• Planning overview
• Assessing staff needs
• Recruitment essentials
• Sourcing staff
• Financial resources
• Staff turnover
• Competition and collaboration
• Accountability

• Case studies
  • Asking advice
  • Diplomatic coup
  • Minimum standards
  • Housing allowance
  • Income tax law
  • 5 star tents
  • A dilemma
  • Slow response
  • Squalor
  • Unfair to all
  • A traffic accident
• Resources
• Further reading

• People In Aid Code

Slow response

The organisation’s development programme was well established in the area with long-term goals which had been carefully thought through.

Fighting in the neighbouring country resulted in 100,000s of refugees crossing the border into the programme area. The organisation, which had a well-established reputation for water and sanitation, wanted to respond rapidly. The country team on the other hand were concerned that their long term goals would be threatened; they resisted and frustrated attempts to send in an emergency team.

The team did finally arrive – but was only setting up its base camp by the time other organisations were declaring that the acute emergency phase was over.

Everyone lost – the refugees and the host population suffered unnecessarily, the organisation’s reputation and confidence were shaken, and eventually many of the country team resigned.