Refugee camp in Zaatari, Jordan
Design Research Book: Humanitarian Design for Displaced People by Angela Kim
Design Research Book: Humanitarian Design for Displaced People by Angela Kim
Syracuse Universit Industrial+Interaction Design Program
IND573 Thesis Research Fall 2016
“EVERY SELF-RESPECTING DESIGNER SHOULD DO SOMETHING. COME UP WITH NEW IDEAS, DUST DOWN OLD IDEAS AND PLACE THEM IN A NEW CONTEXT. SILENCE THE CYNICS. LET THE POLITICIANS KNOW THAT WHEELING AND DEALING ACHIEVES LITTLE. PROVE THAT ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS. DEMONSTRATE THE POWER OF DESIGN. DESIGNERS CAN DO MORE THAN MAKE THINGS PRETTY. DESIGN IS MORE THAN PERFUME, AESTHETICS AND TRENDS.”
– Richard van der Laken, founder of What Design Can Do
PROLOGUE “We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.” - Albert Einstein (former refugee) Currently today, we are facing the worst humanitarian crisis since World War II. There is a global struggle to find proper solutions to this emergency due to the immense complexity that lies within the problem. Today’s current crises and its statistics show that this is a challenge far too big for governments and non-governmental organizations to handle alone. It is also certainly too big for designers to tackle alone as well, however with the collaboration of everyone’s help, I believe that it is possible to help mediate this catastrophe. When we look at the past, remorse can be a common characteristic we feel. Slavery, segregation, internment camps, global climate change- we think ‘how did our society let that happen?’ In the future, I believe that society will look back at our current refugee crisis and question our current methods of humanitarian assistance- asking ‘was that really the best that we can do to help displaced people? Although I know that I cannot solve a crisis that is politcal and socioeconomical at heart, I do know that I can help make a difference in the way that we manage this situation. In regards to our current methods of addressing the refugee crisis with the same methods we used after the second world war, I believe that there is great potential in designing to improve the lives of those displaced. Refugee camps today are still poorly designed the same way prisoner of war camps were organized because at that time, post WWII refugees were seen as a security threat. Thus, why most refugee camps today are designed solely to process, contain, and securehaving little thought into human expression. The UNHCR also states that refugee camps must be temporary, however camps more seen as a permanent solution given that refugees can spend their entire liftime living there. With how much has changed over time and with the opportunities that are now available to us through new technology, I believe that there is great potential in redesigning our system of humanitarian aid. In the midst of war, terror, and natural disaster lies a tremendous opportunity in the field of design today. Design critic Alice Rawsthorn once shared that “the people who need design ingenuity the most, the poorest 90% of the global population, have historically been deprived of it.” I believe that design is more than just luxury and making things look aesthetically pleasing. Design has other strengths too. Design can be used as a tool to implement social change as well. As part of Syracuse University’s Industrial and Interaction Design program, I have dedicated my fifth year senior thesis project on addressing the needs and desires for those experiencing displacement. Over a 12week design research course, I have developed, analyzed, and synthesized information based on interviews, articles, events and observations. Through my gathering of data, I have created this research book to help guide me through my design development process for my following ideation phase of my final product/service. I hope that this design research book sparks as much awareness and interest towards the refugee crisis for you as it did for me while creating it.
TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION CHAPTER ONE: Background, History, Statistics CHAPTER TWO: Who Is Affected? CHAPTER THREE: Process of Refugees CHAPTER FOUR: Problems within our solutions CHAPTER FIVE: Design Thinking CHAPTER SIX: Possible Solutions CHAPTER SEVEN: Design Brief
Introduction In addressing the current worst refugee crisis since World War II, business and political systems are consistently failing to respond with new approaches for the challenges that arise with large scale involuntary migration. However, there are currently many European organizations that are using design tools to solve societal challenges. Solutions include a wide range of products, servics, and even toolkits for educating and training. Although political, religious, and societal problems are the core causes of this crisis, we are beginning to see a great deal of adaptations of human centered methods and expansions of design tools to create solutions.
