, reactions and offer support either di- teaching active listening and commu- rectly or through a referral. For many nication skills, general stress manage- UN staff in the field, this contact with ment and the role of the Peer Helper/ a supportive colleague, and the knowl- Peer Support Volunteer, as well edge that the Counsellor is available if as an introduction to the impact needed, is all that is needed to boost of trauma, bereavement, work- their natural coping mechanisms and place harassment, HIV in the prevent the development of a stress workplace and other work-re- disorder. Similarly, for staff members lated stress issues. struggling with burnout, substance The UN Counsellors meet an- abuse or other mental health issues, nually at a forum for further being able to quickly and easily access learning and to share experi- confidential, in-house support and ad- ences, tools and much needed vice, which is often not available local- mutual support. Close networking ly, can be the key factor that enables among the Counsellors facilitates them to keep functioning, saving the inter-agency referrals, back-up sup- organization untold costs in sick leave, port and the organization of inter-agen- medical evacuations and resignations. cy trainings and workshops, all of which

MONDAY DEVELOPMENTS September 2008 13 Support

job expected of them, unclear expectations and ambiguous job descriptions, poor organization and scheduling of the work process, overly bureaucratic agen- Social Support cy policies and practices, unnecessary barriers to communication with fam- Is staff care an individual or an agency responsibility? ily, and, especially, arbitrary or unfair or unsupportive management practices By John H. Ehrenreich, International Associate, Antares Foundation and conflict and mistrust within the and Professor of Psychology, State University of New York – team. For example, in the Headington College at Old Westbury Institute study of aid workers in Darfur and eastern Chad, survey respondents bad boss is more stress- separation from loved ones, chronic were asked about the most significant ful than war, aid workers say. “I danger, exposure to gruesome sights, sources of stress. Fourteen percent cited was expecting the conflict and the and exposure to survivors’ terrible tales inadequate management or supervision, stress, but what really brought take their toll. To survive emotionally, 18 percent communication difficulties Ame down was how mean my manager aid workers need interventions to in- with colleagues or with headquarters, was to me,” one aid worker travelling to crease their resilience: training and and seven percent lack of clarity as to Sri Lanka told researcher Barb Wigley. support in carrying out stress reduc- job responsibilities. These are clearly Aid workers told Wigley they were con- tion techniques, before they are de- managerial and agency issues, not sim- stantly frustrated by the dynamics of ployed, when they are in the field and ply matters to be dealt with by individual the large organization they work for. “It after they return. (This model may need stress management practices. starts to feel like no one cares.” (Reported specific modifications for national staff, Second, as is well known, not all in AlertNet, January 26, 2006.) but the same general principles apply.) workers show adverse effects from the As aid agencies have become more There are two problems with this un- stress they experience. For example, aware of the emotional cost of aid work derstanding. First, in addition to the in the Headington Institute study, 46 to their staff, a simple understanding “inherent” stresses of aid work, staff percent of the workers interviewed of the problem has developed. Aid work complain of other, “non-inherent” stres- described themselves as “emotionally is inherently stressful, runs the logic. sors. These may include lack of the sup- stressed.” On the other hand, 19 per-

Difficult living and working conditions, plies and equipment needed to do the cent reported that they were “not at all - Fotolia.com iofoto Photo:

14 MONDAY DEVELOPMENTS September 2008

Support

stressed.” To some degree the variabil- efficient logistical support, clear and ity in the impact of aid work may reflect For aid workers, the key well-implemented safety and security differences in the particular field expe- social supports are their procedures, good communications, ap- riences of individual staff members. To propriate workload expectations, appro- some degree it may represent individ- team and their family. priate polices with respect to days off, ual differences in vulnerability, due to work schedules and vacation time, fair factors such as personality, prior expe- team, team dynamics making decision- and appropriate human resources poli- riences, training and use of individual making difficult, clique formation, or cies (e.g., benefits, career paths), and stress management practices. harassment and bullying both interfere effective planning with respect to issues But a growing body of research sug- with the ability to staff to withstand the such as any needed evacuations. gests that it is social support, not in- “inherent” stresses of the job and are The implications of these observa- dividual differences, that are the key themselves potent sources of stress. tions are clear: Maintaining staff capac- determinant of the impact of stress on The team leader plays a critical role ity does not result from interventions individuals. Even under the extreme in establishing and maintaining posi- solely targeting individual staff mem- stress of war, studies of war veterans tive team functioning. In addition, a bers. Effective stress management and have found that social support (e.g., pla- team leader who is considered compe- risk reduction is a systematic policy, toon cohesion, post-war support) plays tent, fair and able to make decisions carried out by the team and the agency the largest single role as a protective but open to information and feedback as well as the individual worker. It in- factor against the development of PTSD from the team, and who can lead by cludes: systematic, self-conscious ef- and other combat stress reactions. example increases team resilience and forts by team leaders and by the agency For aid workers, the key social sup- reduces individual vulnerability. as a whole to promote team cohesion; ports are their team and, for those with Leadership and management be- selection and training of managers at family nearby, their family. If there is haviors at higher levels, and agency- all levels with respect to skills and be- cohesion, good communication and wide policies and practices also play a haviors that reduce staff stress among; a sense of trust within the team, it is central role. Critical supports for staff and systematic scrutiny of both exist- far easier to withstand the rigors of the emotional well-being include clear job ing and proposed agency policies and work. Conversely, dissension within the descriptions, a clear chain of command, practices for their impact on staff. MD

On August 13, 2008, International Rescue In Memoriam Committee staff members Shirley Case, Nicole Dial, Jackie Kirk, and Mohammad Aimal died in the line of duty in Logar Province, Afghanistan, as their clearly-marked IRC vehicle came under heavy gunfire.

"These extraordinary individuals were deeply committed to aiding the people of Afghanistan, especially the children who have seen so much strife. Words are inadequate to express our sympathy for the families and loved ones of the victims and our devoted team of humanitarian aid workers in Afghanistan." — George Rupp, President, IRC

The InterAction community expresses its sincere condolences to IRC and the staff members’ families.

16 MONDAY DEVELOPMENTS September 2008 Human Resources Insights From a Novice Gardener When it comes to nurturing staff, simply hearing out staff in one-on-one encounters. Four months later, a group of Save the Children staff went consider growing a wellness garden. for wellness workshop trainer certification in Melbourne, Australia. Our trainers were careful to make us understand the sensitivities of a wellness and stress mitigation program By Bing Castro, Human Resources Manager, Save the with a psychosocial foundation for development workers. Children USA, Philippine Country Office Our staff have not only different perspectives and capacities, but also different potentials for wellness. got introduced to gardening of a different kind about ten months ago. The idea of planting a seed and A gardener will always have the nurturing it patiently quietly came in November 2007 after need to garden. three days training for Human Resources Manag- Iers during which I gained some insights and Two months later, for my fellow picked up some skills. It was all about hav- trainer Ariel Balofinos and me, our con- ing a sharper psychosocial lens dimen- fidence and competence grew enough to sion in the HR work that protects staff deliver the one-day wellness workshop pro- and builds resilience. It gave me a men- gram with integrity. This was initially to 25 staff tal model of what was until then perhaps members in the Philippines, and has now grown just intuitive. to reach 60 staff members after four sessions. This one-day wellness workshop conducted for 25 mem- The gardener must pay attention bers of the Expanded Senior Management Team of the Save the Children Philippine Country Office to the plant to give it enough of what it and other staff in mid-May was a global pre- needs to survive and thrive. Each plant mier! And Ariel and I were happy to deliver it. needs different kinds of care. The subsequent sessions were held for staff groups across the country – our South Central Mindanao Pro- This training was about paying attention to the person in- gram Office, our Metro Manila Program Office, and side the person in various HR interactions such as screening, our projects in Mindanao. We were surely helped by recruitment and selection, briefing, deployment, de-briefing, the build-up on wellness support throughout Save and end of employment. It’s called taking care of staff wellness. But the gardener has to come out in the garden everyday.

Back at work after that training, there followed a series of daily attempts, applications and experiments in everyday settings. Some were successful; others became “lessons learned.” No fanfare, just quiet wellness initiatives. Among these are the “Friday habit” of aerobics at the office, celebrating monthly birthdays with a little more flair through the initiative and creativity of staff, braving some tough talk

Photo: Serj Siz`kov - Fotolia.com SerjPhoto: Siz`kov between staff to help smooth interpersonal differences, and

MONDAY DEVELOPMENTS September 2008 17 Human Resources

the Children, our robust certification training, and our own It has been a quiet journey but along the way a garden has in-country campaign – all of which gave us the platform to been growing... do our job (but also some jitters knowing the importance of ... in me as a person and as a Human Resources Manager what we are doing). and a certified trainer. The wellness workshop participants now have a common ... in my fellow community of trainers and fellow gardeners appreciation of their individual responsibility for their who you can count on to help nurture this wellness culture. wellness, confidence in their potential to achieve their own ... in those who have gone through the wellness workshop. wellness, and comfort in knowing that they have given themselves permission to recognize, manage and reduce stress The garden needs daily attention. It is a joy and act on it: the best lesson of all! Participants are now more sensitive about recognizing for a gardener to have a happy helper. their workplace stressors, their signs of stress (as well as those of their colleagues) and most importantly, their multi- Some three weeks after the first wellness workshop in our dimensional tools for managing stress at the physical, mental, Country Office, a new friend “Louellawella” with a Save the emotional, spiritual and behavioural levels. Children email address, surprised participants with an email. She began this way: After planting a seed, often the best thing a Hi! You have a new friend - Louellawella – your wellness friend! It is 25 days you since our wellness workshop. Have gardener can do is patiently wait. And on the you given yourself permission to recognize, manage and re- surface, we may feel that we may not have duce stress? Hmmm. Perhaps you have not been paying atten- affected anyone with what we have tried to tion too much. But that’s okay. We can revive that. Remember do. But indeed, somehow we have planted your Self Care Plan? Why not check on it again and see where you are. Let’s do a quick check shall we? Stay with me just a that seed. And when that person is ready – in while… his or her quiet time – coming back to that And from there she reminded participants of practical learn- moment, the bloom appears. ing points for wellness: identifying stressors, being aware of signs of stress and developing strategies to manage these. Louellawella visited with us as our wellness friend and advocate, as a constant reminder, and therefore our “constant gardener.” Let us welcome her if she comes to your garden. Why not have or be your own “constant gardener?” MD

