Navigating the Beneficiary/NGO Relationship: A Model of Intercultural Trust in Disaster Response

Abstract

This study examines the role of cultural competence in increasing trust between community-based NGO workers and beneficiaries in Haiti. Using data from focus groups (n = 7) and surveys (n = 140) done with Haitians still living in NGO managed camps nearly a decade after the 2010 earthquake, this study includes the rarely heard beneficiary perspective and examines ways that NGOs can more effectively build trust and cultivate buy-in from the communities they serve in the aftermath of disasters. Our results show that there is a positive relationship between trust and cultural competence. Additionally, there is a positive relationship between trust and respect, even when cultural competence is ranked low. We propose a model of intercultural trust, where respect is an antecedent of cultural competence, and cultural competence enhances trust in the NGO worker/beneficiary relationship. This study encourages NGOs to increase their aid workers' cultural awareness, knowledge, and skills to cultivate greater trust with beneficiaries, thereby increasing the effectiveness of post-disaster programs.