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Leadership
How to Be a Better Helper in the World and Your Community
Advice from a humanitarian leader on how to make effective and important change.
Posted March 1, 2021
Paying attention to the news and all the natural and manmade disasters happening in the world can get pretty discouraging. How can we as helpers, whether as humanitarian workers or in another context, make effective and lasting change? In this interview, Sarah Petrin shares from her experience on how we can be better helpers in the field and in our everyday lives.
Sarah Dawn Petrin is a humanitarian and an educator from Maine. Born in an African village during a season of drought, Sarah has helped refugees since she was 15 years old. From responding to an active shooter in the Capitol of Washington, DC to being held hostage by a warlord in the Sahara Desert, Sarah has borne witness to the radical acts of ordinary heroism that lead to global change. Sarah has worked in more than 20 countries with the United Nations and the Red Cross and is the founder of Protect the People. She is a voice of authority who advocates for people in need. She teaches on the Protection of Civilians and Human Security at the U.S. Army Peacekeeping and Stability Operations Institute and is an Adjunct Professor of Cultural Anthropology at Messiah University. Sarah has a Master of Studies in Forced Migration from the Refugee Studies Center at Oxford University and a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations, French, and African Studies from Gordon College. She lives between Washington, DC, and Pennsylvania.
Jamie Aten: Why did you set out to write your book?
Sarah Petrin: When I started writing this book I was about to turn 40 years old, which meant that I had been doing humanitarian work for more than 20 years! This made me think about the importance of inspiring the next generation of young people who want to go out and change the world.
I wanted to share the lessons I learned over the course of my career in order to help guide those who aspire to careers in international relief work and also encourage everyday people to get involved in making change happen in their own communities.
The world needs more helpers. In order to fix the big problems in our world, we need people to move from the sidelines to the frontlines of today’s crises. One of the main reasons I wrote BRING RAIN was to try to help people see our common humanity rather than what divides us.
JA: What is the primary takeaway you hope readers will learn from reading your book?
SP: That sometimes doing big things starts with doing something small. That you don’t have to be a saint or superhero to accomplish hard things. There is not one problem in the world, in your neighborhood and in your community, that you can’t address. This includes forming a vision for your life, identifying the problems you want to solve, mobilizing people around you, and advocating for changes in policy.
There is also specific advice for those people who want to go overseas to do humanitarian work. I write about understanding your own identity, being aware of conflict dynamics and armed groups, and working with local partners in a way that leads to mutual transformation. The truth is, humanitarians benefit from the work as much as anyone we are trying to help because helping gives us a front-row seat to the changes we want to see in the world.
Ultimately, our work is only part of the bigger picture of God’s work in the world. In the chapter, Keeping Faith in Humanity, I point to how I’ve seen God at work in the world, and how this helps me to have faith that God is working on the things that are beyond my control.
JA: What are some lessons from your book that can help people live more resiliently?
SP: Personal resilience is about cultivating your ability to recover from shocks that are part of the job hazard. Having good mechanisms for self-care and the support of friends and family are so vitally important. You need to share your stories and concerns with a close group of people who can listen and genuinely care about your experiences.
I’ve experienced trauma, both physical and psychological, and have had some dark nights of the soul. During one stretch of too many sleepless nights, I finally sought the advice of a counselor who helped me get through the pain and gave me hope that life would be good again. It’s important to step back and rest. To see that your life is part of the lives of others; that you are only human, and that humanity has many gifts to give. When you see that each person and place is capable of recovering and rebuilding, it helps build your own strength and resilience. You will see that time and time again, human resilience and determination arise, making everything possible.
JA: How can humanitarians establish a good support network in the field?
SP: As a humanitarian, you are often traveling and moving around. Being able to make new friends and have a good personal support network is important to your own well-being. While you are caring for others, you also need to take good care of yourself. In my book, I share a few tips for “finding your people” and have more meaningful friendships. This includes putting yourself out there and not shying away from opportunities to engage with people.
When you are doing relief work, you are going to have long days. You may be tempted to retreat at the end of the day, but if you choose to have dinner with your colleagues, this offers you a chance to debrief and grow new friendships. Have meaningful conversations with the people you meet. Don’t shy away from asking people about their experience, families, and professional life. In remote and austere environments, where there is no place to go or naturally meet friends, you will need to create opportunities for social life by being invitational. Offer to help your colleagues in times of personal need. Whatever you do, don’t become isolated from other people or turn inward when you are helping others. Lean on your support network, and share your experience with friends.
JA: What are you currently working on these days?
SP: Currently my work is focused on Human Security in Military Operations, which is a way of addressing how the security sector works with local populations and understands the risks that people face within different demographics. The risks to children are different than what adults face. For example, in some countries affected by armed conflict, children are recruited as soldiers, spies, or to make and detonate bombs. Helping the military understand how children are recruited, down to the specific details of where they are recruited from and at what age, can help officers identify such children in a mission, maintain distance from children who may be a risk, and also enable them to help a child in need by referring the child to the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
Human security looks at all the risks and vulnerabilities in a given environment, including the natural resources and infrastructure that human beings depend on for life. This can include an assessment of water, energy, and food resources in addition to addressing the specific concerns of the population by age, gender, ethnicity, or language group. Human security includes a range of cross-cutting topics that are important to keeping people safe in complex environments.
JA: Anything else you would like to share?
SP: Being a student is such a special time in your life, whether you are an undergraduate or graduate. Now is the time to explore the topics and issues that you want to address in your professional life. It’s also a great time to learn new skills and make contact with people in your chosen field.
Make the most of every opportunity. Don’t wait for the right job to come your way. Make a difference every day — start right where you are now.