This program is part of the Global Employee Wellness pilot project. Initially designed for the Indonesia Country Office in collaboration with Save the Children and Antares Foundation, the project aims to improve the overall wellness of Save the Children’s employees, thereby increasing employee satisfaction and retention. It consists of three major components: (1) HR managers training; (2) employee wellness certification training of trainers; and (3) program manager training to address employee wellness issues in the four major domains of personal, environmental, organizational and home life wellness. If you have questions or comments, please contact, John Fawcett, Deputy Director Staff Wellness, at jofawcett@ savechildren.org

18 MONDAY DEVELOPMENTS September 2008 Management My Boss Doesn’t Get It! Why good management and staff well-being matters.

By Rick Augsburger, Managing Director, The KonTerra Group, and Lynne Gilliland, Partner, Gilliland & Jud

y boss doesn’t get it!” – a common comment from field staff working in crisis situations. One of the great- Mest stressors that field staff endure is not the lack of security, poor living cir- cumstances or overwhelming workload. It is the absence of healthy management systems and skilled managers. And they are talking about their managers in the field and their managers based in headquarters or in third countries. Humanitarian personnel often work in situations of chronic stress and crisis, characterized by chaos, upheaval, and ongoing threats to safety. This reality makes good management and solid management systems criti- cally important. Leadership and management choices made in this context can be helpful or hurt- ful: to the organization, to beneficiaries and to employees. A supervisor’s management strengths and weaknesses influence staff’s ability to perform well and can greatly impact stress levels. Effective managers help us be at our very best so we can bounce Supervisors back from stressful situations and bring that “get it” have creativity and resilience to the work at hand. An attentive, effective boss can worked at developing help a divided team become high per- forming instead. For NGOs, investing in and honing some or all of developing good management and lead- these skills. ership skills can reward the agency one thousand fold through increased staff of Sudan and Eastern Chad, December wellness, output and staying power. 2007) found that: A Headington Institute study on “It was evident that the strengths and NGO staff well-being in Darfur, (NGO weaknesses of organizational manage-

Photo: BelaKozma Tibor Photo: Staff Well-Being in the Darfur Region ment systems and/or individual man-

MONDAY DEVELOPMENTS September 2008 19 Management

being. Any systemic strategy aiming to and effective leader. Effective managers enhance staff well-being should priori- Supervisors that “get it” have worked help us be at our very tize strengthening individual manage- at developing and honing some or all of ment skills and organizational manage- these skills, and they have the ability to best so we can bounce ment systems.” consistently apply these skills in ex- Think of a time when you were in tremely stressful working environments. back from stressful a highly stressful professional situa- MD situations and bring tion and your supervisor helped you achieve or maintain high performance, creativity and mitigating the unnecessary stressors Four Critical Skill Areas: so that you could really focus on the resilience to the work task at hand. What did he or she do Communication Skills at hand. that made that possible? Listening, asking open ended Chances are you listed such traits and curious questions, refraining as good communication skills, good from micromanaging by giving agers were, in part, responsible for sig- management of conflict and a strong unwanted advice. Facilitating nificantly magnifying or mitigating the ability to create teams that worked well uninterrupted conversations. level of stress experienced by staff and together. She probably had a sharp eye Acknowledging the work or their functional ability.” for knowing signs of stress in staff and behavior of the staff person. The study went on to say: had the skills to address them. May- Sharing information freely and “A focus on strengthening the self- be your supervisor kept the drama to transparently. Consistency. care and stress-management skills of a minimum and was good at manag- individual staff deployed to complex ing his own emotional state and well- Team Development Skills emergencies without a concomitant being, modeling consistency and calm. Shared work and responsibility. focus on strengthening organization- You probably would say there was trust Team decisions. Team purpose al management skills, systems and and open and clear communication and rewards. Ability to handle structures seems unlikely to result in with your supervisor. You might also tension so that all viewpoints are enduring improvements in staff well- say that that person was a competent heard. Fun. Acknowledgement. Clarifying goals. Establishing a clear decision-making process. Modeling accountability as a team. Facilitating productive conflict.

Leadership Skills Setting the vision. Staff development. Delegating. Handling problem staff with respect and decisiveness. Managing multiple demands and stakeholders. Troubleshooting organizational barriers. Clarifying roles and responsibilities. Maintaining good relations with all staff. Setting and enforcing behavioral standards. Taking credit for nothing and responsibility for everything. Holding staff accountable.

Self-Management Skills Serving as a model of expected behaviors. Self-care that maintains mental and emotional well-being. Heightened self-awareness. Adequate self-confidence. Holding oneself accountable. A good measure of humility. An ability to learn and to handle change.

20 MONDAY DEVELOPMENTS September 2008 National Staff

Laughter yoga therapy with Indian NGO.

classic form of STS. It could be chronic insomnia as a result of working with refugee populations; or it could take the form of memory gaps in an otherwise fresh, new worker who starts listening to the testimonies of rape survivors. STS often means an affected person feels stuck or frozen in seemingly irrational feelings and behaviors. STS also occurs in headquarters staff or back office staff who may never go to the field. When an organization works with what have been called “traumas- capes,” the whole organizational chart begins to vibrate with trauma. People do not have to work in the field to absorb enough crisis, grief, anxiety and pain to be impacted by STS. After all, regions of our brain with their specialized neurons are built to suffer vicariously. I was warned that humanitarian or- Addressing Stress ganizations would be reluctant to delve into STS. However, in my experience, South Asian NGO leadership is not hindered by a cowboy machismo de- in nial mindset or a slowness to acknowl- National Staff edge that their work has mental health when we engage with the stress vulner- costs. South Asian groups ask me for Secondary traumatic ability and resiliency of national staff. cheap, low-tech, adaptable and porta- stress and burnout can In 2002, I began providing trainings on identifying, mitigating and prevent- People do not have affect national staff too. ing secondary trauma stress to humanitarian organizations headquar- to work in the field to By Siddharth Ashvin Shah, MD, tered in India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. MPH, Medical Director, Greenleaf Translating a validated instrument from absorb enough crisis, Integrative Strategies the scientific literature into Gujarati, I grief, anxiety and pain designed a quantitative public health he geographic cure. R&R. study for four organizations working to be impacted by STS. Regular alcohol use with compa- with victims of violence. Out of the near- triots in an end-of-day cathartic ly 100 workers studied, every single per- ble interventions to mitigate traumatic ritual. Phone calls to family. son identified a negative, vicarious trau- stress. I give them a menu of 20 to 30 ManyT readers will recognize these NGO matic consequence of their work. options from which they can pick and worker attempts to deal with humani- That means that every national staff- choose including: tarian aid stress. Although these inter- er acknowledged that their work hurts • Intra-agency, horizontal (peer-to- ventions might mitigate the stress and their mind. The staffers responded to peer) and vertical (throughout the workplace difficulties that accumulate the simple 17-item instrument with hierarchy) “neuropsychoeducational” into burnout, they leave untouched STS symptoms such as, “Due to the exchanges. Learning together how an important category of occupation- trauma content of my work, in the last the brain is wired for vicarious trau- al stress: secondary traumatic stress week I have found myself: ma, their occupation’s sector-wide (STS) – the neurobiology that humani- • Re-living the trauma experienced by vulnerability and signs of difficulty tarian workers develop in the process my client. reduces stigma for everyone in an of working with other people’s trauma. • Having trouble sleeping. agency. Given that STS is such a massive topic • Being easily annoyed. • Inter-agency meetings in which staff- and that it has been dealt with in the • Having trouble concentrating. ers share mental notes and cross- humanitarian literature in a general pollinate concerning stress mitigation sense, I want to focus on the untold STS makes its imprint on buried re- techniques. This method reduces the

Photo: SiddharthPhoto: Shah opportunities for humanitarian efforts gions of the brain and there is no one need to adapt techniques foreign to

