Humanitarian Agencies Research Articles

Power, Participation, and ‘peer researchers’: Addressing Gaps in Refugee Research Ethics Guidance

Abstract Driven by efforts to recognize the agency of refugees and thus the importance of their participation in research about their lives, refugees are increasingly being engaged to work as collaborators and assistants during research in refugee camps and settlements. Yet whilst academic research attends to the ethics of research with refugees, existing guidance fails to recognize or attempt to mitigate the specific ways in which refugees working as research assistants may be impacted by taking on this role. This is a particularly important issue for consideration in research within camps and settlements, where refugee researchers are embedded within complex relations of power that include communities, governance structures, and humanitarian agencies. Drawing on our experiences of carrying out research in Nakivale settlement in Uganda in 2017, we show some of the challenges that refugee researchers experience and reflect on the practical implications for efforts to undertake more ethical research.

From livelihoods to leisure and back: refugee ‘self-reliance’ as collective practices in Lebanon, India and Greece

Over the last two decades, leading humanitarian agencies in the Global North have increasingly promoted a policy of self-reliance, understood as making individual refugees financially independent from aid assistance through livelihood programmes. However, individual economic autonomy offers an incomplete picture of refugee well-being. Based on fieldwork conducted over 2017 in Halba (Lebanon), Delhi (India) and Thessaloniki (Greece), this multi-site study shows that non-camp refugees build on collective strategies at household, social network and community levels in efforts to develop mechanisms of survival and enfranchisement. These strategies include social and leisure activities as well as income-generating activities which are often organised compartmentally in humanitarian programming. We argue that while leisure and social mingling alone cannot ensure economic sustainability, they are fundamental dimensions of self-reliance as seen by refugees and should therefore be systematically included in livelihood programming. “It is on a living tree that the vine grows” (Ghanaian proverb teaching support, growth and interdependence on one another within the community).

A systematic review of the burden of hypertension, access to services and patient views of hypertension in humanitarian crisis settings

IntroductionGlobally, a record number of people are affected by humanitarian crises caused by conflict and natural disasters. Many such populations live in settings where epidemiological transition is underway. Following the...

New histories of foreign aid

This article claims a space for cultural approaches to histories of foreign aid in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. It begins by tracing the historiographies of humanitarianism and international development, arguing that historians can best approach the plans and projects of humanitarian NGOs and international development agencies as a shared project of foreign aid. It then outlines various forms of culture that impacted on twentieth-century foreign aid, including political, bureaucratic and organisational cultures, national cultures, popular cultures and emotional or affective regimes, and introduces the nine articles comprising this special issue on New Histories of Foreign Aid.

Nurses of the League: the League of Red Cross Societies and the development of public health nursing post-WWI

In the aftermath of the First World War, governments and a range of international voluntary organisations including national Red Cross societies were engaged in the development of a range of public health policies. This article explores the little known yet innovative international public health nursing program developed by the League of Red Cross Societies. Established in London in 1920, the courses attracted hundreds of women from around the world. These nurses later returned to their own countries bringing new knowledge, intent on improving nursing education methods and public health practices and assist the public health work of national Red Cross societies. The article traces the history and legacies of a nursing program within the context of the League’s evolution as an international humanitarian agency. It explores the varied experiences of the students, and the impact of this emerging professional field, and how they managed to create a longstanding global network based around professionalism and friendship.

KOMUNIKASI PEMBANGUNAN, PARTISIPASI MASYARAKAT DAN MEDIA ONLINE PADA PROGRAM BERBAGI AIR DI DESA PASAREAN KABUPATEN BOGOR

This study discusses the problem of access related to clean water and sanitation in rural settlements that do not have clean water and sanitation facilities to meet their daily needs in Pasarean Village, Pamijahan District, Bogor Regency. Citizens' efforts in dealing with problems are also described in this study. The background and problems of this research are the lack of access to clean water and sanitation in rural areas due to geographical factors, such as the position of being in the hills, into clean water, and the distance to access to get distant water. So the clean water sharing program in the form of well drilling was carried out to solve the problem, which was assisted by PKPU donors from humanitarian agencies. The purpose of this study is to determine the level of participatory development communication in water sharing programs. This research method is a qualitative descriptive method with data collection techniques, namely participatory observation. The results of this study indicate that development communication runs in a participatory manner, whereby the community participates actively in every process of building clean water facilities starting from planning to utilizing development programs. The level of community participatory development communication can be seen at the level of community participation, where community participation is at the level of acting together, which means that in achieving the goal of meeting the needs of clean water facilities the community does not merely participate in making decisions, but also engages and establish partnerships in the implementation of the program.

