Must-Read Posts

If you're interested humanitarianism, aid, development, Africa, etc., the following posts are must-reads:

Tolerance (Tales from the Hood)

The anonymous but widely respected blogger at Tales from the Hood, known only as J., writes about the difference between aid workers being tolerated by locals and actually being accepted and appreciated. He says, accurately, that Westerners in developing countries shouldn’t assume locals actually want us there.

Humanitarian Aid 101 (Tales from the Hood)

J. gives us ten basic facts about humanitarian aid.

Dear Students: Motivation (Tales from the Hood)

In this post aimed at students, J. writes candidly about aid workers’ motivations. Too many volunteers and aid workers refuse to recognize that many of their motivations are entirely self-interested – it’s not all about helping other people and making the world a better place. People don’t just want to do good – they want to be recognized for doing good.

Dear Students: Sacrifice (Tales from the Hood)

In his second post for students, J. discusses the dangers of viewing volunteer and aid work as making a sacrifice. Seeing the choice to pursue this line of work as a sacrifice is self-righteous and exacerbates the already unequal power balance between Westerners and locals. Working in a developing country isn’t making a sacrifice – it’s making a choice. And, for most of us, we’re gaining more than we’re giving up – we’re getting adventure, work experience, learning opportunities, résumé builders, and the chance to live the kind of life we decided we wanted to live.

Confronting the Demons of Ethnocentrism (Tales from the Hood)

This much older post from J. can pretty much be summed up in this (very accurate) quote: “At some point you will encounter another culture that drives you crazy, and it will not be pretty.”

10 Things I Kind of Believe about Conflict and Governance (Chris Blattman)

The study of conflict, politics, and development in poor countries is extremely murky, with very few absolute truths. Thus, Yale University political scientist & economist Chris Blattman has compiled a list of ten things he thinks he believes.

Should Student Researchers Go to Conflict Zones? (Chris Blattman)

This one’s not exactly about aid, but much of Blattman’s advice is relevant to all types of volunteers and aid workers. The bottom line: go to every possible length to ensure that you are actually beneficial (or at least not hazardous).