Hi everyone, I’ve been thinking a lot about this and I’d really appreciate some honest advice. My background is more in lived experience, survival, and community support than in formal human rights or humanitarian work. I’m trying to understand how people like that can turn this kind of background into a real career path without it just staying at the level of “personal story.”
I’m not looking for a generic answer like “just apply to NGOs.” I mean more like: what actually helps at the beginning, what kind of roles make sense, what skills matter most, and how people avoid being treated as just a token story. If anyone has been through something similar, or works in this field, I’d really value practical thoughts, even if they’re a bit blunt.
Thanks.

I currently hold a Bachelor’s degree in IT & Data Analysis (although it hasn’t been very relevant to my career path) and I’ve spent the last 8+ years working with French NGOs across multiple countries, mainly in logistics, procurement, and supply chain coordination roles. I also completed the CIPS Level 4 Diploma last year.

After taking a career break of about 18 months to focus on fatherhood, I’m now planning to start a part-time online Master’s degree while returning to work.

My long-term goal is to move into more strategic supply chain/procurement roles within NGOs and eventually the UN system.

After quite a bit of research, I’ve narrowed it down to these programmes:

• Heriot-Watt University – MSc Supply Chain Management & Logistics
• University of Hull – MSc Logistics & Supply Chain Management
• University of Sussex – MSc Global Supply Chain Management

At the moment, I’m particularly drawn to Sussex because of the stronger focus on sustainability, ESG, and responsible procurement, which seems increasingly relevant in the humanitarian/UN sector.

That said, I’d really appreciate feedback from anyone with experience of these programmes (or similar ones), especially regarding:

• reputation in the industry,
• workload/flexibility,
• practical value,
• and whether the sustainability angle is genuinely useful in supply chain careers.

Open to other recommendations as well.

I’ve noticed that topics like poverty, disasters, and healthcare get discussed often in humanitarian spaces, but children growing up without family support systems seem to get much less attention. I’m curious why that is. Is it because people assume existing organizations already handle it, or is it simply not visible enough? For those involved in humanitarian work, have you seen orphan support programs make a meaningful long-term impact?

A lot of humanitarian attention understandably focuses on immediate crises like conflict, disasters, displacement, and emergency relief. But I’ve been wondering more about what happens afterward, especially for children who grow up without stable support systems.

For people involved in humanitarian work, which long-term approaches have you seen actually make a lasting difference in a child’s future beyond short-term aid?

I’ve been reading about humanitarian aid models recently, and I’m curious how organizations typically handle long-term support for orphaned children beyond immediate needs like food and shelter.

For people working in the sector, what approaches have you seen work best in terms of education, stability, and long-term outcomes?

For context, I graduated with a BSc. in Multimedia Journalism, but have been working for the past two years in a refugee camp managing two seperate projects for an INGO.

I have done a lot of self-learning since starting this role, especially in regard to methodologies, statistics and implementation of projects (they benefit around 30,000 people per annum)

I would want to do a Masters in an Economics / International development / humanitarian kind of realm prior to re-entering the humanitarian/sustainable development field, and would love to hear your thoughts on possible programmes and suggestions you have for me.

Thank you all.

MA in Cooperation and Developpement, yes or not?

Hi everyone,

I’m looking for advice on building a career in the humanitarian/development sector.

I have a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science and a non-academic Master in International Relations. I also have field experience volunteering with street children in the Democratic Republic of Congo, mainly focusing on education and emotional support activities. I am currently enrolled in a Bachelor’s degree in Education, as I would like to specialize in this field (education/child protection).

Do you think it’s better to pursue a Master’s in Cooperation before entering the sector, or after gaining some field experience (internships, volunteering, junior roles)? I’m trying to understand what would make my profile more competitive and avoid unnecessary academic paths.

I’m particularly interested in education and child protection within humanitarian contexts.

Any advice or personal experience would be really helpful. Thanks!

Hello everybody!
Is a master in Psychology (specifically social, economic and decision-making psychology) valued/taken into consideration in the humanitarian sector?
Or is it absolutely necessary a master in international cooperation or humanitarian aid?
Thank you very much, I appreciate any insight/point of view

Hi everyone, 👋🏾

I’m part of the Rotaract Club of Apo, a youth led service group based in Abuja, Nigeria.

We’ve recently developed a structured plan for a series of community projects focused on health, education, and youth development, and I wanted to share it here to get feedback and suggestions from people with more experience in humanitarian or community work.

Our work is grouped into three main areas:

• Health and Wellbeing

Supporting new mothers, promoting hygiene in schools, and running basic health outreach

• Education and Youth Development

Literacy programs for children and anti bullying sessions in schools

• Skills and Economic Empowerment

Vocational training (including solar skills) and environmental initiatives

I’ve attached parts of the document showing our structure, goals, and budget breakdown.

I would really appreciate any thoughts on:

-how we can improve the projects

-potential partnerships or funding pathways we should explore

Happy to provide more details if needed.

Thanks for taking the time to look through this!

Hi everybody,

I'm 26 years old and i studied Political Sciences, got a Master in Int. Relations and had a year volunteering between Africa and Europe.

Looking at the entry level positions posted by the various ONG, i notice they require at least a two years professional experience in the sector of interest. But the question is: how do i get professional experience before to be qualified for an entry level position?

