ABSTRACT
Drawing on her own experiences in the sector, the author explores the emotional labour required of aid work and why there is so much resistance to discussing mental health in the workplace. Reflecting on the often-cited survey by The Guardian of mental health problems in the aid sector, the author argues that there are reasons as to why it is usually white expatriates speaking about these issues. Using examples from her research, the author suggests that many aid workers fear that their jobs will be on the line if they suggest they are struggling. This fear is magnified among national staff who work in contexts of high unemployment, and whose contracts are frequently more precarious and with fewer opportunities for career progression than their expatriate counterparts. Unsympathetic management, as demonstrated through some of the stories presented in this chapter, results in further silencing, as well as a failure in duty of care. The author also suggests that part of the problem is the tendency to collapse mental health and wellbeing within the story of the dominant white culture, which can ignore the very different, day-to-day realities of hardship and violence experienced by many national staff working in their own countries. These realities need far greater attention if aid organisations are to respond effectively to problems of stress and trauma within the sector.
