Tag Archives: aid workers’ mental health
Aid to Zen: J/K – Jaded and Kind
This post is part of Aid to Zen – A Quick Guide to Surviving Aid Work from A to Z by Alessandra Pigni *** In yoga there are poses and counter poses that are designed to work together. We move our … Continue reading
Aid to Zen: I – Isolation
This post is part of Aid to Zen – A Quick Guide to Surviving Aid Work from A to Z by Alessandra Pigni. *** Isolation is one of the words that comes to mind when I think about being an aid worker. It’s … Continue reading
Aid to Zen: H – Home
This post is part of Aid to Zen – A Quick Guide to Surviving Aid Work from A to Z by Alessandra Pigni. *** “I never experienced ‘culture shock’ as an expatriate worker, but certainly experienced ‘reverse culture shock’ in attempting to re-integrate … Continue reading
An aid worker’s life
“I have finally made it in the industry, and I find myself thinking about what it would be like to be home. I drive in UN vehicles, I work with the poorest in the world and my friends and family … Continue reading
Posted in Burnout, Letters to the field
Tagged aid workers' mental health, aid workers' wellbeing
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Aid to Zen: G – Good Intentions
This post is part of Aid to Zen – A Quick Guide to Surviving Aid Work from A to Z by Alessandra Pigni. *** “The power to help is just about as dangerous as hard power” – Binyavanga Wainaina Those who are fairly new … Continue reading
Posted in Aid to Zen
Tagged aid workers' mental health, aid workers' wellbeing, humanitarian ethics
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Aid to Zen: F – (The) field
This post is part of Aid to Zen – A Quick Guide to Surviving Aid Work from A to Z by Alessandra Pigni. Much has been written about the myth of the field and fieldwork. There are countless memoirs about life in the field with … Continue reading
Staff care beyond the World Humanitarian Summit
I followed the World Humanitarian Summit online. I often got bored and missed key events such as the screening of Sean Penn’s new aid romance (or drama, whatever it was, it was booed at Canned and screened at the WHS, … Continue reading
Aid to Zen: E – Empathy
This post is part of Aid to Zen – A Quick Guide to Surviving Aid Work from A to Z by Alessandra Pigni. *** Dear all, Apologies for having gone quiet for a bit. The last few months have been unpredictable as … Continue reading
Aid to Zen: D – Dignity
This post is part of Aid to Zen – A Quick Guide to Surviving Aid Work from A to Z by Alessandra Pigni. *** We may not think of dignity as an issue of mental health, but it has a lot … Continue reading
Posted in Aid to Zen
Tagged aid workers' mental health, aid workers' wellbeing, humanitarian ethics
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Aid to Zen: C – Counselling
Note to the readers: Counselling is probably a kind of western thing and it’s certainly not the only way to make it through a personal and/or professional crisis, so take what’s useful and forget the rest. The point is: we … Continue reading