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  • A dilemma
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  • Squalor
  • Unfair to all
  • A traffic accident
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5 star tents

The influx of 500,000 of refugees in matter of days meant that the organisation had to turn from a low key development programme into a major relief programme very rapidly. This they achieved using the staff and resources at hand, and new staff coming in were accommodated in comfortable dormitory tents and had access to hot showers and excellent food – the organisation’s chef had been recruited from the best hotel in town when it failed. The programme manager recognised that he did not have the skills and experience to run the programme and moved aside to allow and support the teams coming in to do their work.

Other organisations were not so lucky – some UN staff were constantly moving around trying to find a floor to sleep on while yet others made unrealistic demands on the staff on the ground despite the trauma of the influx and the massive scale of the response required.