Tales from the humanitarian frontline

Tales from the humanitarian frontline

Public event

Streamed live online

Chair:

Mary Harper - Africa Editor, BBC World Service News

Speakers:

Sara Pantuliano - Director, Humanitarian Policy Group, ODI

Charlie Gammell - Pashto/Dari interpreter, ICRC (2009-2013)

El Khidir Daloum MBE - International development and humanitarian aid worker

Katy Attfield - Head of Disaster Management, British Red Cross

Description

Humanitarian aid work can be immensely rewarding. At its best, the job involves the thrill of global travel and the satisfaction of putting one’s principles into practice. But being an aid worker can also be challenging. At worst, it’s a frustrating and dangerous line of work, which puts undue strain on the personal lives of those who choose a career in the field.

So why do hundreds of thousands of humanitarian aid workers keep doing it?

To mark World Humanitarian Day, this event will explore the motivations of humanitarian aid workers from a range of different backgrounds and organisations. Join us to hear from experienced practitioners as they reflect on their careers, reveal how and why they got involved and share their perspectives on the changing landscape of humanitarian aid.

The event will precede the second National Memorial for Humanitarian Aid Workers, to be held at Westminster Abbey at 5 pm.

Ahead of the event, we are asking aid workers to tell us their stories of why they embarked on a humanitarian career; share your #aidstories with us on Twitter or email them to hpgadmin@odi.org.