Sue McIntyre lives part time near Eureka Springs, but seven months of the year she works as a diplomat, a senior humanitarian adviser for the U.S. government traveling to Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq and Nepal to provide life-saving assistance to people suffering from natural disasters and war.
McIntyre works for the U.S. Agency for International Development, Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (international equivalent of the Federal Emergency Management Agency) providing assistance to civilians whose lives have been disrupted by natural disasters or war. As such, she often travels to areas where people have lost homes, livelihoods and often, loved ones.
“It is always touching for me,” McIntyre said. “The only things they have are the clothes on their back, their children and, if they are lucky, a zip lock plastic bag with documents such as birth and marriage certificates, and a deed to their property if they have some. They have this little plastic bag of their life.”
McIntyre, who has been doing this work for 16 years, travels to the parts of the world often in turmoil. She has done work in Iraq, Armenia, Haiti, Liberia, Bosnia, Macedonia, Kosovo, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Sudan, Nepal, India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Ukraine, Yemen, and Azerbaijan, where she meets with local community leaders to determine the most pressing needs,
Americans sometimes think the United States spends too much on foreign aid. But usually that attitude changes when they learn that only 0.8 percent of the federal budget goes to foreign assistance.
“Most people are surprised it is that small of an amount,” she said. “People think we spend a lot, lot more. And if they could see how much good we do, they would probably want us to spend even more.”
In the United States when there is a natural disaster, you know help is coming. But for many of the areas where McIntyre travels, people whose lives have been devastated have little hope of outside help as many are in very remote areas.
McIntyre, who has a master’s degree in education from the University of North Carolina, said they do not provide assistance to any combatant forces.
“It helps our credibility with the local people because village people are always getting caught in the middle,” she said. “One rebel or militia troop will come through and say, ‘You have to help us.’ The next one comes through and, consequently, they get slaughtered because the soldiers think the villagers helped the other side. That’s why it is very important that we are apolitical and independent. Our disaster aid is untainted by political agendas. If there is a functioning government, we run the programs by them so they know what we are doing in their country. But they do not get to tell us what to do, and all we do is completely transparent.”
While McIntyre and her colleagues do assessments of the most critical needs, the program works through registered international non-government organizations that provide actual services. The NGOs must have passed audit tests with the U.S. government to make sure they have the management capacity to carry out the projects and track the money.
Any supplies that come from the U.S. are labeled, “This is a gift from the American people.”
“I am really proud of this element of the work, that it is the most untainted type of assistance,” she said. “It shows that we care about these people.”
There can many dangers to the work, especially in war-torn areas. It can be challenging to get around because bridges and roads might be gone. A lot goes into making a plan for where she will go and how to get to areas that need help.
“There is a very sophisticated team in Washington D.C. that assists us and backs us up on everything we do,” she said. “We partner with government agencies to get GIS mapping done that covers exactly what has happened. If it is a flood, we get satellite images of where the flood is.”
That information is triangulated with reports of where there is violence in the country.
“It tells where it is safe or not safe to go,” she said. “If it is not safe, it doesn’t mean I don’t go. I just prepare differently. Maybe I just go in for the day and don’t spend the night.”
Often she is flown in by helicopter, which can be pretty impressive for some of the less developed communities. Other times she travels by road. McIntyre always has local translators and guides with her. The reason she has to visit is that she can’t assume what they need.
“They live in different ways,” she said. “They have different survival skills. They may have resources I’m not aware of. I have to go and say, ‘Give me the top three things you need for this village.’ It is usually food, water, shelter and medicine.”
She usually meets with men first in patriarchal societies. Then she asks to speak to some of the women leaders. In male-dominated societies, they often don’t know what to think of her.
“In a lot of these countries, I’m like a third gender,” she said. “Men fall into male roles and women into female roles. Then having a woman in authority flying in on a helicopter, they don’t know what to do with me. They define me differently. It is a challenge. I must be careful in the field because I can’t insult them and help them. Our goal is not to change the culture. We change it by being there, but that is not our goal. I hope we elevate them. Whether a conflict or natural disaster, we like to leave them a little better.”
McIntyre’s husband, Michael, also does work internationally. He works on the NGO side of international development heading up programs to bring health care or other services to families. The couple bought a home near Eureka Springs about eight years ago, and moved here five years ago from Washington D.C.
Their work is stressful, and they said they have found Eureka Springs a great place to chill.
“We just wanted to come somewhere beautiful, peaceful and tranquil,” McIntyre said. “It is a great haven to come back to from a war zone and hide in our hills of Eureka Springs. I like to come back to the woods and enjoy a peaceful environment and being in nature.”
McIntyre considers it a real privilege to do the work she does.
“It is great for me to be able to say the people in America are concerned about what is happening to you and your children,” she said.
If you really want to do some good work, quit working for the goobement.