Knowledge Management Referral System Using Artificial Intelligent Techniques

Knowledge management is an emerging area which is gaining interest from organization and governments. As moving nowadays toward building organizational knowledge, knowledge management will play a fundamental role towards the success of transforming tacit knowledge into organizational explicit knowledge during current big data and high level of competencies between organizations to provide promptly and required services. One of the key building blocks for developing and advancing this field of knowledge management is artificial intelligence. organizations need to be able to exchange information, queries, and requests with some other beneficiaries and agencies that they share a common unified domain. One possible approach to this issue is Automating Knowledge, the methods which have been used to employ Semantic techniques for modeling about provide automatic accurate information extracts inquiry’s answer from the proposed knowledge management system. This paper will clarify the future of knowledge management system and the methodology of its link to artificial intelligence in organizations when it’s come to providing humanitarian emergency assistant, services and health care as the current global pandemic virus. The advanced proposed system will enable beneficiaries, employees and external official entities to get instantly automatically replay for various inquiries without required humanitarian intervention unless it's necessary! and enable to save ’ transfer ’ retrieve and generate new knowledge through three levels depending on the semantic technique, natural language processing algorithms and Ontology techniques in extracting inquiry’s answer in the first level then using chat system with an employee in the second level and through sending email to the specialist in the last third level. The validity of the method is proved in this comprehensive intelligent inquiry system. Showing the effectiveness of this approach by testing it on a humanitarian agency. The experimental results were extremely encouraging as such organization did not own automatic knowledge management system as its provisions on this research paper, so its recommended to use it in a large area as the proposed system show outperforms baseline methods and improve the accuracy answering by 86%.

Heterogeneous wireless IoT architecture for natural disaster monitorization

A heterogeneous sensor network offers an extremely effective means of communicating with the international community, first responders, and humanitarian assistance agencies as long as affected populations have access to the Internet during disasters. When communication networks fail in an emergency situation, a challenge emerges when emergency services try to communicate with each other. In such situations, field data can be collected from nearby sensors deploying a wireless sensor network and a delay-tolerant network over the region to monitor. When data has to be sent to the operations center without any telecommunication infrastructure available, HF, satellite, and high-altitude platforms are the unique options, being HF with Near Vertical Incidence Skywave the most cost-effective and easy-to-install solution. Sensed data in disaster situations could serve a wide range of interests and needs (scientific, technical, and operational information for decision-makers). The proposed monitorization architecture addresses the communication with the public during emergencies using movable and deployable resource unit technologies for sensing, exchanging, and distributing information for humanitarian organizations. The challenge is to show how sensed data and information management contribute to a more effective and timely response to improve the quality of life of the affected populations. Our proposal was tested under real emergency conditions in Europe and Antarctica.

Impact of climate change and variability on traditional farming systems: Farmers’ perceptions from south-west, semi-arid Zimbabwe

Despite annual climate variability threats, traditional farming in semi-arid Zimbabwe remains entrenched in unproductive, rain-fed agricultural practices. Adaptation strategies by farmers are seemingly failing to mitigate climate impacts, as evidenced by annual crop and livestock losses. Matabeleland South Province was a thriving livestock and small grain-producing province in the 1970s. Today, the province relies heavily on humanitarian assistance from government and humanitarian agencies. Through literature review, observations and focus group discussions with 129 farmers, the qualitative study established the perceptions of farmers around climate variability impacts in the past 20 years in Mangwe, Matobo and Gwanda districts in Zimbabwe. The study (1) analysed changes in climate and weather patterns in the past 20 years; (2) analysed climate impacts on traditional farming systems in the past 20 years in Gwanda, Mangwe and Matobo districts in Zimbabwe; and (3) established farmers’ perceptions, experiences and their climate adaptive strategies. The findings showed that the farmers experienced annual heat waves, protracted droughts, chaotic rain seasons, frost and floods, which led to environmental degradation. Traditional farming systems or practices have been abandoned in favour of buying and selling and gold panning, among other alternative livelihood options, because of climate-related threats and misconceptions around the subject of climate change. Farmers fail to access timely and comprehensive weather forecasts, resulting in annual crop and livestock losses, as decision-making is compromised. Given that the smallholder farming system sustains the bulk of the population in Matabeleland South Province in Zimbabwe, climate education and capital investment is needed to change traditional farmer perceptions about climate change impacts on the farming practices. Increased climate awareness initiatives, establishment of village-based weather stations and the marrying of traditional farming climate knowledge to modern practices are highly recommended to enhance resilience to climate.