MONDAY DEVELOPMENTS September 2008 21 National Staff

we packaged in mp3 files that could be easily emailed from peer to peer. When accepted practices are re-tooled, workers will more easily buy into a menu of interventions for de- stressing themselves daily (i.e., while the work is in progress) and not only at workshops or trainings. In fact, as a form of South to North learning, we in Northern nations have an important opportunity to learn specific resiliency factors from abroad and adapt them to our settings and mindsets. As a physician who sees multiple opportunities for prevention, I take a hard-nosed view of what we are dealing with here. Burnout and secondary traumatic stress are Guided meditation with Indian aid workers. both bona fide occupational hazards in this industry. There the culture (e.g. psychodynamic or must be done in a way that ensures is an ethical responsibility to mitigate cognitive-behavioral therapy or expo- that those who do not believe in prayer these hazards, just as we have a re- sure therapy – all powerful evidence- will not feel ostracized. sponsibility to safeguard people who based therapies, but which require While the geographic cure (a trip away work near asbestos or tuberculosis be- painstaking adaptation). from fieldwork to somewhere nice or cause, otherwise we are putting them • Mind-body therapies such as breath home) can help with the stress leading in harm’s way without providing the modulation (pranayama, breathwork) to burnout, it does nothing to reach the means to avert the harm. We know and meditation have been popular. neurobiological changes that occur in there is harm in working near trauma. • With the proper framing, system- traumatic stress. In fact, the geographic The medical and humanitarian litera- atic shaking, trauma-sensitive yoga, cure can actually do more harm than ture is rife with the evidence. Is there dance and other movement therapy good by allowing the trauma to simmer any doubt that there are costs to such can be powerful given the trauma lit- in someone’s brain. As the psychiatrist work? No doubt at all. erature’s recognition of how animals As mentioned, reluctance from South bounce back from horrifying events National staff can be Asian NGO leaders in acknowledging through shaking and engaging the “our work has its costs” has not been a body purposefully. especially open to barrier. There are opportunities in both • Laughter yoga, a sequence of activi- directions: provide training to national ties systematized by an Indian physi- creating interventions staff in a way that meets them halfway, cian, although not appropriate for the that are essentially a and reduce current barriers to ade- acute or subacute phase of recovery, quately training headquarters and ex- can be used to build group resiliency, re-tooling of familiar patriate staff. Is it possible that in the to engage the body, and frankly, to cultural or spiritual West we are more nervous about ad- have fun while promoting wellness. dressing this subject because if STS practices. were discussed regularly as an occupa- What doesn’t work? One-size-fits-all tional hazard a lot more due diligence protocols. People do not have identi- who helped develop trauma-sensitive from legal departments would be nec- cal cognitive styles. So while yoga and yoga explains, “Trauma is not like fine essary? Do managers fear that workers meditation may work for some work- wine. It does not get better with age.” would ask for more psychotherapy ers, journaling and poetry will work for National staff can be especially open benefits? Would donors have to come others. Referring a worker to a mental to creating interventions that are es- face-to-face with the reality that in the health professional, while it may seem sentially a re-tooling of familiar cultur- process of doing good in the world we like the diligent and scientific thing to al or spiritual practices. For example, put humanitarian workers in harm’s do, is useless if the worker does not ac- in Pakistan, I took a generally accepted way? When it comes to STS, it will take cept the basis of psychotherapy. Prayer reverence of Noor (“Divine Light”) and strong leadership to capitalize on our MD works great in organizations, but it developed a guided meditation that opportunities. SiddharthPhoto: Shah

22 MONDAY DEVELOPMENTS September 2008 USAID USAID and Staff Care on staff care issues; (2) creating an in- Task force establishes agency-wide procedures. ternal website that will eventually serve as the primary point of information for By Alonzo Fulgham, Chief Operating Officer, staff care resources for all USAID hir- U.S. Agency for International Development ing mechanisms (there are currently 23 hiring types in the Agency); (3) cre- s the principal U.S. gov- following recommendations from a ating a common emergency database ernment agency extending as- number of earlier reports, such as les- for all staff hiring types in the bureau, sistance to countries recovering sons learned from the U.S. Embassy as well as a database that provides from disaster, trying to escape bombing in Kenya in 1998. The Task useful staffing reports for offices in the Apoverty, and engaging in democratic Force was formed to pioneer implemen- bureau; (4) developing more detailed reforms, the U.S. Agency for Interna- tation of cutting-edge ideas and previ- pre-departure checklists for both tem- tional Development (USAID) employs ous lessons learned, with the goal of porary and permanent staff of all hiring thousands of staff in the United States adopting agency-wide operations and types; and (5) researching all available and around the world under a variety procedures in support of staff care. For agency mental well-being services to of hiring mechanisms. USAID recog- the purposes of the Task Force, “staff determine which services are available nizes that its primary resource for en- care” includes broad issues ranging for which hiring types, and providing suring the successful delivery of funds from personal emergency prepared- this information to all agency staff, as from the American people to support ness and response to staff wellness on well as holding pilot “road shows” with overseas causes is its staff; and the a day-to-day basis, including physical service providers and DCHA. surest way to maximize assistance to safety and psychological well-being in The Task Force has recently be- those in need overseas is to ensure the workplace. gun expanding and institutionalizing the well-being of its personnel. Many Initial Task Force efforts include: (1) a number of its pilot efforts agency- non-governmental and private sector surveying DCHA staff to gauge their wide. An expanded USAID Staff Care partners are already leading the way in morale, understanding and opinions Working Group will continue to: raise innovative staff care concepts designed continued on page 30 to improve morale, productivity and retention. USAID is reviewing many of its best practices as it looks to draft its OFDA and Staff Care own staff care policy that would apply Excerpts from an address by USAID Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA) Director to all hiring mechanisms. Ky Luu to a staff wellness conference in Denver on May 18, 2008: Humanitarian and development staff frequently work in high-risk, unstable “The field of humanitarian assistance has evolved and professionalized over the field environments that are often char- years, and continues to do so. The next challenge in the evolution of our field should acterized by unpredictability, rapid be to better incorporate concerns about the psychological and emotional well-being change, and pressure in both the field of our humanitarian workers into our standard way of doing business. and from Washington, DC. While this environment encourages personal and “The work we do and the difficult places we work take a toll on our staff. Are we professional growth, these factors can losing experienced, highly qualified staff members prematurely because we do cause serious stress in staff and, ulti- not help them care for themselves properly in stressful assignments? Effective staff mately, adversely impact the delivery of care can boost staff retention, which is a highly desirable goal from a managerial aid and assistance to beneficiaries. perspective. USAID encourages implementing partners to begin or continue to de- “OFDA is willing to help fund initiatives that facilitate progress on staff wellness velop standard staff care policies and standards for the humanitarian community. In the same manner that NGOs, over the practices, and it looks forward to con- years, have collectively identified and agreed to performance standards on a range tinuing collaboration with partners on of humanitarian issues, we believe that NGOs working together should develop developing baselines for staff care in all minimum standards and guidance for staff care within our profession. environments. USAID began its own Staff Care Task “NGO personnel policies should include staff care procedures. NGOs should ensure Force through the Democracy, Conflict that managers at all levels are trained on staff care issues. Let it be clearly understood and Humanitarian Assistance (DCHA) that OFDA considers staff care by our partner agencies to be a legitimate and Bureau in February 2008, following important component of indirect operational costs.” staff deaths in Khartoum, Sudan and

MONDAY DEVELOPMENTS September 2008 23 HIV/AIDS If You’re Not Infected, You’re Affected Psychosocial intervention benefits national staff working in HIV/AIDS projects.

By Carla Uriarte, Coordinator Mental Health Support to Field Teams, Doctors Without Borders - Spain (Médecins Sans Frontiers -MSF OCBA)

umanitarian help is in- members, friends and neighbors trinsically stressful. In order are infected. to respond to this reality, MSF In most of the places where Spain consolidated psychoso- medical support projects have Hcial support for its field teams in 2005. developed there is also a strong stig- One of the areas the organization ma associated with HIV/AIDS, in spite addressed was the impact of working of the efforts of many organizations to In most of the on HIV/AIDS projects – a reality solidly eliminate this stigma. Before MSF came places where documented in the relevant literature. to Busia in Kenya, the room where To assess the situation we conduct- terminal HIV/AIDS patients were left medical support ed in-depth interviews with coordina- had the popular name of “the Bosnia projects have developed tors, supervisors and key personnel, room” because whoever entered there individual debriefings with counselors, was destined to die. The fear and lack there is also a strong focus groups organized by work func- of means to deal with these deaths led tions (such as laboratory workers, local health professionals to refuse to stigma associated with medical assistants, and home health help the sick people. More recently, the HIV/AIDS. nurses), activities such as clinic visits, introduction of antiretroviral medicines accompanying home-based care teams, has given hope to many communities, Another factor is the limits of the and sensitizing activities, and meetings although the stigma continues. ability of the organization and the local with advisors of local services that pro- health system to respond to the over- vide training and support. Stresses whelming needs. Workers frequently In total, around 300 local profes- The local teams working in this envi- must operate in a reality in which they sionals participated in these activities ronment share a number of challenges. know they cannot satisfy the treatment conducted in and through the MSF- Secondary stigma is a common prob- needs of all those in need and that Spain missions in Kenya, Malawi, Tan- lem. In many places there is the belief they, the workers, will have to choose zania and Zimbabwe, with particular that if you work in an HIV/AIDS proj- who will receive treatment. help from Carmelo Vázquez in Kenya, ect (as a doctor or driver, for example) Powerlessness to address social and Beatriz Rodíguez Vega in Tanzania it is because you are infected. economic needs (such as food, school- and Cristina Vivares in Zimbabwe. The Exposure to people in life-threaten- ing and livelihood support) of the pa- findings presented here are drawn from ing crises drains staff emotionally and tients that lie beyond the scope and re- these visits. sometimes physically as well. The pro- sources of the program and for which fessionals working on these projects are there are no local support systems, can Results: Stresses and Strengths daily witnesses to the social and emo- also take a toll on team members. As “If you are not infected, you are af- tional impact that HIV/AIDS has on can the emotionally draining reality of fected.” This sentence powerfully sums their patients such as orphans unable identifying with their patients. up the reality of working on and living to go to school, and the harrowing pros- Working in international organiza- with HIV/AIDS. With high levels of in- pects for widows with infected children. tions also creates challenges due to fection in the general population, most Dealing daily with patients who also factors such as frequent turnover of of the local MSF personnel in these have other opportunistic, infectious dis- coordinators, operating in a multicul- countries are directly affected by the eases such as tuberculosis, and the risk tural environment, and the existence epidemic. Even if they are not infected of contracting those diseases, creates ad- of very limited opportunities for promo-

personally, one or more of their family ditional stress for many team members. tion to the top leadership ranks. - Fotolia.com Costa Verde Ricardo Photo:

24 MONDAY DEVELOPMENTS September 2008 HIV/AIDS

The investigations identified a number of risks and challenges particular Staff Care on a Shoestring: to different types of work related to HIV/AIDS programming: Comments From NGO Staff Around the World • Laboratory Personnel. In some projects, the laboratory is perceived as While some aspects of staff care may require additional resources, there are many an infected place that other health things you can do with little or no budget to start building a culture of staff-care in your workers consider dangerous and do organization. Here are a few examples offered by field staff in various organizations: not want enter unless it is absolutely • Recognize and appreciate colleague’s good work and/or extra effort. necessary. In this context, some peo- • Have managers serve as role models of good self-care and a healthy work-life bal- ple may have irrational fears about ance. being infected by tuberculosis and • Celebrate special occasions and holidays; acknowledge transitions in people’s other opportunistic diseases. Labora- lives (e.g., births, deaths, birthdays, promotions, new jobs). This doesn’t have to tory professionals also maintain direct be elaborate or expensive. contact with the patients, who often • During times of high stress, be mindful of each other’s well-being. Spend time share with the workers their stories checking in with each other and actively listen to responses. Protect your sleep! and difficulties and engage in strong • Use newsletters, emails and meetings to provide information about stress and emotional expressions for which the resilience. This helps normalize people’s experiences and may expand their rep- workers have not been prepared. ertoire of coping strategies. • Counselors. Some counselors daily • Host a party or social event that includes family members. confront people dealing with issues • Encourage staff to take mini-breaks during the day. Managers: set a good exam- of death, infidelity, misery and other ple and take them yourself. life crises. Although most counsel- • Have a pot-luck lunch ors have received specific training • After work-related travel (especially lengthy and intense travel) encourage staff on how to manage HIV/AIDS coun- to take some down-time. seling, sometimes that training has failed to include basic psychological ...What else would you add? coping strategies for the counsellors. • Home-Based Health Care Teams. Workers in this field witness the dif- treatment to all those in need, the most working on HIV/AIDS programs. ficult conditions, misery and the lack vulnerable groups (children, pregnant of general resources with which many women) are being saved. While the Preparation patients live. The house visits can be manifestation varies from team to team, • Improve the basic psychological and emotionally demanding, putting work- in the majority of cases team members social skills training for the frontline ers in the midst of the realities their also share a sense of pride in being part personnel working with patients. patients and their support networks, of MSF – a sense that translates into This training would cover issues including children caring for the ter- dynamic, protective teams. such as how to manage the anger, minally ill, patients so sick they can- Team members also draw on respect pain and anxiety of patients, and ba- not go to the hospital, and orphans. and support they receive from family sic psychological support. We recom- This, in turn, increases the likelihood and communities because of their work mend that this training be provided that the workers will identify with their saving lives and the status of belonging not only to counselors, but also to all patients at emotionally draining levels to an international organization. Ben- other personnel with direct contact that can be greater than those experi- efits include stable employment, per- with the patients in any way, such as enced by workers at health centers. sonal economic stability in the midst laboratory technicians and drivers. of shattered economies, social status, • Strengthen team members’ under- Strengths and access to influential people. Other standing of humanitarian principles The study also revealed a number of sources of support include personal and the organization’s strategy. strengths that allow the professionals and social resources such as support This can help the teams better un- to continue day after day in the face of from co-workers and family, and natu- derstand the limits of a particular so many difficulties. ral support networks, including reli- project, the decision-making process For the majority of those working gious communities. and the global strategy to fight HIV/ with MSF, the understanding that “If AIDS into which the project fits. you are not infected, you are affected” Intervention: • Continue technical training, with a makes them proud to be part of the Strengthening Existing Strengths special focus on protection measures miracle of introducing the antiretroviral The assessment also led us to iden- to be used when working in environ- medicines (ARVs). In working in these tify a number of steps in the areas of ments with infectious diseases. projects they are saving thousands of advance preparation and on-going lives and even though there are still measures that would help create a bet- On-Going Support not enough ARVs available to provide ter network of support for our teams The sessions that formed the heart

MONDAY DEVELOPMENTS September 2008 25 HIV/AIDS

where local external resources exist, organizational factors that cause Humanitarian work with an outside facilitator. Pro- stress and how to prevent and mini- organizations now posed sessions include group debrief- mize them. ings and/or psychosocial workshops • Incorporate team dynamics and display a regular on topics such as how to manage the team-building activities into the work fear of infection, stress management agenda. and ever increasing and conflict resolution. interest in providing • Include key national staff in deci- Humanitarian organizations now dis- sion-making and positions of re- play a regular and ever increasing inter- psychosocial support. sponsibility. est in providing psychosocial support • Facilitate access to outside psycho- for their teams. This is good news for of the assessment highlighted the im- logical support for individuals who staff welfare, and its impact is reflected portance of social support as a primary need it. in the mental health and quality of ser- resource for confronting these chal- • Be flexible with the working rules to vice of the NGO staff and project benefi- lenges. The following steps can help give space to local cultural coping ciaries being helped and supported. teams strengthen this social support: strategies (e.g., provide time to pray Until recently this interest was largely • Create and maintain an organiza- during a medical workshop for Mus- limited to providing support for international culture that recognizes and lims). tional staff. Yet the majority of those fosters the sharing of difficulties, • Sensitize international personnel, working in humanitarian aid are nation- challenges of daily work. who usually hold coordination posi- al staff, and it is therefore important • Technical supervision of cases, with tions, on: the need to minimize the that organizations implement support special attention to managing psy- impact of turnover of staff in coor- strategies that take into account the chosocial problems that arise. dination positions; cultural differ- specific psychosocial risks and strengths • Create formal spaces for mutual ences; the psychosocial impact of faced by these local workers, and devel- support among professionals, and, working in HIV/AIDS projects; and op ways to invest in their well-being. MD

26 MONDAY DEVELOPMENTS September 2008 Guidelines

tal Health and Psychosocial Support in Emergency Settings, co-chaired by the World Health Organization and Inter- Lest We Action. The overall thrust of the Guide- lines is “to enable humanitarian actors to plan, establish and coordinate a set of minimum multi-sectoral responses Reinvent to protect and improve people’s mental health and psychosocial well-being in the midst of an emergency.” One section, Action Sheet 4.4 (and, to a lesser the Wheel extent, several other sections, especially Action Sheets 4.1-4.3), addresses staff and the team must undertake to miti- support issues. Early drafts were circu- Guidelines do exist gate staff stress, as well as actions that lated in the humanitarian community for good practice in individual staff members can take. The and the feedback was incorporated. managing stress in Guidelines are organized around eight Action Sheet 4.4 notes that, “The pro- key principles, reflecting the phases of a vision of support to mitigate the possible humanitarian workers. staff member’s deployment. Thus, there psychosocial consequences of work in are principles on overall agency policy, crisis situations is a moral obligation screening and assessing staff, prepara- and a responsibility of organizations ex- By John H. Ehrenreich, tion and training of staff, monitoring posing staff to extremes. For organiza- International Associate, Antares staff in the field, ongoing support in the tions to be effective, managers need to Foundation and Professor of field, crisis support, end of assignment keep their staff healthy. A systemic and Psychology, State University of New support, and post-assignment support. integrated approach to staff care is re- York – College at Old Westbury Each principle has supporting indica- quired at all phases of employment – in- tors and comments designed to help cluding in emergencies – and at all lev- he Antares Foundation’s agencies more fully understand the con- els of the organization to maintain staff Managing Stress in Humanitari- cepts underpinning the principles and well-being and organizational efficiency. an Workers: Guidelines for Good how they translate into management The word ‘staff’ in this action sheet re- Practice (www.antaresfounda- practice. The principles and indicators fers to paid and volunteer, national and tion.org)T seeks to help aid agencies de- are intended to apply to both interna- international workers, including drivers fine their own needs in relation to stress tional and national staff and to both and translators, affiliated with an aid or- management in their organization. The headquarters and field staff, recognizing ganization.” Like the Antares Guidelines, Guidelines were developed over the last that adjustments may be necessary to although the Action Sheet notes that few years by an international working take into account the unique needs and “support measures should in principle group, made up of NGO staff (human characteristics of each group. They are a be equal for national and international resources, national and field managers, tool for learning, reflection and planning staff,” it points out that “some structural safety and security officers), people with rather than a set of rigid rules or solu- differences exist between the two.” extensive experience consulting with tions applicable under all conditions. In virtually all respects, the sections NGOs and NGO staff on staff stress, and The Antares Foundation is currently of the IASC Guidelines dealing with staff academic experts on stress and stress developing a variety of ancillary materi- support issues closely parallel the An- management. Feedback responding to als in support of the Guidelines. These tares Guidelines. Like the latter, the several earlier drafts was obtained from include: an interactive web-based ver- IASC Action Sheets specify roles for the meetings of national and international sion of the Guidelines; training work- agency, managers and the team. Spe- field managers in Jerusalem, Mel- shops for individual staff members, cific “key actions” include: actions to bourne and Canberra (Australia), New team leaders and agency managers; ensure the availability of a concrete plan York, Amsterdam, Tbilisi (Georgia) and written materials developing some of to protect and promote staff well-being Tuzla (Bosnia). the principles further, and manage- for the specific emergency; prepare staff The starting point of the Guidelines is rial tools for analyzing agency behavior for their jobs and for the emergency that managing stress in staff of humani- with respect to the Guidelines’ princi- context; facilitate a healthy working en- tarian aid organizations is an integral ples; case studies on using the Guide- vironment; address potential work-re- management priority in enabling the lines; and sample policies. lated stressors; ensure access to health organization to fulfill its field objectives, In addition, the Inter-Agency Stand- care and psychosocial support for staff; as well as being necessary to protect the ing Committee (IASC) Guidelines on Men- provide support to staff who have expe- well-being of the individual staff mem- tal Health and Psychosocial Support in rienced or witnessed extreme events bers, their teams and the communities Emergency Settings (www.who.int/men- (critical incidents, potentially traumatic they work with. The Guidelines empha- tal_health/emergencies/en) were devel- events); and make support available af- size the actions that agency, managers oped by the IASC Task Force on Men- ter the mission/employment. MD

