Voices from the field: optimising performance for humanitarian workers

Overview

Humanitarians find themselves working and living day-by-day in a physically and psychologically demanding and politically complex environment. As there are very limited training mechanisms, each humanitarian is often making their own way through the field, learning from their own mistakes and successes. This practical note highlights some of the innovative (and sometimes unusual) practices that humanitarians have devised to overcome the old and modern challenges of working in the humanitarian field. The note aims to demonstrate that a humanitarian’s unique, individual practices can be combined to fit together within a larger framework maximising work effectiveness and personal satisfaction.