Aid workers are on the front line of disasters. They are the first responders who get deployed to some of the most inhospitable places on Earth. They are usually greeted by horrifying scenes, desperate people and the lack of essential services.
With modern-day emergencies becoming more complex and the working environment more dangerous, the toll on aid workers can be enormous. But this issue gets scant attention.
Indeed, a survey by the Guardian reveals what many of us in the development sector have long suspected: that an overwhelming proportion of aid workers suffer from mental health problems and little is being done to help them.
What's astonishing is that almost 80% of respondents from the Global Development Professional Network said they had experienced some sort of mental health issue, with almost half declaring they had been diagnosed with depression. Previous research has indicated that 30% of those deployed on field assignments report symptoms of PTSD after returning home.
These findings should trigger alarm bells in the aid community, especially among leaders and donors. Stronger support, more resources and better access to treatment are needed. Understandably, aid agencies have to make tough decisions on where to allocate funding.
"NGOs struggle with making psychosocial support more than a tick-box exercise," said an aid worker in an anonymous posting.
Former U.N. emergency coordinator Valerie Amos said the humanitarian system is overstretched and that many aid workers are being forced to stay in the field far too long due to regional insecurity or political deadlock.