The busiest artery run by Syrain refugee entrepreneurs in a refugee camp in Zaatari, Jordan. It is often eferred as the ‘Champs Élysées’ of the camp as it consists of shops, beauty salons and restaurants. Photo source: Jordi Matas, UNHCR
Design has the power to facilitate empowerment and equality among the displaced. “Food, shelter, and clothing are all necessary and needed. But beyond the emergency phase, we need opportunities that recognize the autonomy, skills, talents, and aspirations of refugees.�
-Alexander Betts TedTalk- author, professor and director at the University of Oxford
Pictured: The Refugee Team walking in the 2016 Rio Olympics Opening Ceremony. Ten athletes overcame everything to compete- five of these refugee athletes are originally from South Sudan, two fled from the Dominican Republic of the Congo, two escaped Syria, and one is from Ethiopia. Photosource: The Odyssey Online
In the summer of 2016, the Refugee Team at the Olympics showed the world a glimpse of the human potential possessed by them. To acknowledge their skills and knowledge, we must see the opportunities imminent in their struggles.
Refugees continue to be falsely percieved as burdensome, homogenous, too dependent, technologically illiterate and economically isolated. “In place after place, the persistent misapplication of a crisis mentality to the challenge of involuntary migration has resulted in the creation of cycles of dependency and the false categorization of refugees as threats to political stability and to economic well-being� (Hult Prize). The first step to solving any problem is always awareness. In regards to addressing this humanitarian crisis, we must challenge our prior knowledge and realize our misconceptions of refugees. Displaced people are not all poor, uneducated, dependent, or a security threat. The reality is that we would not have these misjudgements if we give refugees the same opportunities and rights that you and I had in life. The displaced are human beings that are fully capabale of making a positive contribution to society.
“Humanitarian assistance is intended to save lives, alleviate suffering and maintain human dignity during and after manmade crises and disasters caused by natural hazards, as well WHAT IS as to prevent and strengthen HUMANITARIAN preparedness for when such situations occur. Humanitarian ASSISTANCE? assistance should be governed by the key humanitarian principles of: humanity, impartiality, neutrality and independence.” -Global Humanitarian Assistance Development Initiative
“ In the field of humanitarian innovation
there’s room for design ‘for’, there’s room for design ‘with’ and there’s room for design ‘by’ the community. They don’t have to be mutually exclusive; we should have all of those approaches. In an emergency situation there is room for top-down innovations. But once people have got into place and have got settled and can think about personal development, that’s when we should be thinking about moving into design ‘by’. -Corinne Gray, UNHCR Innovation Operation Officer
”
CHAPTER ONE: BACKGROUND
“The practice of granting asylum to people fleeing persecution in foreign lands is one of the earliest hallmarks of civilization. References to it have been found in texts written 3,500 years ago, during the blossoming of the great early empires in the Middle East such as the Hittites, Babylonians, Assyrians and ancient Egyptians.� -United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
HOW DID IT START? Origins
Humanitarian aid can be traced all the way back to the 16th century when beggers appeared in the town of Troyes, France. The beggars came starving and clothed in rags as vermin and fleas covered their bodies. Fearing ‘sedition’ might spread, the rich citizens of the town came up with a resolution- move them outside of town. “The resolution of this council was that they must be put outside the town, without being told why, and after the distribution to each one of his bread and a piece of silver, they would be made to leave the town by the aforesaid gate which would be closed on the last one and it would be indicated to them over the town walls that they go to God and find their livelihood elsewhere, and that they should not return to the afresaid Troyes before the new grain from the next harvest. This was done. After the gift, the dismayed poor were driven from the town of Troyes...In the 16th century a beggar was taken care of and fed before he was sent away. At the beginning of the 17th century, his head was shaved.. Later he was flogged; and toward the end of the century repression resorted to its ultimate means and made him a convict” (Braudel, pg 40).
19th Century
In the late 19th century, organized international humanitarian aid began to form. In
1950, the second World War left nations torn apart with refugees fleeing their homelands, more than one million of them. Countries needed help and the crisis needed coordination. “Throughout the 20th century, the international community steadily assembled a set of guidelines, laws and conventions to ensure the adequate treatment of refugees and protect their human rights. The process began under the League of Nations in 1921. In July 1951, a diplomatic conference in Geneva adopted the Convention relating to the Status of Refugees (‘1951 Convention’), which was later amended by the 1967 Protocol. These documents clearly spell out the definition of a refugee and the kind of legal protection, and other assistance and social rights a refugee is entitled to receive. It also defines a refugee’s obligations to host countries and specifies certain categories of people, such as war criminals, who do not qualify for refugee status. Initially, the 1951 Convention was more or less limited to protecting European refugees in the aftermath of World WarII, but the 1967 Protocol expanded its scope as the problem of displacement spread around the world” (UNHCR).
