Who is the owner?

We can talk about car ownership, house ownership, business ownership, however, in humanitarian work, we tend to call it governance.  In my opinion, governance is somewhat different, as it implies management, whereas ownership suggests belonging.

As humanitarian workers, we try to diversify our message to create a new club culture, which could turn out either negative (separated from the community) or positive (intellectual growth of the sector). I believe that when we will answer the question of ownership, we will be at ease with the community and the world in general.

In my view, the owners of the humanitarian organisations and their assets are the poor, the sick, the vulnerable etc., the ones we aim to champion. If we consider this view a reality, then we must draw a stronger bond between us and them, as they are our employers, after all. If we empower our employers, they could sack us because of the lack of delivery in our promised services to them.

What usually happens is that they fully authorise us to spend funds in whichever way we see fit and we just keep them distantly silent. We abuse their private images, showing how frail, unlucky and miserable they are.

I think that the moral bond between us and our real employer should be revisited every time, so that when we speak to them, we say “Yes, Sir” or “Yes, Ma’am”. When we visit their dwellings, we ought to have their permission. More importantly, when we spend the funds, they should have a say. That is true ownership.