Burdening and Protective Organisational Factors among International Volunteers in Greek Refugee Camps—A Qualitative Study

Isabel Josam, Sarah Grothe, Daniel Lüdecke, Nico Vonneilich and Olaf von dem Knesebeck
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Isabel Josam: Institute of Medical Sociology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, 20246 Hamburg, Germany
Sarah Grothe: Institute of Medical Sociology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, 20246 Hamburg, Germany
Daniel Lüdecke: Institute of Medical Sociology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, 20246 Hamburg, Germany
Nico Vonneilich: Institute of Medical Sociology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, 20246 Hamburg, Germany
Olaf von dem Knesebeck: Institute of Medical Sociology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, 20246 Hamburg, Germany

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 14, 1-12

Abstract: A majority of the workforce in the humanitarian aid consists of volunteers who partly suffer from health problems related to their voluntary service. To date, only a fraction of the current research focuses on this population. The aim of this qualitative explorative study was to identify burdening and protective organisational factors for health and well-being among humanitarian aid volunteers in a Greek refugee camp. To this end, interviews with 22 volunteers were held on site and afterwards analysed by using qualitative content analysis. We focused on international volunteers working in Greece that worked in the provision of food, material goods, emotional support and recreational opportunities. We identified burdening factors, as well as protective factors, in the areas of work procedures, team interactions, organisational support and living arrangements. Gender-specific disadvantages contribute to burdening factors, while joyful experiences are only addressed as protective factors. Additionally, gender-specific aspects in the experience of team interactions and support systems were identified. According to our findings, several possibilities for organisations to protect health and well-being of their volunteers exist. Organisations could adapt organisational structures to the needs of their volunteers and consider gender-specific factors.

Keywords: humanitarian aid worker; volunteer; humanitarian aid; qualitative research; organisational factors; organisation; gender; refugee camp; disaster relief (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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