Development of Global Issues
In 1956, Hungarians rose up against Soviet occupation and were crushed. Two hundred thousand people fled their country- UNHCR’s first emergency. In 1960, decolonization and wars in Africa forced hundred of thousands to flee. Refugees were no longer a post World War European issue, it could be found across the world. So the legal foundation guiding the UNHCR’s work changed in the 1967 New UNHCR Protocal to have global responsibilty for refugees. In the 1970s, the spotlight of conflict shone on Latin America and Asia. In the 1980s and 1990s, new wars erupted in Africa, the Middle East, and Southern Europe causing the number of those in need to spiral upwards in Lebanon, Somaila, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, and Uganda.
Internally Displaced People
At the end of the 20th century, in a world of civil wars, ethnic conflict, and natural disasters, there were new victims- the internally displaced. Driven from their homes, but not their countries, UN guiding principals identified a this new group of need as: “Internally displaced persons are persons or groups of persons who have been forced or obliged to flee or to leave their homes or places of habitual residence, in particular as a result of or in order to avoid the effects of armed conflict, situations of generalied violations of human rights or natural or human-made disasters, and who have not crossed an internationally recognized State border” (UNHCR).
Involvement Inside Conflict Zones
As conflicts have altered, the way that the UNHCR addresses them have also changed. In the Balkans during the 1990s, the UNHCR moved towards directly into the conflict zones; something that they have never done before and still continues to do so- creating reception centers, refugee camps, and resettlements.
The 1951 Convention and its 1967 Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees
Article 14 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights 1948 “recognizes the right of persons to seek asylum from persecution in other countries...the United Nations Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, adopted in 1951, is the centrepiece of international refugee protection today” (UN General Assembly resolution 429(V)of 1950). “The 1951 Refugee Convention is the key legal document that forms the basis of our work. Ratifiedby 145 State parties, it defines the term ‘refugee’ and outlines the rights of the displaced, as well as the legal obligations of States to protect them... It defines a refugee as a person who is outside his or her country of nationality or habitual residence; has a well founded fear of being persecuted because of his or her race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion; and is unable or unwilling to avail him—or herself of the protection of that country, or to return there, for fear of persecution...Initially, the 1951 Convention was more or less limited to protecting European refugees in the aftermath of World WarII, but the 1967 Protocol expanded its scope as the problem of displacement spread around the world. These instruments have also helped inspire important regional instruments such as the 1969 OAU Refugee Convention in Africa, the 1984 Cartagena Declaration in Latin America and the development of a common asylum system in the European Union. Today, the 1951 Convention and 1967 Protocol together remain the cornerstone of refugee protection, and their provisions are as relevant now as when they were drafted.”
-United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
A refugee is “someone who is unable or unwilling to return to their country of origin owing to a well founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group, or political opinion” (1951 Convention).
Signing of the 1951 Convention on July 28, 1951 at Palais des Nations, Geneva. Photosource: UN Audiovisual Library of International Law
Notable fundamental principles of the 1951 Convention:
1. non-discrimination 2. non-penalization 3. non-refoulement
“The Convention further stipulates that, subject to specific exceptions, refugees should not be penalized for their illegal entry or stay. This recognizes that the seeking of asylum can require refugees to breach immigration rules... Importantly, the Convention contains various safeguards against the expulsion of refugees. The principle of non-refoulement is so fundamental that no reservations or derogations may be made to it. It provides that no one shall expel or return (“refouler”) a refugee against his or her will, in any manner whatsoever, to a territory where he or she fears threats to life or freedom” (1951 Convention).
