RELATIONS WITH THE ORGANIZATION

The “humanitarian world” has become a big industry where many organizations struggle to get funds and are organized in the same way than profit companies. To maximize the performance of the expatriate is one of the goals (especially when headquarters are full of HR staff, "new business development officer" and multiple advisors and coordinators whose jobs depend in part on the work of others). To do that, the NGOs usually have no problem to take advantage of the good will of the expatriate (especially in the first missions). Field positions in many NGOs receive salaries under 1000 euros (what means in the case of health professionals, 1/3 or less than the pays in their home countries) and this is justified to spend the majority of the budget in the beneficiaries of the projects. Organizations, anyway, have to abide by the law of their countries when they draw a contract. As the labour laws are usually created to protect the employees, NGOs have to use different tricks to justify these low salaries to workers normally with high qualifications (eg: using contracts under special conditions, as the so-called “Volontaire” in France, that allow the employer not to pay unemployment benefits to the expat or choosing salary scales in the contract that apply to non-qualified workers)
Organizations try to save money in other different ways. One well known NGO decided to cancel the evacuation insurance from the policy of the expats during the last holidays that they sometimes took after leaving the field and before returning home (still under contract). The rationale was that the benefactors could not cover that (apparently the mental health of the expats and the risks that they had took during their mission did not matter...). In case of being fired –it happens...-, NGOs have no problem to use the law in its own benefit. The fact that your work place is a refugee camp in Africa, in the middle of nowhere is not going to make a difference

As a general recommendation, remember:

1.- “You are not going to save the world”. You are just part of a coordinated effort that is trying to improve the health of communities affected by multiple problems. If you want to be effective, think also in your own mental and physical health and fin the way to make your work sustainable
2.- Be aware of your human (and legal rights) when working in the field and how your organization is limiting them. Some NGOs use security issues to justify almost everything even in contexts quite stable. Try to get the security policy in your project before signing the contract and think if you can assume that
3.- In case of renewal of your contract while still in the field, ask for something in exchange (eg: courses in Europe related to your area. Many organizations have this option, but how they decide who goes is quite fishy). For the organization, to have someone experienced in your position is an asset and you are saving them time and money
4.- If for some reason you decide to leave the field before the end of your contract, try to inform your organization ASAP (if not specified in the contract, one month can be reasonable). They can not force you to stay and the only “punishment” for you can be to pay the return ticket. As a general recommendation, keep your own passport instead of handing over the organization
5.- Be responsible with your work, but do not forget your real situation (if you are paid less than 1000 euros to provide medical care in overloaded and stressful settings, do no feel guilty if you have to refuse to work 24/24...)