Women’s Experiences Receiving Humanitarian Aid
Abstract
The increase in humanitarian emergencies has left aid organizations searching for ways to better serve populations affected by disaster, and women have often been among those excluded. This study utilized a critical narrative methodology to explore the humanitarian aid response to the 2010 earthquake from the perspective of Haitian women, seeking to understand their experiences and stimulate change through raising awareness of their voices in scholarly literature. The findings highlight the barriers and facilitators to humanitarian aid, which include the gaps in addressing the psychological effects of trauma, lack of accountability, the manipulation of aid, the resiliency of women, as well as the historical context of Haiti’s colonial history within which the humanitarian system operates. The implications of these findings support incorporating a social justice and gender lens into nursing education and practice, encouraging nurses to reflect upon and acknowledge our own positions of power and privilege in post-disaster settings.