REFOULMENT
Refoulement means the expulsion of persons who have the right to be recognised as refugees. The principle of non-refoulement has first been laid out in 1954 in the UN-Convention relating to the Status of Refugees, which, in Article 33(1) provides that: “No Contracting State shall expel or return (‘refouler’) a refugee in any manner whatsoever to the frontiers of territories where his life or freedom would be threatened on account of his race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion.” It is important to note, that the principle of non-refoulement does not only forbid the expulsion of refugees to their country of origin but to any country in which they might be subject to persecution. The only possible exception provided for by the UN Convention is the case that the person to be expelled constitutes a danger to national security (Art 33(2)).1 Although the principle of non-refoulement is universally accepted, problems with refoulement frequently arise through the fact, that its application requires a recognised refugee status. However, not all countries are members to the UN Convention relating to the Status of Refugees or may not have established formal procedures for determining refugee status. 1Note on Non-Refoulement (Submitted by the High Commissioner on Human Rights), (EC/SCP/2), 23rd August 1977
PRIMA FACIE
An asylum-seeker is someone whose request for sanctuary has yet to be processed. Every year, around one million people seek asylum. National asylum systems are in place to determine who qualifies for international protection. However, during mass movements of refugees, usually as a result of conflict or violence, it is not always possible or necessary to conduct individual interviews with every asylum seeker who crosses a border. These groups are often called ‘prima facie’ refugees. -UNHCR ASYLUM/AMNESTY is the legal route, but many cross borders illegally because the application process is too slow for the displaced when in urgent need to flee.
“
Who does the 1951 Convention protect? The 1951 Convention protects refugees. It defines a refugee as a person who is outside his or her country of nationality or habitual residence; has a well-founded fear of being persecuted because of his or her race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion; and is unable or unwilling to avail him— or herself of the protection of that country, or to return there, for fear of persecution (see Article 1A(2)). People who fulfill this definition are entitled to the rights and bound by the duties contained in the 1951 Convention.
What is the difference between a refugee and a migrant?
Refugees are forced to flee because of a threat of persecution and because they lack the protection of their own country. A migrant, in comparison, may leave his or her country for many reasons that are not related to persecution, such as for the purposes of employment, family reunification or study. A migrant continues to enjoy the protection of his or her own government, even when abroad.
Is refugee protection permanent? The protection provided under the 1951 Convention is not automatically permanent.A person may no longer be a refugee when the basis for his or her refugee status ceases to exist. This may occur when, for example, refugees voluntary repatriate to their home countries once the situation there permits such return. It may also occur when refugees integrate or become naturalized in their host countries and stay permanently.
Can someone be excluded from refugee protection?
Yes. The 1951 Convention only protects persons who meet the criteria for refugee status. Certain categories of people are considered not to deserve refugee protection and should be excluded from such protection. This includes persons for whom there are serious reasons to suspect that: • they have committed a crime against peace, a war crime, a crime against humanity or a serious non- political crime outside their country of refuge; or • they are guilty of acts contrary to the purposes and principles of the United Nations
What rights do refugees have under the 1951 Convention?
The 1951 Convention contains a number of rights and also highlights the obligations of refugees towards their host country. The cornerstone of the 1951 Convention is the principle of non-refoulement contained in Article 33. According to this principle, a refugee should not be returned to a country where he or she faces serious threats to his or her life or freedom. This protection may not be claimed by refugees who are reasonably regarded as a danger to the security of the country, or having been convicted of a particularly serious crime, are considered a danger to the community. Other rights contained in the 1951 Convention include: • The right not to be expelled, except under certain, strictly defined conditions (Article 32);
• The right not to be punished for illegal entry into the territory of a contracting State (Article31); • The right to work (Articles 17 to 19); • The right to housing (Article 21); • The right to education (Article 22); • The right to public relief and assistance (Article 23); • The right to freedom of religion (Article 4); • The right to access the courts (Article 16); • The right to freedom of movement within the territory (Article26); and • The right to be issued identity and travel documents (Articles 27 and 28)
Some basic rights, including the right to be protected from refoulement, apply to all refugees. A refugee becomes entitled to other rights the longer they remain in the host country, which is based on the recognition that the longer they remain as refugees, the more rights they need.
What rights does the 1967 Protocol contain?
The 1967 Protocol broadens the applicability of the 1951 Convention. The 1967 Protocol removes the geographical and time limits that were part of the 1951 Convention. These limits initially restricted the Convention to persons who became refugees due to events occurring in Europe before 1 January 1951.
Does a refugee also have obligations?