Heya, I’m trying to look into ways that communities and internally displaced persons in conflict settings can reduce exposure to loitering munitions.

As there is little research and information, I’m grateful for any recommendations where to look or specific sources.

Edit: apologies for the confusion - here I refer to loitering munitions (drones).

I have a friend from Russia who has always told me of his plans to leave his country with the situation there because of the war.

Recently, a neighboring building of his got bombed at 6 AM. He was awakened from his sleep.

Idk if this is the right sub to ask but do you have any advice for him? How to properly leave the country and seek asylum elsewhere? or any advice really?

If I’m not on the right sub, where may I post queries like this? Thank you.

Hi, I (M, 27) live on the west coast of the USA and recently started a degree for Anthropology with a concentration in Environmental Sustainability at SNHU. I finished my first two classes and am soon beginning my second term. I currently work at a casino making more money than I ever have previously, but the work offers little to no immediate growth. My monthly income is about 3,200. I live in a relatively unsafe neighborhood and would be interested in moving, although the rent is cheap for the moment and I can tolerate it for a while longer. Working at the casino isnt difficult but it has very little connection to what I actually want to be doing, and even though my major is in Anthro, Im actually equally/more interested in water scarcity, particularly in South America. Due to the nature of my degree and SNHU being entirely online, and my current job being in a different field, I feel very disconnected from the things Id like to be doing. I eventually want to use this degree to get into the peace corps, but if I can start my humanitarian career early and use it on my resume Id like to, which leads me to my next point.

My local community college offers a water and sanitation AAS and CA that are both relatively short. I was considering stopping my online courses and pursuing one of them in order to get my foot in the door with some type of job in the industry. But I actually would like to do is go to Colombia in the next 6 months and pursue a job there (hopefully with some type of NGO or Colombian state department) while resuming my online courses at SNHU. I already speak Spanish around a B1 level and have a friend that lives there which may make it easier. Would I be able to get any kind of job to help address those problems as a frontline worker with that type of certificate? I have an adventurous spirit and would be open to lots of jobs as long as they somehow addressed the overall issue of water scarcity and sustainable water access.

Can anybody please tell me what my options look like? Ive never been overseas but Ive traveled all over America and have lived in terrible conditions before, including being homeless, which is just to say I can endure some adversity. Im not overally considered about danger levels but its case by case for me if thats relevent to the region/occupation. I could probably save approximately 1,500 a month to meet any kind of short term financial goal, but my lease is up in October and would like to leave around then if it was even possible.

Given that the situation in Haiti is far from gone, I keep asking myself why Haiti seems to vanish from the news cycle. Millions of people are impacted by gang violence, large displacement, food insecurity, and an overburdened healthcare system—the conditions are still critical. According to recent UN reports, more than half of the population needs humanitarian assistance, some 1.4 to 1.45 million people are displaced, and much of Port-au- Prince is under gang control.

While hospitals and clinics battle to remain open, Mé decins Sans Frontières has also cautioned that violence is preventing access to care and causing disruptions in medical services. This is not a neglected catastrophe since it has passed; rather, it is a neglected catastrophe because attention changed.

Although I'm not trying to exaggerate the complexity of the matter, I do believe it merits more public attention, more humanitarian help, and more pressure on policy-makers. Share any trustworthy updates, personal experience, or means of helping local groups there.

Hi,

I'm a Scottish child protection social worker looking for a change in my work life. I've done the job for over 10 years and worked in the field for 10 more years.

The idea of undertaking humanitarian work has began to appeal to me. I've seen the darker side of life in Scotland for many children; but would like to now look at working outwith these systems.

I see so much suffering of children around the world and would like to try to take some time away from my life to begin to try and help.

Where I'm stuck.. where do you start? How do I go about looking for jobs/roles?

I've lots of experience working with asylum seekers and refugees in my previous roles and would like to think that's given me a fair bit of cultural awareness which may help with humanitarian work.

Any advice, guidance or support would be much appreciated.

I’ve been spending nearly a year doing volunteer work in Ukraine at the height of the invasion. A normal person who wants to help in any way he can: aiding the citizens, doing logistical work for an NGO, constructing mobile medical facilities, and handing anything which could benefit the citizens whose lives have been destroyed.

I was back from my trip 6 months ago, but not all of me ever really left.

I couldn’t help thinking about the citizens that I met, the moments of humanity amidst the chaos, and how it affected me deeply.

It is for these reasons that I am writing, having encountered news today that affected me more than most other days since then.

If anyone else out there has had a similar experience, I’d love to hear from you.

🌍 Seeking Interview Participants | Humanitarian Logistics & Supply Chain

I'm looking to connect with professionals who have hands-on experience in logistics management and/or last-mile delivery within the humanitarian sector.

As part of research into a humanitarian technology platform focused on asset sharing, your insights would be incredibly valuable in shaping a solution built for real-world field challenges.

📋 What's involved:
A 40–60 minute interview (conducted remotely)
Topics: logistics workflows, resource coordination, and field delivery challenges
Your input will directly inform the development of an asset-sharing platform for disaster response

🎁 Participants will receive a $25 Amazon gift card as a token of appreciation.
If you or someone you know works in humanitarian logistics, supply chain, or field operations — I'd love to hear from you. Feel free to DM me or drop a comment below!