Experiences of humanitarian assistance programs with corporate funding

Abstract Background Dwindling governmental funding for widespread natural disasters and armed conflicts have attracted corporate funding for humanitarian assistance. Although such funding has allowed expansion of humanitarian programs and capacity building, evaluations of such partnerships are rare and focus only on management aspects, without attention to possible influences on the organizations themselves and the populations they serve. Given the well-established conflicts of interest of corporations and their adverse influence on public health, an assessment of industry funding to humanitarian assistance is necessary to identify potential violations and harms. Methods The research explores the experiences and views of a sample of humanitarian agencies in Lebanon which serve refugee populations about corporate funding and influences on their programs. In-depth interviews with international and local humanitarian agency representatives in Lebanon were conducted and analyzed by thematic analysis. Results Findings indicate perceived advantages with financial assistance, flexible agendas and mutual learning. Meanwhile, challenges fall in project coordination, implementation, and the lack of attention of the private sector to the work ethics with vulnerable populations. Also, this collaboration could impact refugees positively or negatively depending on the type of corporations, their branding and how they are perceived by the populations served. Organizations trust that their processes of detection and reporting are an impervious firewall against conflicts of interest. Conclusions Corporate power expressed through funding to humanitarian agencies may influence the decision making and the implementation of the programs for humanitarian assistance. The study highlights the need for critical thinking about corporate funding, and creating opportunities for discussion about this issue for humanitarian agencies. Key messages Industry conflicts of interest on public health are well-established, but understudied in humanitarian assistance programs. Corporate funding for humanitarian assistance may hide potential conflicts of interest for the corporation.

Experiences of healthcare workers displaced by conflict: lessons from past conflicts and implications

Abstract Background Conflicts cause mass displacement, including of healthcare workers (HCWs). Understanding experiences of HCWs over the displacement trajectory, from push factors out of conflict zones, to barriers and facilitators in transit and host countries, is key to developing support mechanisms and informing policy discussions regarding return and reintegration. Methodology We systematically reviewed 6 academic databases and grey literature using combined search terms for HCWs, displacement, conflict, and experiences to identify English-language literature documenting personal or professional experiences of HCWs displaced by conflict, published between 1945 to 2020. Open coding and thematic analysis were used to identify emerging themes. Quality appraisal was conducted. Results 25 publications from academic journals, snowballed references, and grey literature from 10 geographical contexts and various types of HCW met inclusion criteria, many from conflicts in the Middle-East. 5 themes emerged: Conflict drives displacement: HCWs fled due to direct violence and deteriorating working conditions caused by increased workload, depleting resources, workforce attrition and attacks on healthcare. Giving back: Refugee HCWs were determined to continue working but had to do so informally or by working with humanitarian agencies. Personal and professional integration in host countries: refugee HCWs overcame barriers to relicense after which they reported disadvantage in job applications due to professional gaps and discrimination; many ended up working under-qualified jobs. Psychological toll on HCWs was pronounced. Prospects on return: HCWs desired to return to their home countries but feared political instability and violence. Conclusions Policies which support HCW retention during conflict, integration into host health systems, and encourage return post-conflict must be implemented. Further research is required to understand the individual and systemic support mechanisms required. Key messages Displaced HCWs experience many personal and professional challenges. Policies that support HCWs across the displacement trajectory and support return and post-conflict system rebuilding are required.