Refugees are required to abide by the laws and regulations of their country of asylum and respect measures taken for the maintenance of public order.
Who determines whether a person is a refugee? How is this done?
Protecting refugees is primarily the responsibility of States. This may be done by an individual or group assessment as to whether they meet the definition in the Convention. Although the 1951 Convention does not prescribe a particular procedure for the determination of whether a person is a refugee, where an individual assessment is the preferred approach, any procedures must be fair and efficient. This would require that States designate a central authority with the relevant knowledge and expertise to assess applications, ensure procedural safeguards are available at all stages of the process and permit appeals or reviews of initial decisions. UNHCR has been tasked to assist States to establish such procedures.
Is the 1951 Convention the only instrument relevant to the rights of refugees?
No. The 1951 Convention is the only global legal instrument dealing with the status and rights of refugees. In addition to the 1951 Convention, there are several conventions and declarations that are of particular relevance in specific regions. For example, there are legal instruments on refugees that apply in Africa, Latin America and the European Union. There is also a substantial body of international human rights law that complements the rights of refugees in the 1951 Convention. States are already committed to protecting the human rights of refugees through their human rights obligations, not least the right to live in security and with dignity.
”
An exerpt from “The 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and its 1978 Protocol” by the UNHCR (United Nations Refugee Agency)
75 YEARS OF MAJOR REFUGEE CRISES EUROPE
ASIA
1940
World 40 million displaced War II Europeans 1945
1947 Partition of India + Pakistan
1950
1948- 1950 Post World War II 1 million displaced Russians, Ukrainians, Belarusans
1955
1940-1950 Post World War II 13 million
displaced Germans from Soviet Union, Czechoslovakia, and Poland between
1945-1950 Post World War II 11.3 million displaced forced labor workers from Europe to Germany
14 million displaced Indians & Pakistanis
1945-1950 Establishment of the Jewish State 750,000 displaced Palestinians from Israel to West Bank, Gaza Strip, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria
1950-1954 Chinese Cultural Revolution 385,000 displaced political dissidents from China to Hong Kong
1954-1956 Communist North Vietnam
1960
1965
1 million displaced predominantly Roman Catholics from North Vietnam to South Vietnam
1967 Arab-Israeli War 300,000 displaced Palestinians from West Bank and Gaza to Jordan, Syria, Egypt
1965-1972 Vietnam War 1970
2.7 million displaced Vietnamese fighting in war from South to North Vietnam
Europe Asia
size of dot represents # of displaced
AFRICA
Africa
AMERICAS
Americas 1940
1945
1950
1955
1960
1960 Algerian War of Independence 1 million displaced Algerians flee to Morocco and Tunisia
1960- 1964 Belgian supported Hutu coup 150,000 displaced Tutsis from Rwanda to Burundi, Congo, Uganda
1965
1967 Biafran War 2million displaced Nigerians, mostly internally
1970
75 YEARS OF MAJOR REFUGEE CRISES EUROPE 1970
ASIA 1971 Bangladesh War of Independence 10 million displaced Bengalis from East Pakistan to India
1974 Laotion Civil War
120,000 displaced mostly Hmong, from Laos to Thailand + internally
1975
1978 Burmese Expulsion 150,000-250,000 displaced Rohingya people from Burma to Bangladesh
1979 Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan
1980
6.3 million displaced Afghans to Iran and Pakistan
1989-1993 Fighting in Georgia 1985
320,000 displaced Georgians from Abkhazia and Osseta to Georgia and Russia
1976-1985 Cambodian Civil War 375,000 displaced Cambodians internally and to Thailand
1980-1988 Iran-Iraq War 1990 Armenia and Azerbaijan Fight Over Nagorno-Karabakh 1990
800,000 displaced Arrmenians and Azerbaijanis from Nagorono-Karabakh to Armenia and Azerbaijan
1991 Chechnya Independence 150,000 displaced non-Chechens to other parts of Russian Federation
600,000 displaced Iraqis from Iraq to Iran
1991 Iraqi Supression 1.82 million displaced Iraqis and Kurds from Iraq internally, Turkey, Iran