MONDAY DEVELOPMENTS September 2008 27 HIV Status Day

Some [staff] said that knowing their status made them feel empowered to encourage others to get tested.

scared. He said he was happy to have the opportunity to be tested through work, because going in a group helped him face his fears. In Narok, only the HIV/ AIDS team wanted to participate, which give them the opportunity to show leadership within their own office. The Narok staff reported the experience as tough, but also encouraging. And in Embu, the whole staff chose to be tested. Staff who felt comfortable talking about their VCT experiences were encouraged to share their thoughts and feelings, and were informed that their views might be shared with others if they agreed. Many were willing, and some even asked to have their picture taken while they were being tested. Some said that knowing their status made them feel empowered to encourage others to get tested including fam- Walking ily, church and other community members. One male staff member (age 33), the Walk said that he wanted to be an example to the youth in his church. Another com- convinced to start leading by example. mented that going in a group had made World Concern The HIV/AIDS team agreed on a date the waiting time less stressful. One introduces “Know Your that we would all go get tested – the woman admitted that she did worry a first World Concern Know Your Status bit about going in a group, because she HIV Status Day” for staff. Day. The invitation was extended to the wasn’t sure if she would be able to hide rest of the World Concern Kenya staff the emotions of testing positive. Recog- By Bethany Baxter, who were informed that: (1) attendance nizing that results were inevitable, she HIV/AIDS Program Coordinator, was not required; (2) they would not be decided to get tested and found it com- World Concern asked to disclose to their status; (3) the forting to be amongst friends. current staff health plan covered treat- Since Know Your Status Day, there t a meeting of World ment; and (4) they could not be fired has been a heightened interest in HIV/ Concern HIV/AIDS field staff, for testing positive. In an effort to make AIDS facts and a more open environ- the question came up of how getting tested as easy as possible, each ment for discussion and information many of us knew our HIV sta- HIV/AIDS district team was responsible dissemination. In response, an “HIV/ Atus. A few hands went up, but not every for making arrangements (e.g. transport AIDS fact” is posted weekly: the first be- hand. Which led to the next question, and appointments) for those interested ing on the reliability of HIV tests. In ad- “How can we refer people to voluntary in their office interested in participating. dition, the day helped World Concern counseling and testing (VCT) centers if The results of the day were amazing. HIV/AIDS staff gain a better under- we haven’t gone ourselves?” As is be- In the Nairobi office, 80 percent of those standing of some of the challenges and ing highlighted throughout 2008, more available (i.e., not on leave, traveling or constraints to being tested, including leadership is required if the world is go- the like) chose to be tested. One staff concerns about being tested by some- ing to tackle the AIDS pandemic. And member said that he had wanted to go body you know. World Concern plans

at this meeting, World Concern was a number of times, but had been too to make this an annual event. MD Concern World Baxter, Bethany Photo:

28 MONDAY DEVELOPMENTS September 2008 Helper’s Fire

International Disaster Psychology Pro- gram hosted Helper’s Fire II: Building Resilient Communities for Humanitarian and Development Assistance Field Staff. Helper’s Fire II The conference brought together participants from the non-governmental sector, Conference works to build The conference reflected an increased donors, government organizations, con- understanding that humanitarian aid is sultants, researchers, graduate students resilient communities highly rewarding but demanding work, and other expert practitioners to focus for humanitarian and and that aid workers and volunteers on key staff care issues for humanitar- face a variety of threats to their physical ian and development workers and the development assistance health and mental health and emotional organizations for which they work. field staff. stability. However, attention to staff care Stressors in the field of humani- and support before, during and after tarian aid, from those indigenous to their time in the field, and the study of emergency situations to demanding By Sharon Forrence, MSW, Training how to improve outcomes in this arena and stressful management practices, and Staff Care Consultant was still relatively new in 2004. adversely affect the capacities of hu- Since that time, recognition that ef- manitarian workers to deliver services. n March 2004, humanitarian fective self-care and management ulti- The Helper’s Fire II conference was de- and international development pro- mately contributes to the ability of all signed to provide information on new fessionals from more than 60 organi- humanitarian workers to work more staff care initiatives and organizational zations gathered at the University of effectively, more safely, and ultimately efforts to institutionalize support to aid INotre Dame for a groundbreaking confer- further the mission of the organization workers. It also served to identify the ence entitled “Tending the Helper’s Fire: has gained considerable traction. difficulties with implementation and to Mitigating Stress and Trauma in Inter- In line with these advances, in May propose strategies and actions that will national Staff and Volunteers” organized 2008 the University of Denver’s Gradu- contribute to the forward movement by Idealist.org/Action Without Borders. ate School of Professional Psychology’s of this developing field. Key issues in-

How Secure Is Your Organization? InterAction Minimum Operating Security Standards Workshop October 30th—Washington, DC

The working environment for international humanitarians and development professionals has become increasingly volatile in recent years. Because of this, many NGOs are seeking a way to incorporate more robust security measures into their programming. However, few NGOs know how best to do it.

InterAction has been tasked by USAID to create a set of Minimum Operating Security Standards (MOSS) for its members. Under the MOSS, InterAction members are required to create organizational policies and plans; make appropriate resources available to comply with the standards; implement appropriate human resources policies; incorporate accountability for security at the management level; and work together as a community in order to advance their common security interests.

This workshop seeks to assist InterAction members and other interested organizations in the incorporation of InterAction’s Minimum Operating Security Standards (MOSS). Recognizing that every organization will have differing needs, the “Suggested Guidance” section for each standard will be presented by members of the Security Advisory Group. A brief review will be followed by an open forum that will enable attendees the opportunity to discuss methods, policies and practices of other members in order to aid all in compliance.

This workshop is open to InterAction member organizations only.

Please RSVP by email to [email protected]. Subject line: “MOSS RSVP.”

MONDAY DEVELOPMENTS September 2008 29 Helper’s Fire

cluded: management and leadership tares Foundation and the Inter-Agency have very different needs for staff care. in stress reduction; staff assessment, Standing Committee (IASC) Guide- The best way to identify appropriate selection and retention; training and lines on Mental Health and Psychoso- support for national staff is to consult working with national staff; respond- cial Support in Emergency Settings, as with them. Third, it is important for or- ing to critical events, including family well as new initiatives undertaken by ganizations to develop critical incident support; building external and internal the Headington Institute, InterAction, protocols and include plans for work- support for staff care initiatives; build- People In Aid and USAID. Break-out ing with staff members’ families. This is ing in evaluation of staff care policies groups discussed the key questions an important component when dealing and programs; and field staff exit inter- outlined during the plenary presenta- with critical incident stress. views, debriefing and re-entry. tions in order to identify concrete steps Another key theme is senior man- Ky Luu, Director of USAID’s Office that could move the field forward in the agement buy-in for staff care. While of Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA), given area. the need seems obvious to those who provided the keynote address. Staff care The field of staff care for humanitarian have worked under difficult conditions issues have become one of OFDA’s pri- and development workers and organi- and for those who provide services to orities given how they affect OFDA staff zations has made considerable progress aid workers, convincing senior man- as well as the staff of partner organiza- since the first Helper’s Fire conference. agement that investing in staff care tions working in complex emergency sit- Several key themes emerged. First, staff initiatives is a cost-effective business uations. He described the challenge of care is everyone’s business and needs practice continues to be a challenge for encouraging the humanitarian commu- to be integrated throughout the lifecycle most organizations. Assessing staff care nity to incorporate staff care/staff well- of an employee or volunteer. As an or- initiatives that are currently being un- ness as a routine operating standard. ganizational priority, staff care needs to dertaken by various organizations can Panel presentations provided an be incorporated in management prac- help to further support efforts to push update on recent developments in the tices from headquarters down to the this issue with senior management. field including guidelines from the An- field office. Second, national staff may The final Helper’s Fire II conference report will be published on the Univer- sity of Denver’s website www.du.edu/ helpersfire/, on the Psychosocial.org web site (www.idealist.org/psychosocial) and on the InterAction staff care web Helper’s Fire: What does that mean? site (www.interaction.org/staffcare). In March of 2004, Action Without Borders and The Joan B. Kroc Institute for A Helper’s Fire III conference will be International Peace Studies at Notre Dame University organized the conference held in 2010, with details to be an- “Tending the Helper’s Fire: Mitigating Trauma and Stress in International Staff and nounced. In the near future, a Helper’s Volunteers.” The name of the conference - “Tending the Helper’s Fire” - comes from the Fire II.5 meeting will be held in early Master’s thesis title of Karen Brown. November either before or after the PIA/Headington Symposium. For fur- After the Notre Dame conference, groups formed in Washington, DC and New York ther information, or if you have ques- under the name “Helper’s Fire” to hold continuing presentations and discussions on tions or comments, please contact the staff care issues. author at [email protected]. MD What is the mission of Helper’s Fire? To promote wellness of staff working in chronic and acute stress environments by USAID sharing resources, best practices and training materials. continued from page 23 awareness of staff care issues at all lev- What are some current activities? els; review office, bureau, and mission Representing government agencies, non-government organizations and practices in staff care; make appropri- independent consultants, the Helper’s Fire group is well-placed to serve as an ate recommendations to the agency; advocate for staff wellness, as an advisory group, and as an information resource for and provide appropriate, relevant re- organizations, agencies and groups engaged in development and relief efforts. The sources to assist all staff in better miti- outcome of our efforts will serve expatriate, third-country, and host country staff. gating or coping with the stressors of USAID work. How can I get involved? The Agency working group will be an Since September of 2004, the DC Helper’s Fire group has been meeting on the first avenue for USAID offices and bureaus Wednesday of the month from 10:30 am to 12:00 pm. Since January 2008, the DC to share and learn from each other’s ex- Helper’s Fire group has been meeting in conjunction with the InterAction Staff Care periences, seeking to create a standard Working Group at the InterAction office (1400 16th Street NW, Suite 210). You can baseline of services and support that join the DC Helper’s Fire yahoo group at: http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/ enable the agency to not only fulfill its HelpersFire/ mandate, but also its desire to protect the well-being of its staff members. MD