\u201cTo die is better for me\u201d, social suffering among Syrian refugees at a noncommunicable disease clinic in Jordan: a qualitative study

BackgroundThe conflict in Syria has required humanitarian agencies to implement primary-level services for non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in Jordan, given the high NCD burden amongst Syrian refugees; and to integrate mental health and psychosocial support into NCD services given their comorbidity and treatment interactions. However, no studies have explored the mental health needs of Syrian NCD patients. This paper aims to examine the interaction between physical and mental health of patients with NCDs at a Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) clinic in Irbid, Jordan, in the context of social suffering.MethodsThis qualitative study involved sixteen semi-structured interviews with Syrian refugee and Jordanian patients and two focus groups with Syrian refugees attending MSF’s NCD services in Irbid, and eighteen semi-structured interviews with MSF clinical, managerial and administrative staff. These were conducted by research staff in August 2017 in Irbid, Amman and via Skype. Thematic analysis was used.ResultsRespondents describe immense suffering and clearly perceived the interconnectedness of their physical wellbeing, mental health and social circumstances, in keeping with Kleinman’s theory of social suffering. There was a ‘disconnect’ between staff and patients’ perceptions of the potential role of the NCD and mental health service in alleviating this suffering. Possible explanations identified included respondent’s low expectations of the ability of the service to impact on the root causes of their suffering, normalisation of distress, the prevailing biomedical view of mental ill-health among national clinicians and patients, and humanitarian actors’ own cultural standpoints.ConclusionSyrian and Jordanian NCD patients recognise the psychological dimensions of their illness but may not utilize clinic-based humanitarian mental health and psychosocial support services. Humanitarian agencies must engage with NCD patients to elicit their needs and design culturally relevant services.

Collaborative Governance in the Management of Integrated Community Shelters Post Disaster (ICS) in the City of Palu

This article tells the involvement of humanitarian organizations in the post-war reconstruction process of disaster in the city of Palu, Sigi and Donggala Regencies. The presence of humanitarian organizations is urgently needed to help the process of acceleration of reconstruction. In carrying out its humanitarian mission, it is expected that these institutions are coordinated by the authority of the government/state. Management of Integrated Community Shelter expected able to help the process of reconstruction post disaster apparently also still constrained in the pattern of coordination. Coordination pattern which is less likely to occur in delivering open and funneling aid to victims. this paper found that the existence of the weakness of the State in controlling and embody the humanitarian agency's involvement in the process of reconstructions. Collaborative approach to governance in the management of Integrated Community Shelter appears as an alternative solution in the answer to these problems.

Language as a resource with fluctuating values: Arabic speakers in humanitarian and social work

Abstract This paper investigates the fluctuating value of Arabic when constructed as a linguistic resource for multilingual, “languaged” workers in a counselling centre for refugees in Austria and in an international humanitarian agency operating in ongoing conflicts in the Middle East. Drawing on a variety of ethnographic data (observations, interviews and documents), our analyses of the institutionalised division of labour and of workers’ narrative positioning show how workers in both organisations discursively construct this linguistic resource as being of ambivalent value in their positioning vis-à-vis their colleagues, for their careers and in work interactions. Stratifying and empowerment effects are interwoven in the varying and coexisting values of Arabic.

Drivers and barriers for the adoption of hazard-resistant construction knowledge in Nepal: Applying the motivation, ability, opportunity (MAO) theory

Despite the recurring social, economic, and humanitarian costs, disaster affected populations repeatedly fail to Build Back Safer housing to protect themselves from future hazards. This paper seeks to understand how affected households interpret and intend to act upon hazard-resistant construction knowledge by assessing their motivation, ability and opportunity (MAO). We present a novel adaptation and application of the social scientific MAO model to the disaster risk reduction field by analyzing empirical data and debating how humanitarian technical assistance either inhibits or facilitates the intention to adopt. In two districts affected by the 2015 Gorkha earthquakes, nearly 1500 households were compared in 25 communities that received different intensities of humanitarian technical assistance to reconstruct safer housing. The application of the MAO model provides a novel understanding of intentions to reconstruct safer housing. Levels of motivation, ability and opportunity demonstrate both positive and negative impacts of technical assistance. Technical assistance did increase the self-efficacy and applicability of knowledge. Nevertheless, significantly lower were acceptability of the knowledge, perceived physical capacity and perceived opportunities to reconstruct. The case of Nepal, despite good intentions of humanitarian agencies, gives reason to rethink technical assistance approaches.

