There is little sugarcoating the wholesale dismantling that the aid sector — and thus everyone who works in it — is experiencing at the moment. USAID has been practically wiped out, tens of thousands of people are losing their jobs, and millions around the world are at risk of losing lifesaving assistance.
“This is disruption at a scale that’s unprecedented for most of us in our working careers,” said Danny Sriskandarajah, CEO of the New Economists Foundation. “We believe in international solidarity, for example, which is why many of us got into development. We believe in justice, we believe in sustainability — and it’s those very things that we stand for that seem to be sort of being hacked away and vandalized.”
While it may seem overwhelming, there are still many things within your control — and that includes learning how to transfer your skills to a new job or brand new sector, said Sriskandarajah and other development leaders at a recent Devex career event on what to do if you’ve lost your NGO job.
About the author
Anna Gawel
Anna Gawel is the Managing Editor of Devex. She previously worked as the managing editor of The Washington Diplomat, the flagship publication of D.C.’s diplomatic community. She’s had hundreds of articles published on world affairs, U.S. foreign policy, politics, security, trade, travel and the arts on topics ranging from the impact of State Department budget cuts to Caribbean efforts to fight climate change. She was also a broadcast producer and digital editor at WTOP News and host of the Global 360 podcast. She holds a journalism degree from the University of Maryland in College Park.
