Managing Stress in Humanitarian Aid Workers - Guidelines for Good Practice.pdf
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Introduction
Humanitarian aid given through non-governmental
organizations all over the world has developed from small-scale
aid through private initiatives, missionaries, charities, communities
and foundations to institutionalised organizations and bodies.
Though more professional, better equipped and prepared, the
humanitarian organizations today are much more affected by
the changing consequences of their work e.g. direct exposure
to misery, magnitude of numbers of affected people of humanitarian
crises, deteriorating safety and security context and limited
available resources.
Good staff care and psychosocial care
for aid workers has proven to be an important asset in stress
management, prevention and treatment of traumatic and posttraumatic
stress. Though the awareness on these issues exists in most
organizations, adequate care systems for national and international
staff are often undeveloped and lack attention and resources.
Having worked for and with national and international humanitarian
agencies worldwide, the Antares Foundation has experienced
the need and willingness to address stress on all levels in
many organizations.
Requests for information, tools and
instruments have led to the development of these Guidelines
The
Antares Foundation and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC)
In 2001 the Antares Foundation and the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, USA jointly
organized a first conference on ‘Stress and the Humanitarian
Aid Workers' in Amsterdam. Fieldworkers, NGO managers, health
professionals from all over the world came together, discussing
various aspects on staff care, including psycho social care.
This conference resulted in a long term project, financed by
CDC, with the objective to mitigate stress within humanitarian
organizations. This will be achieved through raising awareness,
working on Guidelines for Good Practice, Development of a tool
for NGOs to implement stress management in their organizations,
and on an international longitudinal study on stress in humanitarian
aid workers.
In this unique cooperation, practical experience
and theoretical knowledge are combined and networks from research
institutes, NGOs and health specialists are brought together,
and are working towards an integrated approach for mitigating
stress in the humanitarian aid workers.
Objective
The objective of the Guidelines for Good
Practice is to facilitate the NGOs in defining their own needs
in their organization. This will be different for every NGO,
whether national or international, big or small. However, the
principles should be universal, the implementation and indicators
will depend on the context and culture of the organization.
The guidelines are meant as an orientation for organizations
who are interested to build up their own staff care system.
This
first draft is not meant to be prescriptive. It has been developed
by national and international NGO workers and health specialists.
We welcome you to provide us with comments, your feedback on
feasibility, and your ideas and experiences with staff support.
A second edition of the Guidelines is due out shortly (2nd
half of 2006).
Process and progress
This first draft was a result of three years
work of the working group. The initial principles were developed
in a three day meeting in Amsterdam in 2003 by the core working
group. The research working group contributed with valuable
comments during all those years. Participants of conferences
gave their opinion and feedback from national and international
field managers was gathered during meetings in Jerusalem, Melbourne
and Tuzla, Bosnia.
The Code of Conduct of People in Aid has
been a starting point. We fully embrace and acknowledge the
Code and feel that these Guidelines are complementary to
the Code.
Next steps
The Antares Foundation has organized workshops, combining stress
management training with gathering feedback on the feasibility
of these guidelines in 2005- 2006. These workshops have taken
place in the field in various countries and the participants
have been managers of NGOs. Through our network of specialist
we have also actively sought feedback and comments. In September
2006 a second draft will be presented in a new working document.
We look forward to your experiences and ideas emulating from
this second draft.
Free copies of this first draft ‘Managing
Stress in Humanitarian Workers - Guidelines for Good Practice'
can be obtained from the Antares Foundation. Write to antares@antaresfoundation.org.au
NGOs
and other interested organizations or institutes may reproduce
this material for their own use only. For any other use prior
written permission from the Antares Foundation is needed.
A
summary VISUAL REPRESENTATION of the key Principles of the
Guidelines is also available in poster format (in 3 sizes – wall
size, medium (A3 size) and A4 sized) and can be purchased from
the Foundation. Contact antares@antaresfoundation.org.au
Please
send all feedback, questions and enquiries to:
Antares Foundation
W.G. Plein 269
1054 se Amsterdam
The Netherlands
tel: + 31 20 3308340
fax: + 31 20 4221320
e-mail: antares@antaresfoundation.org
www.antaresfoundation.org