Whose views matter in post-disaster recovery? A case study of “build back better” in Tacloban City after Typhoon Haiyan

Local people's perceptions of recovery are commonly overlooked, even though they should be at the centre of the recovery process. This paper aims to understand the ways in which locals view recovery and, more specifically, how the local definitions of recovery compare with the concept of ‘building back better’ extensively used by policy makers, scholars and humanitarian agencies. The study draws on 460 questionnaire-based surveys with people affected by Typhoon Haiyan in three barangays, the smallest administrative unit in the Philippines, in Tacloban City as well as twenty key informant interviews with community leaders, and staff from non-government organizations and the government. The paper shows that a large majority of affected people see recovery as coming back to normal and only a few associate the recovery with reducing disaster risk. It further identifies a divide between outside organizations and local people on how they perceive “build back better”, where a lack of common understanding of what ‘better’ means and limited support, can lead to unsuccessful recovery.

The Moving Parts in Michèle Magema's Body of Work

The Moving Parts in Michèle Magema's Body of Work

Harmonising data systems for cash transfer programming in emergencies in Somalia

Quality data and information are fundamental for effective implementation of cash transfer programmes in emergency contexts. Establishing a robust information system can facilitate the equitable and responsive distribution of humanitarian cash-based assistance, while enhancing the effectiveness and efficiency of its delivery. This study presents findings on how various humanitarian agencies are collecting and using registration and identification data in cash transfer programmes in Somalia and identifies opportunities, risks and barriers to establishing an effective integrated data system. The study is based on a systematic review of published and grey literature, as well as on key informant interviews with representatives of humanitarian agencies, donors and government officials in Somalia. The study finds that the collection of registration and identification data is largely based on individual agencies’ policies, guidelines and standard operating procedures, resulting in multiple non-interoperable data systems. Progress is being made to harmonise/integrate data systems, including using harmonised registration forms, a common database and data sharing agreements in various consortia; bilateral agreements to share registration platforms; and initiatives by donors and the government to enhance interoperability. Despite this progress, the harmonisation of data systems is still constrained by a number of technical, political, financial and organisational factors, as well as legal, fiduciary, reputational and data protection risks. The study concludes that harmonising data systems presents both long-term opportunities and short-term risks for developing a robust integrated data system for providing cash-based assistance in humanitarian contexts and supporting implementation of social protection programmes.

SIMULATION-BASED ANALYSIS OF EARTHEN HERITAGE ARCHITECTURE AS RESPONSIVE REFUGEE SHELTERS (CASE STUDY: DOMES OF NORTHERN SYRIA)

Abstract. Syria has been struggling through a continuous conflict for more than nine years so far. This conflict has had a disastrous consequence, for not only Syria urban areas but also its world heritage and historical sites. Moreover, the ongoing conflict resulted in the displacement of over 13 million people that is more than half the population; including more than 6.1 million internally displaced. This long-term encampment is a growing aspect of a growing refugee crisis. The Syrian refugees have to face another crisis in the camps due to a significant shortage of resources and support. One solution was using earthen buildings that have been a traditional architectural style in Syria for 11 thousand years. As a part of the cultural heritage, it depends on community participation and achieves environmental and economic efficiency in addition to preserving memory and identity of the place. This paper discusses the creation of sustainable shelters through the revival of heritage vernacular earthen architecture in northern Syria. A comparative analysis was conducted between the humanitarian agencies shelters (HAS) and different historical vernacular dwellings (HDS) from the same region with an arid steppe climate (hot summer and a short cold winter); they were modelled in numerical thermal simulations framework as a means to assess the shelters’ building energy demand and indoor comfort quality. The comparison resulted in the superiority of the heritage dwelling. The paper is concluded with passive approach optimization to the different historical earthen domes with consideration of the historical characteristics and background.

The Role of Leadership and Strategic Implementation in Humanitarian Agencies in Rwanda: Case of American Refugee Committee

The Role of Leadership and Strategic Implementation in Humanitarian Agencies in Rwanda: Case of American Refugee Committee