Its been marked every Aug 19 since 2009....started by UN Secretary General Ban Ki- Moon, and in his own words, its an..."annual reminder of the need to act to alleviate the suffering. It is also an occasion to honour the humanitarian workers and volunteers toiling on the frontlines of crises. I pay tribute to these dedicated women and men who brave danger to help others at far greater risk."
http://www.unocha.org/whd2016
So who is a humanitarian? one definition is that its a person actively engaged in promoting human welfare and social reforms; a missionary of sorts, they leave comfort of where they grew up decide to go to another place to help out
What could be their motivation?? for some its the profound need to ensure everyone gets justice, for some (if religiously inclined) its the innate need to extend Gods mercy and kindness to others, and for others it could be,well, more personal - the need for adventure, career progression and of course money.
Never mind their motivation, they find themselves in unfamiliar territory, hopefully since they are different, they can be impartial and ensure what needs to be done is done without prejudice.
However, aid work can be romantisized...to appear charming and that one sails through this with the gratification of having helped someone in need....I doubt this is the case....aid work, is HARD, very HARD. The challenges aid workers face are immense...I have heard several accounts of their experiences and you are tempted to ask the (insensitive) question - but why do you bother?? so you don't ask...you try and sympathise.....but it doesnt make so much sense to you...BUT they carry on doing what they do....there are many blogs about that
https://www.odi.org/comment/9795-life-humanitarian-frontlines-challenge-staying-course
http://www.redr.org.uk/en/News/aid-worker-stories.cfm
http://www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2016/08/17/490383488/aid-workers-provide-harrowing-account-of-being-attacked-in-south-sudan
BUT, I choose today to still celebrate those that, despite these challenges, and regardless of their motivation, choose to do this work.
Hats off to you.
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