Author Archives: Alessandra Pigni
Aid workers’ mental health: shouting into the wind
At times I kind of feel like I’ve been shouting into the wind over the past five years: who cares about aid workers’ mental health? How presumptuous of me to try and get beyond a nice conversation with aid agencies on … Continue reading
Aid workers: from posttraumatic stress to posttraumatic growth
How trauma and difficulties can become the springboard to personal transformation: from posttraumatic stress to posttraumatic growth I will spare you an opening quote on the virtues of suffering, I’m not inclined to think that adversities are a blessing. No. Yet, … Continue reading
Posted in Burnout
Tagged aid workers' mental health
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Aid work is not a survival contest
In a recent article published by People in Aid, Scott Breslin argues that grit, and not just resilience, is a key component for aid workers. Grit is defined “as perseverance and passion for long-term goals. Grit entails working strenuously toward challenges, maintaining effort and … Continue reading
Disruptive reflections from 2014
My favourite reflections of 2014 – not all about humanitarian stuff, or mindfulness, or burnout. Because to think and act outside the box we need to read outside the box. We are lucky, it’s really not unusual in the humanitarian sector to … Continue reading
Addicted to war?
When life back home becomes unfamiliar I recently watched the film A Thousand Times Good Night, the story of a war photographer torn between the passion for her work, and the love for her family. Following a traumatic assignment in Afghanistan, … Continue reading
A holiday is not the cure for burnout
Burnout is real, but misunderstood Former Google exec and Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer has a point when she says that burnout prevention has little to do with work-life balance (“getting three square meals or eight hours of sleep”) and more to do … Continue reading
A quick guide to getting out of aid work
By Alessandra Pigni and Janet Gunter Over time I’ve come across two groups of people in aid: those who desperately want to get into aid work and those who want to – equally desperately – get out of aid work. … Continue reading
When humanitarians cry
From the comfort of our blogs sometimes it’s easy to criticise humanitarian organisations: they often come across as neo-colonial, with hierarchical and bureaucratic structures, they tend to suffer from a “macho culture syndrome” and when it comes to staff care…well … Continue reading
How to overcome “humanitarian” burnout
Burnout is a serious problem among frontline professionals, nevertheless it is often misunderstood and its impact minimized. What causes burnout? How does it differ from PTSD? I discussed these issues with WhyDev and Devex, below are the links to the … Continue reading
Humanitarian aid worker, aid thyself
Guest contribution by Allison Smith and Brendan Rigby, on a new aid worker support initiative by WhyDev Aid workers tend to suffer higher-than-normal rates of depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, burnout and anxiety. Members of the humanitarian community are well aware that getting drunk while out … Continue reading
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Tagged aid workers' wellbeing, guest posts
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