Humanitarian Aid and Relief Field Guide

Overview

Humanitarian relief is an extraordinarily complex subject. There are organizations that are in the field every day saving current or at-risk hungry people, diseased people, war victims, and/or the uneducated masses. Where there is poverty, hunger, disease, AIDS, drug and alcohol abuse, epidemics, war and natural disasters, the world needs people who care, want to make a difference, and want to help the sick, handicapped, poor, battered and needy. There are always new issues in public health and challenges to overcoming poverty and disease. Those wishing to enter this field should feel a strong dedication to change the world to make it a better place to live and a desire to serve others by doing good works. These are the people who become experts in helping desperately poor people in underdeveloped countries find permanent solutions to hunger and poverty, as well as helping domestically when disaster occurs.

Career Opportunities

There are close to a million non-profit, state and federal government agencies, and organizations locally and internationally, who minister to the needy. There are positions for administrators, fundraisers, grant writers, program organizers, teachers, researchers, policy analysts and others. Candidates must demonstrate business acumen, personal diplomacy and basic toughness.

Types of Jobs

Educators
Financial analysts
Researchers
Human rights monitors
Monitoring and evaluation auditors
Communications/PR
Program officer or manager
Consultant

Qualifications + Skills

Excellent written and oral communication skills
Analytical thinking
Grassroots organizing
Cross-cultural skills
Knowledge of another language
Creativity and ability to do a lot with few resources
Working well with others

PRO TIP: It is difficult to find a humanitarian job with no experience. Use your time at Maxwell to volunteer, intern abroad, and develop in depth expertise in a specific area of development. Consider volunteering during breaks or vacations to build necessary skills and connections to people in the field.

Sample Employers

Adventist Development and Relief Agency International
Africare
Alpha Omega Foundation
American Red Cross
AmeriCares
Amy Biehl Foundation
Association François-Xavier Bagnoud (FXB)
Brotherhood of Blessed Gérard
CARE (Cooperative for American Relief Everywhere)
Center for Humanitarian Outreach and Intercultural Exchange (CHOICE)
Church World Service
Cross-Cultural Solutions
Dakshinayan Foundation
Direct Relief International
Eugene Bell Centennial Foundation
Global Development Center
Global Volunteer Network
Goodwill Industries of America
Healing Hands International, Inc.
Himalayan HealthCare, Inc.
Global Village Foundation
InterAction
International Medical Corps (IMC)
Program for Appropriate Technology in Health (PATH)
Peace Corps
Project Contact
Project HOPE
SatelLife
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
United Way
U.S.-Latin American Medical Aid Foundation (MedAid)
USAID
Volunteers for International Development and Aid (VIDA)
Volunteers of America

Sample Maxwell Classes

Language, Culture and Society
Women, War and Peace
Environmental Policy in a Development Context
Development and Sustainability
Theories of Development
Food Security
Culture in World Affairs
UN Organizations: Managing for Change
Culture in World Affairs
Governance and Global Civil Society
Development Assistance: Policy, Theory and Practice
Fundamentals in Post-Conflict Reconstruction
Social Policy: Financing the Poor
Non-State Actors in World Affairs

Resources

Global Corps
InterAction
International Jobs Center
ReliefWeb

Related Career Guides

Human Rights and Social Justice
United Nations
International Development