1991 Croatian War of Independence 550,000 displaced Serbs and Croats from war of independence and ethnic cleansing- flee internally and to neighboring countries
1992 Civil War in Tajikistan
600,000 displaced Tajiks, Russians, Uzbeks
1991=1992 Prosecutuon by Burmese Government 250,000 displaced Burmese from Rohingya from Burma to Bangladesh
AFRICA
AMERICAS 1970
1972 Uganda Expulsion Order 50,000 displaced South Asians from Uganda to Britain, Canada, India
1977-1979 Somali Invasion of Ethipoia 620,000 displaced people in Ethiopia flee to Somalia
1975
1979 Rebellion in Rhodesia 210,000 displaced white nationalists from Rhodesia to Mozambique, Bostwana, Zambia
1980
1978-1984 Ethipoian Invasion of Eritrea 500,000 displaced Eritreans from Ethiopia (now Eritrea) to Sudan
1976-1992 Civil War in Mozambique 5.7 million displaced Mozambicans internally and to Malawai
1994 Rwandan Genocide
3.5 million displaced Rwandans (2 million refugees and 1.5 million internally dispalced) to Zaire, Tanzania, Burundi and Uganda
1981-1989 Civil Wars in Central America 2 million displaced from Nicaragua, Guatemala, El Salvador to Honduras, Belize, Mexico,and Costa Rica
1985
1990
75 YEARS OF MAJOR REFUGEE CRISES EUROPE
ASIA
1975-1995 Vietnam War 800,000 displaced Vietnamese from Hong Kong, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand
1994 Russian Suppression of Chechens
1995
1989-1993 250,000 displaced Chechens Secessionist from Chechnya to Ingueshetia, Fighting in Georgia Dagestan and North Ossetia 320,000 displaced 1994-1995 Conflict Following the Georgians from Breakup of Yugoslavia in Bosnia Abkhazia & Osseta to and Herzegovina Georgia & Russia
2000
1989-1998 Serbian Revocation of Kosovo’s Independent Status
2.5 million displaced Muslims and Croats from Bosnia and Herzegovina to Germany, neighboring countries, Bosnia, Herzegovina
350,000 displaced Kosovar Albanians from Kosovo to Western Europe
1998-1999NATO Airstrikes in Response to Serbian Oppresion
1999 Indonesian Supression of East Timor 540,000 displaced East Timor people- half internally/half to West Timor
800,000 displaced Kosovar Albanians from Kosovo to Albania, Macedonia, Montenengro, Western Europe
2005
2003-2015 US Invasion of Iraq 1.9 million displaced Iraqis both internally and to neighboring countries
2010
2012-2015 Repression in Burma
2011-2015 War in Syria 2015
12 million displaced Syrians (7.6m internally and 4.1m refugees) from Syria to Turkey, Lebnon, Jordan, and Western Europe
891,000 displaced Burmese are refugees, IDPs, or without citizenship entirely because of military regime’s persecution of ehtnic minorities, including the Rohingya
AFRICA
AMERICAS
1995
2000
2005
2000-2015 Civil Conflict in Columbia 5,841,040 internally displaced in 2015 because of a long running fight between the government and rebel forces
2010
2015
2013-2015 South Sudanese Civil War 2,230,000 displaced people caused by rebellion in 2013
V E R Y O N
CHAPTER TWO: WHO ARE AFFECTED?
PRIMA FACIE
CHILDREN NGOs
asylum se
IDP (intern
RETURNEES
H O S T
MIGRAN UNITED NATIONS
REFUGEES
nally displaced people) C O U N T R I E S
NTS
RESETTLEMENT AGENCIES
displaced people
STATELESS PEOPLE
eekers
ECONOMIC MIGRANT
“It is estimated that there are more than 1 billion refugees in the world today, and that number is rising fast. The number includes official refugees (65 million) as defined by the United Nations. But when we add in the 50 million people under the threat of migration due to environmental degradation, the 100 million people living in states of social, economic and political crisis, plus the 860 million people who have left their home to illegally setup in an informal settlement or “slum”, the Hult Prize estimates that over one billion people are living under refugee like conditions.” -Hult Prize Organization
65 MILLION
‘official’ refugees
50 MILLION
under threat of relocation due to environmental degradation
+
+
100 MILLION
forced to relocate due to social, political or economic crisis
+
860 MILLION
illegally set up in informal settlement or slum
FIGURES AT A GLANCE
2016 Migrant Crisis
CHAD 369,000
JORDAN 664,000
IRAN 979,00
UGANDA 477,000
TURKEY
2.51 million
PAKISTAN 1.58 million
ETHIPOIA 2736,000
KENYA 553,000
LEBANON DR Congo 383,000
1.07 million
Top 10 Host Countries and the total number of refugees in transition situations.
