Struggling to find a position that wouldn’t require so much travel, Lora Grozeva left the global development sector after 13 years and became a police officer. For Nate Rabe, who began his career with the UN Refugee Agency, or UNHCR, in 1988, it was a mix of wanting to spend more time with his family and a questioning of his place in the sector as “an elderly white man” that drove him to step away.
They’re not alone. Every year, there are global development and aid development workers choose to transition away and there are a myriad of reasons driving that personal decision.
“Most people, I would say, working in the sector, are stuck,” said Deborah Doane, who previously held roles with the International Committee of the Red Cross and the World Wildlife Fund and is the author of The INGO Problem. She explained what used to be quiet conversations behind closed doors about the inequity in the sector are now happening openly.