Many people imagine humanitarian aid work to be leisurely excursions to beautiful foreign places, untouched by industrialization and thus possessing some mystical quality of “the wild” which we lack in developed countries. The reality is far from this fantastical image—aid work can be extremely dangerous. This fact attracts some, and repels others. Aid work is certainly not for the weak of heart or the easily scared. Here are a few stories to caution those who might not be considering the true gravity of humanitarian crises:
Polio vaccinators in countries like Pakistan and Nigeria have been murdered, for various reasons. Some suffered as a result of the tactics by which the United States assassinated Osama Bin Laden—the CIA had obtained information from a spy posing as an aid worker, thus focusing the ire of those loyal to al-Qaeda upon humanitarian workers. Others, like the Nigerian women who were shot by motorcycle gunmen, face opposition from radical Muslim clerics who are opposed to polio vaccines, for unfounded fears that they may cause infertility.
Aid workers in Somalia are regularly injured or killed as a result of the constantly chaotic political atmosphere in the area. The lack of a strong, stable government for over 20 years has left Somalia with a worldwide association for violence, piracy, and lawlessness. Workers have to avoid careless attacks by government forces and rebels loyal to al-Shabab alike. At least two humanitarian workers of Turkish origin were killed just over a month ago when multiple blasts rocked the country’s capital, Mogadishu.
The World Food Program’s (WFP) supply lines to Syrian cities have been drastically reduced to the point where there are over one million people who need food but are not getting it. One of the major reasons why these lines have been cut is because the WFP has had to pull workers out of Syria due to threats to their security. Syrian rebels have kidnapped United Nations peacekeepers, and aid workers have been dying at the rate of roughly one every six weeks.
Worldwide, an aid worker has died just about every other day in the last year. Facing threats of kidnapping, injury, and death are not easy, and not everyone is cut out to work in these environments. However, for those who are able, aid work is one of the most rewarding experiences one can possible have. Being able to provide hands-on assistance in the most chaotic circumstances and helping those who truly need it the most is a reward in and of itself. But the risks associated with such a reward should not be taken lightly.
— Jake Simon
Sources: NPR, BBC, Midnimo, Pacific Standard
Photo: Pressroom