What's it like to be a woman humanitarian working in the field?

Humanitarians face a multitude of safety and security risks while on deployment, but women can face specific challenges — from leading teams in male-dominated environments to dealing with menstruation in remote areas without proper provision to the threat of sexual violence. Sarah Robinson, who spent nearly five years working for MedAir, including as a project coordinator in South Sudan, and Maria Ferrante, a protection officer at the UN Refugee Agency, describe what life in the field is like and offer advice for overcoming everyday challenges. Being in the field The conditions are far from comfortable but it’s fulfilling work, Robinson said, who led a team of 45 that traveled around South Sudan working on health, nutrition, water and sanitation, and emergency shelter. They often had just a few days to respond to an alert before they were on the ground so, while they did all they could to assess the situation, at times it could be a “bit of a black hole.” It’s vital, therefore, to have strong relationships with local organizations and be able to collaborate with them, she said. Where there is an NGO already on the ground, Robinson’s team shared the NGO’s compound. Often, though, they camped out. Each person carried with them a tent, sleeping bag, mosquito net, and solar lamp. They set up their one-man tent, helped dig a latrine, and constructed a small shower area, she explained. Drinking water was flown in where it was not available but the team might have also spent hours walking to assess boreholes in the region. Despite the aches and pains of sleeping on an inflatable mattress for months on end — and the unpleasant latrine smells, Robinson loved being in the field where there were fewer distractions from work and where she could connect with her team. The lack of toilet facilities can make things difficult for women, though, especially during menstruation, Ferrante explained. Whether you are staying in a military base or camping out, having to make trips to a latrine in the middle of the night can be dangerous. Robinson agreed that it does make things tough and requires extra preparation. You can be walking all day with no access to any type of latrine, or at night, there can be no electricity and snakes around, which makes it tricky to leave the tent, she explained. It’s a huge inconvenience but she tried to focus instead on the positive work her team was doing. Dealing with attitudes toward women Having worked for over a decade in humanitarian response in places such as Iraq, Sudan, South Sudan, Honduras, and Bangladesh, Ferrante has often been in the “deep field” and in regions destabilized by conflict. As a woman entering these situations, it can really make a difference to know in advance who is going to be on your team, if you are going to be working with military personnel, and if the region is under official forces or opposition rule, she advised. You also want to know a little about the habits of local communities, how they perceive women in general, and how they perceive foreign women and humanitarians in particular. Unfortunately, sexual violence and assault against women happens much more frequently than is reported, Ferrante said, and harassment is something that women can encounter on a daily basis. But you can’t spend your days feeling angry and unsafe, she added. You have to adapt and be mindful of your behavior and response. In South Sudan, Robinson said there was always a high risk of violence toward humanitarian staff. This affected men too, but traditional views on the role of women meant that they were more at risk. “When they [women] are leading the team or hiring people and basically telling men what to do … there is resistance in some cases and it can cause risk,” she explained. Making use of local expertise Ferrante has noticed that she is often the only woman on field operations, or that any other women there tend to be younger and less experienced. It’s a failure of the sector and there is a high rate of “drop out,” she said. A lot of women are passionate about this type of work but get stuck at junior or mid-level positions, while those women who are in more senior leadership roles tend to be based in the country office, she explained. The majority of Robinson’s team were also men and of the seven women, four were country nationals. Despite the challenges, these women were rockstars and “just get stuck in and get the job done,” she said. Robinson relied heavily on the knowledge of these national staff before and during deployment. “They have been doing this a long time, it’s their country,” she explained, “and I seek their advice in many of my decisions because they know so much more than I do.” Ferrante agreed that, once that trust has been built, national staff can be a great source of support in keeping each other safe. Local drivers, for example, can be particularly helpful at checkpoint negotiations and in getting you out of potentially nasty situations. Ferrante often has to make long trips accompanied by just a local driver so she has learned to observe behaviors and trust her instincts when it comes to selecting people to work with. Whether it’s a driver, interpreter or another team member, if you are not totally comfortable with an individual then make your case as a team lead who knows what is best for the mission, she advised. Avoiding burnout and boredom For everyone, wellness and self-care are hugely important aspects of surviving in the field and shouldn’t be overlooked, Ferrante said, who says that with experience she has become more aware of the risk of burnout and mental health issues. It’s something that humans have to learn but this “self-awareness is key because otherwise you will not know where your limits are ... and when is the time not to push those limits,” she said. Always take your holidays and time for rest and relaxation, and try to find beauty whether it’s in the nature around you, in music, or by calling a family member back home, she advised. This is something Ferrante has found to help a lot when things get really tough. Boredom at night can also be a problem. Confined to the base and with no electricity, people tend to just go back to their tents after dinner so Robinson always had plenty of books on her Kindle to keep her busy. Other times though, the team would sit around the fire and got to know each other with stories of South Sudan and their families, she said.