30 MONDAY DEVELOPMENTS September 2008 Peer Support

Taking Care of Each Other Peer Support in Humanitarian Organizations eer support describes a variety of ways that people with similar experiences can assist each other with difficult situations. Workplace peer Psupport programs have grown in popularity over the past two decades, especially in professions characterized by service to others and high threat or danger. When implemented effectively, peer support programs can contribute to increased social support in the workplace, improved organizational climate, and greater numbers of people with problems or in distress seeking assistance. A number of humanitarian organizations have developed peer support programs to address the challenges facing aid workers around the world. The following articles provide three perspectives on peer support program. Two psychologists describe peer support programs launched by their NGOs, and in the third piece, staff in the field discuss how they have made peer support practical and concrete in a context of HIV/AIDS.

Collected by Sharon Forrence, MSW, Training and Staff Care Consultant

from professional consultants and included significant input from the MSF human resources department and other MSF Peer Support Network New York office resources. Gradually, the PSN has assumed responsibility for its own training, with logistical support from BY Christina Moore, PsyD, Doctors Without Borders/ the MSF USA Association Coordinator’s office. A long-term con- Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) USA sultant attends trainings and provides welcome training and practice in stress reduction techniques. The PSN guidelines The MSF USA Peer Support Network (PSN), begun have evolved over time, in parallel with the maturing network in 1999, is the non-professional, peer-operated, informa- and increased technical support. tion sharing system provided by a group of MSF-USA volun- The PSN participates in national and international confer- teer returned field staff (RFS). PSN volunteers offer listening ences on staff support and security, regularly updates train- support and information for other RFS within one month of ings based on current research and developing best practices. returning from assignment. Typically, this is done through In April, 2007, the PSN met at Peaceful Valley Ranch, near email and telephone contacts, and often with face-to-face Lyons, Colorado, for a formal training and welcome for new meetings. The content of the peer-to-peer conversations re- members; continuing members attended for the required up- mains confidential. date to their training. Training included formal discussions PSN Volunteers are distributed across the U.S. They deter- and practice sessions for making peer-to-peer contacts. The mine who will contact returning field staff based on similarity group learned to use GPS tools while hiking in the mountains of professional background, familiarity with field assignments, and exchanging experiences from assignments and from PSN ease of shared time zones or by date of return. contacts over the years. The returned field staff list is managed by PSN coordinators The training provides direction and formal guidelines, as through a web-based contact management system. Introduced well as a perspective on how MSF returned field staff find early in 2007, the system tracks contacts from the time of the and redefine life and work on assignment and on return. The RFS return from assignment to the end of the PSN volunteer’s training emphasis is on listening, and providing information contacts with that individual. PSN Volunteers enter details re- (or reminders) about additional support systems, such as the garding contact dates. The PSN Web-tool provides substantial Employee Assistance Program, that are available to assist the information to the PSN coordinators about quality and effi- returned field staff with reintegration after an assignment. New ciency of PSN services, and statistical data on operational ef- members bring vitality and a wealth of experience to the PSN. fectiveness. Please send questions and comments to the author at cem-

Photo: Sandy Photo: Krawitz Early training of PSN volunteers was done with assistance [email protected].

MONDAY DEVELOPMENTS September 2008 31 Peer Support “I No Longer SIT Graduate Institute International Development Feel Alone” Programs By Lynne Cripe, PhD, CARE USA

s-ASTERSDEGREESINDYNAMIClELDS Involuntary conscription in Sri Lanka. Carjack- including Sustainable Development, ings in Darfur. HIV-related loss and orphaning in Malawi. Conﬂict Transformation, These are just a few of the serious stressors facing CARE Management of Mission-Driven Organizations staff around the world. CARE staff have reported five primary categories of stress: (1) lack of job security; (2) concerns s.%7ININTHE3ULTANATEOF/MAN about security and safety; (3) overwork and difficulty with work-life balance; (4) internal staff conflict, e.g. competition, -ASTEROF'LOBAL-ANAGEMENT issues with trust; and (5) personal issues, e.g. stresses from focus in Middle Eastern Studies, financial pressure, family demands and health problems. International Organizational Development, To increase social support to help staff cope with the Social Entrepreneurship and Innovation, stresses of life, CARE launched a Peer Social Support Team Intensive Arabic Language Studies (PSST) in 2007 in ten of its Country Offices (COs) in Africa. In mid-2008, the PSST expanded to six COs in Asia. WWWSITEDUGRADUATE After six months, the program in Africa reported the fol- WWWWORLDLEARNINGORG lowing successes: • Improved morale and communication in the CO; • Conflict resolution among team members; • Improved relationships with supervisors; • Improved response to critical incidents; • Improvement in human resources programs devoted to staff care and staff wellness; • Better coordination and synergy between programs devot- InterAction’s ed to staff care; and • Improved contribution to Country Office strategic planning New Online through coordination with the senior management team and other CO staff. Job Board! To get started, Country Offices selected two Social Support Advisors (SSAs), typically one male and one female, through a variety of ways. Some were selected by their senior management team; others were elected by the entire staff. Currently, Visit: careers.interaction.org all SSAs are national staff, drawn from the entire range of positions within CARE COs: administrative, drivers, human resources, program managers, technical advisors. SSAs de- vote, on average, three hours per week to their PSST activi- Talk about interacting! ties, although in some COs more time has been allocated. To compliment Monday The regional Peer Social Support Teams were launched in Developments’ popular monthly a week-long training and planning workshop that focused on knowledge- and skill-building, and action planning. Top- job section, InterAction’s new ics included empathic listening, stress management, com- online job board instantly municating self-care information to colleagues and building connects you to the latest trust. Working in their country teams, SSAs developed terms international development of reference and action plans based on the unique needs and jobs as they become available. existing initiatives and programs within their Country Office. Search by job sector, level, This is a critical element of the PSST because staff needs and operating environments vary greatly across CARE COs. For region and country—or post example, the objectives of the Sudan PSST focus on improv- your resume and let the hiring ing support for staff affected by critical incidents. In contrast, managers come to you! a key objective of the India PSST is to help the CO “downsize well” by attending to the social and emotional needs of staff affected by job losses. Although the PSST operates within

32 MONDAY DEVELOPMENTS September 2008 Peer Support

shared basic parameters there is the need for considerable Voluntary Savings and Loans customization and flexibility across COs; this customization Learning from our work in the community, we adopted the is crucial for ownership and sustainability of the PSST. Voluntary Savings and Loan (VS&L) program to encourage As CARE looks to the future of the PSST we see a number staff to save money. Groups of five or six staff members con- of challenges ahead: tribute an agreed upon amount and borrow amongst each • Securing the financial resources needed to expand the other with an agreed amount of interest. This initiative helps PSST into other regions; members because it helps them achieve their personal goals • Developing models of support, supervision and follow-up such as buying furniture, and paying for school fees (many that can withstand geographic dispersion, time differences staff are taking care of orphans and vulnerable children), and and imperfect phone/internet connections; buying medicine. We are also looking at longer investment • Cultivating sustained engagement by CO leadership in the opportunities for staff that will give them piece of mind to PSST activities; know that their families will be taken care of if needed. • Training new team members when inevitable attrition occurs; and Workplace Nutrition • Developing a meaningful monitoring and evaluation ap- The organization is also contributing to staff wellness by proach that allows us to effectively tell the story of the providing nutritional support in the workplace. Staff do not PSST without unduly burdening our volunteer SSAs. have a lot of time to take care of themselves while at work because their concentration is focused on meeting the needs Although we are still grappling with how best to evaluate of the communities. To improve their health and help keep the work of the PSST, I will close with a small anecdote that them fit so that they can perform well, we are providing each demonstrates that the PSST is making an impact. At the staff member with two fruits per day; as they say, “an apple conclusion of a workshop co-facilitated with Social Support a day keeps the doctor away.” CARE views this as a small Advisors, a colleague stated, “I thought I was the only one amount to pay compared to the price of unmotivated, un- that felt this way. But now I know that I am no longer alone.” healthy staff. This initiative has helped reduce the number of That’s a result worth replicating. sick days staff have taken. Please send questions and comments to the author at Please send questions and comments to the authors at [email protected] or to Kathleen Gaines at [email protected]. [email protected] and [email protected] MD Staff Care in CARE Lesotho–South Africa

Moleboheng Patose, Wellness Coordinator, and Hofnie Lebone, Human Resources Manager CARE Lesotho-South Africa

Stress (whether work-related or personal) in the workplace is a common feature of life today. It can damage the health and well-being of employees. From CARE’s perspective, employees who feel valued have lower levels of stress and absenteeism and higher levels of motivation and loyalty to the organization’s core business. HIV and AIDS are serious issues for staff in CARE Lesotho-South Africa. We seek to address the needs of an employees at all stages of the HIV/AIDS timeline: from prevention for HIV-negative staff to impact mitigation after death. Several initiatives are helping us to improve staff care.

