If it's not for you - it's ok to get out

I have a couple of posts about how to get into aid work. I've been invited to speak on a couple of occasions to university students and to young people about aid work.  Most of the questions are about how to break in.

I usually try to stay pretty positive, but realistic – not mincing words about how much you may need to schlep before you “break in”. I have warned people looking at this field of work of the difficulties they may face – namely that the work may not be for the a) faint of heart or b) easily annoyed. I had not thought – however- to tell people that it is ok to quit. And more importantly, that it will not ruin your career. The message is important, and not one I’d thought sharing before.

Alanna Shaikh at Blood and Milk wrote a post on quitting the Peace Corps back in November.  I had wanted to post this for a while. It think it is an extremely important message – not just for Peace Corps volunteers, but anyone heading off on a longer term volunteer/internship program that really would like to take on a career in humanitarian aid and development. In Canada this could be CUSO VSO or the International Youth Internship Program which comparably throws you out of your comfort zone. The position could be wrong for you. You may feel isolated, lonely, homesick or worse, unsafe. There are a number of reasons why this particular position may not be the right fit - it doesn't mean that your not cut out for aid and/or development work. 

I wish someone had said this to me. I had an internship where the head of the office was verbally abusive to all staff, and physically abusive to some. There were times where I actually thought I was in physical danger. Colleagues were physically ill with stress when he was in the office. But I did not think I could quit because I worried that I would not have another shot at an international internship or job. So I stuck it out and eventually was moved. I know now that I likely could have jumped ship and started over. I may have taken a different path, but I could still have worked in the same field.

So I have taken note. I’m sharing the post. And in the future I will be sure to mention that it is ok to quit. 

Iraqi men give advice to Libyans (also presumably men)

I was a little peeved by this article by Michael Schmidt in the NYT's on advice Iraqis could give to Libyans post "Liberation".

I though the premise was ok, interesting even. The situations are not that similar, but enough so for journalists to make comparisons. But I was extremely disappointed to read that the viewpoints solicited were only from men.

I worked in Iraq for a while. I can think of a few women there that would have some sound advice for Libyans, particularly concerning the erosion of women's rights and the rights of minorities. Are the viewpoints of men the only voices that count? And the Libyans receiving this advice – are they also only men?

There is a paucity of women present in the rebel movement to topple the Ghaddafi regime. I think there is one in the transitional council (responsible for legal AND women's affairs). The violence has taken focus away from the fact that after Ghaddafi, freedom – or liberation as the article puts it - may only exist for men in Libya. Unlike in Egypt where the participation of women in the revolution was lauded, and the exclusion of women from decision making decried, we are extremely silent on what the Libyan revolution means for half the population of the country. There are a few accounts of females fighting or on life at the home front but much of the media coverage only shows men.

I would be extremely interested to see an article showing the views and suggestions of various members of the population, including women, but also of different ages, backgrounds and locations. Iraqis have a lot of advice to share about experiments in statebuilding - male and female.