SOMALIA 1.1 million
SYRIA 4.9 million SUDAN 641,000
AFGHANISTAN 2.7million
SOUTH SUDAN 727,000
Top Refugee Countries of Origin and the total number of refugees.
VI C T I M S
“
REFUGEES Refugees are people fleeing conflict or persecution. ASYLUM SEEKER An asylum-seeker has the same requirements and rights as a refugee, but they seek international protection once they have already fled into another country- sometimes illegal stay at first until status is granted and seekers become legal. INTERNALLY DISPLACED PEOPLE (IDP), the internally displaced seek safety in other parts of their country. INTERNALLY DISPLACED PEOPLE IDP for short, the internally displaced seek safety in other parts of their country. STATELESS PEOPLE Stateless people do not have a nationality and can struggle to realize their human rights. RETURNEES Returnees are people who have finally returned home. -United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
”
Governments Politicians United Nations Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) Volunteers Private sectors Civil Society Foundations Private Donors Medical Professionals Innovators Designers Architects Entrepreneurs Consultants Scientists Engineers Investors Developers Teachers Technicians Students Schools
EVERYONE
CAN
CONTRIBUTE,
EVEN
YOU
&
ME.
REFUGEES vs ASYLUM SEEKERS The status of asylum and refugee are often interchangeably used within the laws of immigration among different countires. However, for those applying for asylum status or refugee status, the distinction is crucial.
{
REFUGEES flee from persecution for reasons of:
race religion nationality
membership of a particular social group or political opinion
and are requesting protection while overseas- not inside the host country yet.
ASYLUM SEEKERS flee from persecution for reasons of:
{
race religion nationality same reasons
refugees
membership of a particular social group or political opinion
and are requesting protection while being already inside the host country.
Can’t request refugee status if already inside the host country and can’t request asylum if outside the host country. Applying inside the host country- asylum seeker. Applying overseas- refugee.
PLOTS IN PLAY IN SYRIA -Those who operate as the local representative of international terrorist organizations -Those who create chaos by their own brand of terroism -Arms dealers competing to get rid of stock -Those who experiment with new war technologies -Smugglers -Frontex -UNHCR -Border Control -Officers -UN -UNHCR -IRC- International Rescue Committee -IFRC- International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies -UNESCO -UNICEF -Doctors Without Borders -Startupboat -Government Donors -Non-Governmental Organizations -Startups -Private Sector Supporters
CHAPTER THREE: THE PROCESS
MIGRATE
CONFLICT
ARRIVAL CLAIM FOR ASYLUM
EMERGENCY SHELTER
APPLY FOR CITIZENSHIP ASYLUM GRANTED
NEW START VOLUNTARY RETURN TO HOME COUNTRY
IRREGULAR STAY REJECTION
APPEAL
FINAL REJECTION FORCED RETURN TO HOME COUNTRY
“The refugee cycle consists of four distinct but consecutive phases that represent the journey that every migrant must face as a result of a crisis at home.” -Hult Prize
1. PRE-MOVEMENT 2. IN-MOTION 3. TEMPORARY RELOCATION 4. TEMPORARY STATUS
1. PRE-MOVEMENT 2. IN-MOTION -Internally displaced people -Fleeing to another country
3. TEMPORARY RELOCATION 4. TEMPORARY STATUS
SMUGGERLS ROUTE Different routes that people have taken (TRUE STORIES)
<interview> Lorina Mpingaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Journey from the DR Congo to Tanzania
CHAPTER FOUR: SYNTHESIZED PROBLEMS
CRISIS OF IMAGINATION
EDUCATION
CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT MIGRATION PHASE
PROBLEMS AREAS REGARDING THE REFUGEE CRISIS
MENTAL HEALTH
CURRENT SYSTEM
SECURITY
1
Affinity Diagramming To synthesize all of the problems within the refugee crisis, I used a design method called affinity diagramming. This process is used to externalize and meaningfully cluster insights and observations from my research.