Consultations for choosing the Peer Social Support Team Through intense consultations with staff, a group of employees were chosen to be Social Support Advisors (SSAs). The SSAs were chosen for a variety of skills, including good listening skills, empathy, calmness, popularity within the workplace and friendliness. The SSAs offer confidential one-on-one support to staff on various issues: domestic violence, HIV management, workplace stress and employee relations. Staff now know people are there to offer support.

MONDAY DEVELOPMENTS September 2008 33 Presence

more like organizing a wedding. In a foreign country. When you don’t know how many people will be attending the reception. And everyone who does show up is bound to be way more stressed out than your average bride. So back to Kenya, where I was sup- posed to be heading in March. It was all planned. We’d made all the hotel bookings. I’d even organized to take a couple of days after the workshops and travel down to Tanzania to spend a couple of days with friends. Things were on track. I was going to Australia in January for almost a month, but my amazing project manager, Bree, was going to send out the fliers and organize the workshop registrations in my absence. In the flier we asked people who were interested in attending to send us a 200-word statement of interest. Why, we asked, did they feel they’d benefit from these workshops? I hoped these The Power of statements would help me make sure the training I planned would meet as many of the needs as possible of the approximately 30 people we estimated would turn up. So I went on a much-needed holi- Presence day. Bree sent out the fliers. And in- Sometimes just “being there” makes all the difference. stead of 30 registrations, within the first forty-eight hours after we sent the By Lisa McKay, Director of Training and Education Services, announcement we were flooded with Headington Institute emails from well over one hundred humanitarian workers and mental health n Monday I was up at in different cities around the world. By professionals who wanted to attend the 5am. This was partly because January we were well into organizing workshops. And their statements of in- my body was convinced it our first regional training for humani- terest…they were heart-breaking. was still in Michigan where it tarian workers in Kenya. At the same time, things were going Ohad woken up on Sunday, instead of in Regional training is simple, really. You from bad to worse in Kenya. I knew California. And partly because I needed choose a city. You estimate how many when I left for Australia that things in to be at work at 6am. people you think might show up to these Nairobi were unstable. I’d moved for- In my opinion, 6am is practically an free workshops. You book a venue, or- ward anyway, reasoning that the vio- obscene hour of the morning, an hour ganize catering, and review your budget. lence would probably have simmered when no one should have to be at work You pull together a team of experienced down by March. But by the time I re- unless it’s for an exceptionally good trainers and counselors. You co-ordi- turned to the office in February it was cause. But although I grumbled a bit nate everyone’s dates, book air tickets, clear that the prudent course of action to myself as I left the house in the dark, get visas, review the security situation would be to postpone the workshops. I did have to admit it was for an excep- in the destination city, remember to pick When there would be one hundred peo- tionally good cause. up malaria medication, plan the work- ple traveling around Nairobi to reach How it all came about is a long story shops, backup presentation materials, the training the risk was too high that that starts in January as I was plan- and organize handouts. Oh, and check someone would get seriously hurt, or ning for workshops in Kenya. We’re and double check which day your flight worse. Given that we could still go later trying something new this year at the leaves because, believe it or not, that in the year when things would hope- Headington Institute called regional one has almost derailed me more than fully have calmed down, it didn’t seem training – running free workshops on once during the last five years. worth chancing. understanding and coping with stress Okay, when I look at all of that may- So we postponed, which we hated to

and trauma for humanitarian workers be it’s not quite so simple. Maybe it’s have to do when the need there was so - Fotolia.com Darren Baker Photo:

34 MONDAY DEVELOPMENTS September 2008 Presence

clearly acute. And we started thinking answers for, as research on “learned about what we could do in the mean- helplessness” suggests that when we time to help support the hundred peo- become mute or frozen for too long in ple who had wanted so much to attend the face of powerlessness, we tend to the workshops. One thing we decided to end up rather hopelessly traumatized. do was offer some free phone consulta- One person talked of the key role her tions to anyone who had registered. An- faith has played in helping anchor her. other was to organize several hour-long “I have found that because I can re- webinars (virtual online trainings) on lease my powerlessness to God there is the topic of resilience in the face of trau- a sense of relief. I feel so for friends who ma. It was one of these webinars I was do not have faith and can only release trundling off to co-facilitate on Monday the powerlessness into anger.” morning at 6am, 5pm Nairobi-time. “Being there is so critical, even if you The session was designed for other don’t know what to say,” someone else mental health professionals, and we said. “Your mere presence is hope. The had several counselors working with fact that you are alive, and walking, kids living in slums in Nairobi – kids and talking, and present – that sends the message that there is life and hope “Your mere presence somewhere, that a different kind of future is possible. Jesus walked among is hope. The fact that the people. We tend to focus only on the miracles that were performed, but you are alive, and he must have spent most of his time walking, and talking, simply walking among the people, and I think that, in itself, brought hope.” and present – that This theme of the power of presence sends the message that is what stuck with me long after we’d wrapped up our discussion. Presence there is life and hope can seem like such a small offering. More than once I’ve sat on a plane my- somewhere, that a self wondering what I can possibly say different kind of future in the workshops I am going to give that will make it worth the time, the is possible.” money, the energy and the risk to get there. But I was reminded again on who have seen and heard awful, aw- Monday of times when the presence ful things in the last four months. “It’s of other people in my life has been an overwhelming to know what violence anchor for me. I might not now be able and poverty can do to children’s lives,” to recall even what they said, but I do one counselor said. “My passion is remember their presence – their lov- about helping advocate for children so ing, caring, understanding presence, they are better served and more pro- and the message that sent that I was tected. So when the political situation not alone. means that stray bullets from the po- This is what the counselors we have lice have killed two of our students, I the privilege of talking to in Kenya are feel powerless.” trying to do for children in the slums We ended up talking a lot on Monday right now. And what we at the Heading- about this issue of feeling overwhelmed ton Institute – imperfectly and across and powerless, and what can anchor many miles and time zones – are trying us in the midst of situations that pro- to do for them. voke those feelings. In the face of vio- This is what makes a 6am start lence, and injustice, and the fragility of worth it: the chance that you might, by life that is so evident when people are showing up and, through the power of regularly being killed on your neigh- presence if nothing else, sow some borhood streets, what do we have to seeds of hope in fields of violence and offer as helpers? What weapons do we despair. MD really have to fight against this feel- Please send questions and comments ing of powerlessness? These are cru- to the author at lmckay@headington- cial questions to find some personal institute.org.

MONDAY DEVELOPMENTS September 2008 35 CAREER Developments

The administrative functions may be basic duties (expense reports, invoicing, and paperwork of all kinds) and, depending Considering a Career on the level of your job, can include project direction, technical advice, coordin ation with donor agency officials, and in Development? publication of project reports. Logistics and Program Coordination: If you are begin- The following is adapted from Development 101, The Develop- ning your international development portfolio these positions ment Executive Group, Development Recruiting, www.devel- may be more suited to you. Logistics can include procure- opmentex.com/development_recruiting/dev101/dev101.jsp ment, finances, supply chain management, office support, among many other assigned duties. re you considering pursuing an international develop- Program Coordination would be those who mostly report ment career or consulting assignment? The following to larger Program Managers. They would help that manager are some valuable tips you may want to consider as coordinate functions, various aspects of the program, even you progress toward your goal. manage a small piece of the overall project. Typically they A would not supervise a staff. Tip 1: Understand the Types of Positions Available Tip 2: Promote Your Skills Professionals often will speak It is common among interna- of their interest in an international development professionals tional development career. But to have multiple CVs or resumés. what they envision is often vague Each version highlights and em- and doesn’t fit with the types of phasizes a different core skill positions available. It’s an over- area to best position you for the simplification, but there are es- wide range of positions available. sentially three types of jobs in As you seek to promote your international development. If you skills, consider the many job op- understand what each entails, it portunities available by carefully will be easier for you to position searching the job listings on sites yourself for a job or assignment. such as [http://careers.interac- Technical Expert: This is what tion.org]. Select only those posi- many professionals think of when tions for which you are truly qual- they envision an international de- ified, and create multiple versions velopment career. A Technical Ex- of your CV that directly address pert is someone with a high level of specific positions. A general CV is expertise in a particular technical much less likely to be successful, field, such as water/sanitation, particularly if you are seeking a public health, food distributions Technical Expert position. & assessments, shelter building, Ours is a rapidly changing in- designing effective livelihood proj- dustry and there are new areas ects, etcetera. of prominence and focus each year; to be best positioned to These positions are generally attached to specific projects promote your skills, it is critical that you remain aware of the funded by governmental donor agencies including the World latest sectors of prominence, funding trends, and activities of Bank, USAID, and WFP. These agencies normally have tight the world’s leading NGOs and companies. restrictions on the qualifications for Technical Experts. It is not uncommon for requirements to include many years of Tip 3: Experience is King experience and an advanced degree, plus particular foreign Hands-on field experience in the relief and development language skills and substantial in-country experience. world makes an enormous difference. No trainings, work- Program Management: If you want to work on interna- shops, or academic knowledge can take the place of real dirt- tional development projects but don’t have all the qualifica- under-your-fingernails kind of job experience. Making an ef- tions to be a Technical Expert, consider a Project Manage- fort to get as much multi-cultural developing nation living ment position. These jobs typically are located either at field and working familiarity is most valuable. The culture and sites or at the local country office. work is so dramatically different than any western position, A program management position entails all aspects of man- most field staff without prior experience can spend up to aging a staff (usually national as well as expatriate) and meet- three months just learning to survive and adapt. That three ing the objectives of the project or program. This includes months is a programmatic loss to the beneficiaries and an MD building relationships with local governments and officials. irretrievable loss of time in the grant arena. Millsap Spencer Photo:

