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The Human Side of Humanitarian Work: Well-Being and Performance Among Aid Workers in Egypt
Well-being and productivity are widely recognized as central to the work performance of humanitarian aid workers. Despite increasing attention to staff well-being, performance within the humanitarian sector in Egypt remains stagnant or, in some cases, declining. This study examines why expanded well...
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| Format: | Thesis |
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AUC Knowledge Fountain
2026
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| _version_ | 1867613433507086336 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Kenawy, Mai Osama |
| author_browse | Kenawy, Mai Osama |
| author_facet | Kenawy, Mai Osama |
| author_sort | Kenawy, Mai Osama |
| collection | Thesis |
| description | Well-being and productivity are widely recognized as central to the work performance of humanitarian aid workers. Despite increasing attention to staff well-being, performance within the humanitarian sector in Egypt remains stagnant or, in some cases, declining. This study examines why expanded well-being initiatives have not yielded sustained performance improvements by examining how actors' external roles, organizational factors, and individual factors affect humanitarian workers’ well-being and work performance. A mixed-methods approach was adopted, combining ten in-depth interviews with humanitarian workers from international organizations, INGOs, and local NGOs, as well as a survey of eighty workers operating in the same context. The findings demonstrate that well-being plays a critical role in humanitarian performance, particularly given the work's purpose-driven nature. When organizational factors such as bureaucratic structures and donor-driven priorities are supportive, workers show higher motivation, ethical engagement, and sustainable, human-centered performance; when these factors are unsupportive, performance becomes increasingly mechanical and challenging to sustain. Addressing these organizational influences is essential for developing effective well-being initiatives. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:fount.aucegypt.edu:etds-3797 |
| institution | American University in Cairo (Egypt) |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:36:04.472Z |
| license_str | Not specified — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from AUC Knowledge Fountain — bepress |
| publishDate | 2026 |
| publishDateRange | 2026 |
| publishDateSort | 2026 |
| publisher | AUC Knowledge Fountain |
| publisherStr | AUC Knowledge Fountain |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | AUC Knowledge Fountain — bepress |
| spelling | oai:fount.aucegypt.edu:etds-3797 The Human Side of Humanitarian Work: Well-Being and Performance Among Aid Workers in Egypt Kenawy, Mai Osama Well-being and productivity are widely recognized as central to the work performance of humanitarian aid workers. Despite increasing attention to staff well-being, performance within the humanitarian sector in Egypt remains stagnant or, in some cases, declining. This study examines why expanded well-being initiatives have not yielded sustained performance improvements by examining how actors' external roles, organizational factors, and individual factors affect humanitarian workers’ well-being and work performance. A mixed-methods approach was adopted, combining ten in-depth interviews with humanitarian workers from international organizations, INGOs, and local NGOs, as well as a survey of eighty workers operating in the same context. The findings demonstrate that well-being plays a critical role in humanitarian performance, particularly given the work's purpose-driven nature. When organizational factors such as bureaucratic structures and donor-driven priorities are supportive, workers show higher motivation, ethical engagement, and sustainable, human-centered performance; when these factors are unsupportive, performance becomes increasingly mechanical and challenging to sustain. Addressing these organizational influences is essential for developing effective well-being initiatives. 2026-06-15T07:00:00Z thesis application/pdf https://fount.aucegypt.edu/etds/2738 https://fount.aucegypt.edu/context/etds/article/3797/viewcontent/auto_convert.pdf Theses and Dissertations AUC Knowledge Fountain Humanitarian aid workers; Well-being; Work performance; Burnout; Organizational support; Donor-driven frameworks; Mixed-methods research; Egypt. Public Administration Public Policy |
| spellingShingle | Humanitarian aid workers; Well-being; Work performance; Burnout; Organizational support; Donor-driven frameworks; Mixed-methods research; Egypt. Public Administration Public Policy Kenawy, Mai Osama The Human Side of Humanitarian Work: Well-Being and Performance Among Aid Workers in Egypt |
| title | The Human Side of Humanitarian Work: Well-Being and Performance Among Aid Workers in Egypt |
| title_full | The Human Side of Humanitarian Work: Well-Being and Performance Among Aid Workers in Egypt |
| title_fullStr | The Human Side of Humanitarian Work: Well-Being and Performance Among Aid Workers in Egypt |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Human Side of Humanitarian Work: Well-Being and Performance Among Aid Workers in Egypt |
| title_short | The Human Side of Humanitarian Work: Well-Being and Performance Among Aid Workers in Egypt |
| title_sort | human side of humanitarian work well being and performance among aid workers in egypt |
| topic | Humanitarian aid workers; Well-being; Work performance; Burnout; Organizational support; Donor-driven frameworks; Mixed-methods research; Egypt. Public Administration Public Policy |
| url | https://fount.aucegypt.edu/etds/2738 https://fount.aucegypt.edu/context/etds/article/3797/viewcontent/auto_convert.pdf |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT kenawymaiosama thehumansideofhumanitarianworkwellbeingandperformanceamongaidworkersinegypt AT kenawymaiosama humansideofhumanitarianworkwellbeingandperformanceamongaidworkersinegypt |