PTSD has come up in a constellation of discussions Ive had recently, so I thought Id share this story of the harrowing experience of American humanitarian aid workers--one a young mother, one a college professional/businessman and one an immigrant ex-pat who went back to a different country to offer his skills. I wanted to understand why normal people would put their lives on hold to go to another Country and risk so much working in areas of distress and conflict. What the sacrifices, stressors and motivations they navigate in their work. It was a tremendously difficult piece to write. First because the subjects were exceedingly cautious for complicated reasons. One being that if I wasnt careful with the narrative, certain frames could result in the murder of aid workers or other in Darfur. To my surprise I was told that my article in a regional American consumer magazine would likely get back to the Country. They conceded only with many conditions. I couldnt tape conversations. And was cautioned to be very careful with my use of the words genocide and ethnic cleansing. I was happy to respect these, as long as I could also get the deepest and fullest account of all that happened. The first interview was supposed to be only 10 minutes. I was informed I wouldnt be allowed more. Within minutes of it, the subject, just having landed a day earlier from two years as a country director in Sudan snapped at me to shut off my recorder and shut the conference room door. Three hours later, after hed told me stunningly scary stories of the chaos and dangers he and others faced there, we finally ended--only because I had to go to the bathroom so bad I couldnt hold it any longer. When it finally got so bad, much as I hated to--knowing it would likely end the interview, I asked for a break. And, sure enough that was the end of that. It took several more interviews with many others--each sharing stories that left me wondering how anyone could come out of situations like that without PTSD--even if they were just aid workers. When I called them to do my final fact check (the magazine also did one). I was asked to keep out one small but devastating detail to protect a confidence that could harm people. But, other than that, I was astonished by their candor--my discoveries with them were so highly personal, so poignant and yet, did help me see the real normal people behind these unusual professions they chose. See what you think about their stories and how they made it through. I hope you enjoy getting to know them and the suspense of what they somehow managed to live through. arcrelief.org/site/DocServer/DispatchesDarfur.pdf?docID=461
Posted on: Sun, 03 Nov 2013 21:02:33 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015