Five learnings from my ~five years at the International Rescue Committee, as I transition from the humanitarian sector to a new role in the corporate sector.
1. We need more innovative, results-oriented programming/solutions. The IRC has some effective solutions and has implemented them in difficult, war-torn contexts. But it is overwhelming to understand and witness all the other problems that no one has solved and existing solutions that have not been implemented. Sitting with the reality that in 2023 we still struggle to bring aid to certain conflict zones and reverse damage from (and prevent) climate change is infuriating.
2. Most INGOs (international non-governmental organizations) put their money where their mouth is. I saw with my own eyes in Mexico and on the Kenya-Somalia border, as well as through colleagues I worked with in East and West Africa, Europe, Asia and Central America that the IRC is doing exactly what it’s telling people it’s doing, alongside most other INGOs you’re familiar with. The IRC absolutely has unique expertise, as do others, but ultimately most INGOs are working towards similar goals and generally working well together.
3. Forgotten crises are even more forgotten than I realized. Journalists, the media, people and companies with large platforms, and governments can and should do more to bring these crises to light. I urge you to consider what else you could be doing. Maybe it’s reading a book on the historial context of a crisis, bringing up atrocities in conversation, urging your local or national outlet to consider forgotten coverage, calling your representatives, or donating.
4. Giving Flexible, Unrestricted funding to large INGOs matters — and often makes a much bigger difference than giving restricted aid. Unrestricted funding means that INGOs can choose how to use your donation, relying on decades — for the IRC, almost a century -- of expertise on where and when money can be best utilized. A great example of the importance of unrestricted funding is donations from the Ukraine war. While rightfully so a ton of attention and money was funneled to Ukraine at the start of the war, unfortunately a sad byproduct of that galvanization was that the world’s forgotten crises were forgotten even more. Many people restricted their donations to Ukraine and therefore critical money could not go to historically under-funded crises, like the DRC, Sudan or the Rohingya crisis. Please consider the enormous impact you can have by elevating and funding forgotten crises via unrestricted funding.
5. Secondary trauma is real. Anyone who is working on addressing other people’s trauma — in whatever way that looks — is at risk of being traumatized themselves. With that comes a lot of symptoms, like burnout and emotional distancing. Seeing a counselor regularly to get ahead of my symptoms was crucial (and lifesaving for some).
What are you learning at your job/industry, or as you transition jobs/industries? I’d love to hear!
Chief Operations Officer at Glasgow Caring City/Caring City Network.
1moSuperb work everyone. Taylor, the sector was crying out for fresh energy and leadership for many years. You've brought that in abundance! Well done.