Endorsements--Crossing Sectors

Endorsements

Global Member Care (volume 2):

Crossing Sectors for Serving Humanity (2013)

Kelly and Michele O’Donnell, Editors

Ruth E. Van Reken, co-author Third Culture Kids: Growing Up Among Worlds, co-founder Families in Global Transition conference

Core version The O'Donnells excel yet again in ...expanding our thinking and skill sets. Get ready to head into the next phase of member care—and into the heart of global issues and opportunities!

Full version Crossing Sectors for Serving Humanity is a ground-breaking book that presents a multi-sectoral framework to understand and develop global member care. It alsoshowcases how the diversity of international organizations can share strategies for supporting their members who work in cross-cultural settings. The O'Donnells excel yet again in selecting a variety of readings that are well-organised, creative, scholarly, directional, trend setting, and highly relevant for expanding our thinking and skill sets. Get ready to head into the next phase of member care—and into the heart of global issues and opportunities!

*****

Leonard Rubenstein, Director, Program on Human Rights, Health and Conflict; Center for Public Health and Human Rights; Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

Core version Thank you for this unique and comprehensive contribution to advancing human dignity in humanitarian practice.

Full version This volume is a unique contribution—even beyond its success in moving across traditional sectoral boundaries. The book is animated by, indeed founded on, an often overlooked linkage between human rights and the helping vocation. We all embrace the dignity and agency of those who are on the receiving end of our services. But coming to grips with the consequences and inevitable tensions accompanying a human rights approach to member care, as Crossing Sectors for Humanity does, is both brave and essential to the task. Thank you for this unique and comprehensive contribution to advancing human dignity in humanitarian practice.

*****

Jonathan Potter, Executive Director People In Aid

Core version Kelly and Michèle have continually championed the key role of staff and volunteers for accomplishing the demanding tasks of humanitarian work…Their ongoing focus on linking health and human resources is a significant contribution to our sector.

Full version Isn’t it great when you find a book that compiles relevant materials needed for your own work? Crossing Sectors does just that. It provides a large amount of information that can stimulate those of us in the humanitarian or mission sectors to learn more from others. The more we understand the roles and concerns of our colleagues, other organisations, and beneficiaries, the better we will all be able to serve humanity—together. For example, the inclusion of human resource specialists as ‘business partners’ within operational departments can facilitate humanitarian planning and response. Over the years, Kelly and Michèle have continually championed the key role of staff and volunteers for accomplishing the demanding tasks of humanitarian work. Their ongoing focus on linking health and human resources is a significant contribution to our sector.

*****

Alison Schafer, Senior Program Advisor for Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS); World Vision Australia/International

Core version This inspired book guides us into many of the complex challenges facing humanity and highlights the increasing relevance of multi-sectoral member care in addressing these challenges.

Short version This book is full of helpful insights to further develop the broad and strategic world of global member care. Kelly and Michèle do a great job in presenting a foundational model for our work, demonstrating the crucial need for cross-sectoral collaboration, and presenting a wealth of tools from other sectors that can support member care. Crossing sectors is indeed challenging, but the payoffs are great! There are so many opportunities to work jointly towards the same end—the wellbeing of humanity. This inspired book guides us into many of the complex challenges facing humanity and highlights the increasing relevance of multi-sectoral member care in addressing these challenges.

*****

Alastair Ager, PhD, Professor of Clinical Population & Family Health, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University

Core version This book does a great job of assisting workers and organizations by bringing together a selection of key writings and documents.

Full version The last decade has seen substantial increase in analysis and professionalization of the international humanitarian and development assistance sector. As a result, there has been both an upsurge in documentation of policies and proposed best practices and a growth in awareness of the range of disciplines and perspectives relevant to such trends. This book does a great job of assisting workers and organizations alike by bringing together a selection of key writings and documents. Together this material asserts not only the complexity and challenge of our sector, but also the emergence of key principles to secure its appropriate advance.

*****

Ted Lankester, MD, Director of Health Services, InterHealth Worldwide; Director of Community Health Global Network

Core version: Crossing Sectors for Serving Humanity makes a profound contribution to all who are helping to make the world a better, safer, and healthier place. The member care movement has truly come of age with this book.

Full version: Crossing Sectors for Serving Humanity, edited by renowned authors and psychologists Kelly and Michèle O’Donnell, makes a profound contribution to all who are helping to make the world a better, safer, and healthier place. Its multiple authors and wide-ranging topics help us to cross the boundaries of cultures, disciplines, organizations, and sectors in order to more effectively address the health and wellbeing of staff and their agencies. This new book also effectively builds upon the authors' previous volumes which helped set the norm for good practice in the member care movement, including Doing Member Care Well (2002). At last we have a member care book written for and by members of several sectors who are involved in the care of our planet and its people. The member care movement has truly come of age with this book.

*****

Rolf C. Carriere, UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Country Representative in Asia (ret.); Senior Adviser Nonviolent Peaceforce, Adviser EMDR-Humanitarian Assistance Programs

Core version: This second book in the Global Member Care series is an indispensable resource, filled with practical advice, best practices, up-to-date principles, and timeless values. It deserves to be carefully studied by HR officers and all those with member care responsibility as well as by researchers, trainers, health practitioners, donors, and humanitarian personnel themselves.

Full version: Humanitarian personnel of all types work under demanding and adverse circumstances around the world, often for long periods of time in the midst of silent crises and loud emergencies. Developing personal strategies and skills for staying healthy, productive, and compassionate is crucial. In this context, leaders of the thousands of humanitarian organizations hold a special responsibility to support their international and local personnel/volunteers. Further, HR professionals entrusted with staff wellbeing face the ongoing challenge of staying current with the developments, innovations, and insights of their rapidly expanding field.

This second book in the Global Member Care series is an indispensable resource, filled with practical advice, best practices, up-to-date principles, and timeless values. The O’Donnell’s have chosen this diverse material very well (United Nations, civil society, academic sources, etc.), a reflection of their broad view of human development, human rights, human security, international health, faith-based perspectives, and humanitarian action. This publication, which crosses many boundaries of sectors and disciplines, deserves to be carefully studied by HR officers and all those with staff member care responsibility as well as by researchers, trainers, health practitioners, donors, and humanitarian personnel themselves.

*****

Debbie Hawker, PhD, DClinPsy, visiting lecturer at All Nations Christian College

Expatriates come in many varieties, including those serving with faith-based missions, NGOs and the business community. Often there is little dialogue between these groups. This book helpfully introduces ways in which the different sectors can learn from each other. The topics covered are up-to-date and important, but have been largely absent from the member care literature to date. They include Psychological First Aid, security, accountability standards, cultural competence, human rights, families in global transition, and issues related to spirituality and mental health in humanitarian contexts. Global Member Care: Crossing sectors for serving humanity is an important contribution to the literature.