36 MONDAY DEVELOPMENTS September 2008 MONDAY Developments EmploymentOpportunities

Project Manager Program Manager II- Livelihoods & Disaster Eugene, Oregon Risk Reduction Coordinator Mobility International USA (MIUSA) promotes the inclusion of Baltimore, MD people with disabilities as a human rights issue. Project Man- Catholic Relief Services. Provide strategic direction, oversight ager sought with excellent international development, project and leadership to a team of national staff to manage the trans- management, and training skills to manage Building an Inclu- formation of CRS’ IDP Camp Support and Facilitating IDP Returns sive Development Community project. Qualifications; BA/BS. and Reintegration program; focused on IDPs to a broader liveli- MA/MS strongly preferred; 2 yrs field-based exp in international hoods approach that centers on strengthening communities of development; 5 yrs project management exp, passion for em- return, incorporating elements of reducing and mitigating risk powering people with disabilities in international contexts. Send to man-made and natural disasters. For a complete job descrip- cover letter, resume and references to [email protected]. tion and to apply for this position please go to www.crs.org/ Position open until filled. Details online at www.miusa.org. about/careers.

Sr. Director, International Operations Editorial Associate Washington, DC Washington, DC The international development programs office of World Friends of the World Food Program is seeking an Editorial Learning seeks a Sr. Director for International Operations Associate. This position will be Friends’ writer/editor with primary to provide overall strategic and operational leadership for responsibility for developing and managing print and electronic all international development programs in terms of donor communications. Candidate must have a bachelor’s degree in accountability (reporting), finance, internal and external journalism, communications or related field, minimum of two compliance, project initiation/closeout and administration. years’ experience in a journalism or public affairs position with The Sr. Director works in close coordination with the Controller writing and editing responsibilities, familiarity with Associated and CFO to ensure the finance and compliance health of the Press style, and strong computer sk ills. Ideal candidate has international development portfolio. The Sr. Director is a working knowledge of Adobe Photoshop, InDesign and Acrobat member of the senior team and will be involved in setting the Professional, electronic communications and digital photo overall strategic direction and management approach for the file formats, editing and printing. To learn more visit: www. entire international development business unit. The Sr. Director friendsofwfp.org. reports to the SVP for International Development Programs. Qualified candidates will have a Master’s degree in finance, Director of Advocacy accounting or management; min. 17 yrs exp. In relevant positions Washington, DC in management with an international focused organization, Refugees International. In close collaboration with the Vice Presi- ideally from both a home office/field office perspective, 3 yr or dent for Policy and program staff,T he Director of Advocacy is the more living and working overseas highly desirable. Please apply lead campaign strategist for Refugees International to help ensure to [email protected] Complete job description that the agency achieves its overall objectives in its priority goal can be found at www.worldlearning.org areas. The position directly supervises staff focusing on advocacy with the United Nations in New York and with Congress and the Director of Disaster Response administration. A full Job Description is found on the RI website: Seattle, WA www.refugeesinternational.org. Please apply by September 29, World Concern, a recognized and experienced international 2008 to [email protected]. Please put “Director of Advocacy” in Christian disaster response and development organization, is the subject line and include a cover letter, CV, writing sample and seeking a Director of Disaster Response to prepare for, direct and references. Only finalists will be contacted to set interviews. support disaster responses. World Concern responds to natural, man-made and complex emergencies throughout the world. The Director will develop policy and procedures for responding to disasters. In addition to managing responses, the Direc- Job Ad Bundle! tor will provide technical consultation to Regional Directors and Place a job advertisement in develop partnerships with other agencies and donors. Requires Monday Developments and receive BA degree plus 7 years of proven success in international disas- What a deal! ter response management, leading multi-cultural teams, able to design, present and execute strategic plans. Solid successful 25% off record of obtaining large scale funding from USAID, USDOS or an ad on InterAction’s other USG entities. Seattle-based, travel 30% in unstable conditions. Documentation proving legal right to work in the US will Online Job Board be required upon hire. Apply at http://www.worldconcern.org/ NETCOMMUNITY/Page.aspx?&pid=929&srcid=427. Contact Michael Haslett at [email protected]

To advertise, call 202-667-8227 ext 548 or email [email protected] MONDAY DEVELOPMENTS September 2008 37 EmploymentOpportunities

Director, Mickey Leland International Hunger Fellows Program Washington, DC The individual is primarily responsible for directing and managing all aspects of the Mickey Leland International Hunger Fellows Program. In this capacity, s/he oversees program development; host organization selection; fellow recruitment, selection, advis- ing and training; and administration and budget. S/he is also responsible for overseeing the promotion of the program. This individual reports to the Deputy Director, manages the Associate Director, and oversees other program staff. Extensive overseas travel required. Masters Degree and 7 years of program management preferred. Please visit our website at www.hungercenter. org for additional information.

Reviewers CultureGrams, a series of educational reports describing the cul- tures of more than 200 countries, is seeking reviewers on a contract basis. Reviewers receive $100–$300 for providing feedback on the accuracy of an existing report. More than 80 countries are available for review. Professional writing experience is not required. Applicants must speak a national language, be well integrated in the described culture, and have lived in the country for at least 2.5 of the last 4 years. Visit www.culturegrams.com/ submissions/reviewers.htm for more information and an online application.

Senior Financial Officer Silver Spring, MD Medical Care Development International is seeking a Senior Fi- nancial Officer for our office inSilver Spring, Maryland. The Se- nior Financial Officer serves as primary liaison between the In- ternational Division Financial Unit, the corporate office Finance/ Accounting department, and Field Office finance staff.T he position requires 7-10 years experience in a relevant business setting of which five years must be in the management ofUSA ID grants/ contracts and/or multilateral development bank contracts. Ex- perience with the application of technical accounting principles, management of the accounting cycle, and familiarity with OMB 133 audits is a must. A BS in accounting/finance is required. E- mail cover letter and resume to [email protected].

Senior Health Program Officer Silver Spring, MD Medical Care Development International is seeking a Senior Health Program Officer for our office inSilver Spring, Maryland. Senior Health Program Officers lead the Program Support Team for their assigned field programs. Qualified candidates must have a minimum of an MPH (or equivalent) with five to ten years of experience in international health (at least two years in a developing country setting); significant technical capacity in malaria prevention/control and/or in maternal and child health; significant health program management experience under contracts with USAID/World Bank/Global Fund; demonstrated ability to manage the proposal writing process; competency in Microsoft Office Suite; and be fluent in English with capacity in French or Spanish. International travel (10-25% time) is required. E-mail cover letter and resume to [email protected].

38 MONDAY DEVELOPMENTS September 2008 To advertise, call 202-667-8227 ext 548 or email [email protected] To advertise, call 202-667-8227 ext 548 or email [email protected] MONDAY DEVELOPMENTS September 2008 39 40 MONDAY DEVELOPMENTS September 2008 To advertise, call 202-667-8227 ext 548 or email [email protected] To advertise, call 202-667-8227 ext 548 or email [email protected] MONDAY DEVELOPMENTS September 2008 41 “Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius— and a lot of courage—to move in the opposite direction.” —Albert Einstein, at whose suggestion the IRC was founded

PETER RUOT | Education South Sudan

It takes the best to prevail against the worst of crises. To join us, please visit: theIRC.org/Jobs

42 MONDAY DEVELOPMENTS September 2008 To advertise, call 202-667-8227 ext 548 or email [email protected] SKILL AND PASSION AT WORK Current Openings

Reproductive Health Manager Chad

Health Coordinator Chad

Senior Gender Based Violence Program Coordinator Kinshasa, DR Congo

Grants Coordinator Sudan

Chief of Party South Sudan

Deputy Director of Operations South Sudan

To learn more about working with us, please visit theIRC.org/Jobs

To advertise, call 202-667-8227 ext 548 or email [email protected] MONDAY DEVELOPMENTS September 2008 43 1400 16th Street, NW, Suite 210 Washington, DC 20036 Phone: (202) 667-8227 Fax: (202) 667-8236 [email protected] www.interaction.org

InterAction is the largest alliance of U.S.-based international development and humanitarian nongovernmental organizations. With more than 160 members operating in every developing country, we work to overcome poverty, exclusion and suffering by advancing social justice and basic dignity for all.