1
Predefined Categories List all data collected in research
2
Defined Categories
Cluster specific details into groups
3
Overarching Themes
Categorize again into more general themes
2
3
PROBLEM AREAS 1. Current System 2. Migration Process 3. Refugee Camps 4. Mental Health 6. Childhood Development 5. Education 7. Crisis of Imagination
Why is our current system of humanitarian aid failing? Some of these problems stem from: - outdated methods - barriers within foreign policy - lengthy waiting times - our failures as society - lack of security
“We’re doing humanitarian aid as we did 70 years ago after the second world war. Nothing has changed.” -Kilian Kleinschmidt, a former UNHCR high commissioner
Outdated Applications: ‘PRISONER OF WAR’ camps
When Kilian Kleinschmidt, former UNHCR high commissioner, visited the Zaatari refugee camp in Jordan, he noticed that generic infrastructure provided by aid organizations was often not appreciated by the refugees. To better reflect their own needs and aspirations, refugees are hacking generic infrastructure, hacking the electricity system to power businesses, building fountains and even swimming pools. Refugees are turning a non-place to a place mostly because the our humanitarian aid is outdated, using the same methods as we did after WWII. “The refugee laws are a response to WWII, and while displacement camps existed prior to WWII, it was only in the immediate aftermath of the war that a legal “refugee” was born into existence. At that moment, the legal space of the refugee camp was also founded. With populations scattered everywhere in Europe, refugees were seen as a security threat and the responsibility was thus entrusted to militaries. Militaries therefore used POW camps, prisons, and military barracks to contain, order, and redistribute displaced populations. Military camp planning and design goes back to the Roman era, as spatial structures to maximize the needs of efficiency, not humanity. Consequently, todays camps are designed using the same spatial structure. A refugee camp is made to process, contain, and secure an individual. It is not a space to facilitate the expression of rights” -Mitchell Sipus, The Humanitarian Space
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REFUGEE is a LEGAL TERM
“Technically, before 1951, there was no such thing as a refugee but simply displaced people with no legal status. The term ‘refugee’ acquires its legal meaning from the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees. Notably, while a country may agree to accept people seeking asylum to provide “protection,” each signatory may withhold elements of the convention. For example, if you are a refugee in Egypt, you have the right to “protection” but you do not have the right to health care, the right to education, or the right to employment because the state of Egypt has withheld those rights in its signature. By withholding rights, a government strategically removes incentive for a refugee to remain in country.
Protection is defined BUT THE OPERATIONALIZATION IS NOT
Protection is define in the 1951 Convention but the operationalization is not. This is a big issue. Countries who are providing “protection” in accordance to the expectations of the legal agreement are not bound to provide a particular quality or form of protection. The language is intentionally vague so that each country may decide what protection will look like. Ultimately, they can do as they please (more or less) aside from a few specific restrictions, such as unlawfully sending a refugee back to the country of origin if the threat remains. But within state borders, a state can treat the refugee however it pleases within the boundaries of it’s own law.
Refugee camps are TEMPORARY
Camps are to be temporary so as to encourage the return toward home (repatriation). Usually, we think of camps as a way to safely help a population in need. But protracted encampment is a different issue. Ultimately governments encourage camps with the means to isolate a population (due to xenophobia), facilitate the responsibility of “protection”, and to encourage repatriation. Therefore a refugee camp cannot be nice getaway from a conflict because that incites refugees to remain indefinitely.
The United Nations Refugee Agency has ZERO ACCOUNTABILITY
If you ask a UNHCR professional about this they will disagree and say that UNHCR is accountable to the broader expectations of the UN or are accountable to the media and to the public. But this isn’t really true because a discontent public has no legal recourse to counteract UNHCR. It is simply a branch of the UN, and does not go on trial under the UN system because there is no such thing as a UN Court. The biggest problem UNHCR can experience is a drop in donor funding, yet as UNHCR is primarily a political tool to exert outcomes derived by internal politics, there is little advantage in reducing funding. Ultimately UNHCR can get bad press, but a donor still pays them for a desired outcome intent that the bad press will never come back to the donor itself. -Mitchell Sipus, The Humanitarian Space
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Length Waiting Time
The political barriers are the reasons for the long period of time refugees must wait such as having no documentation and the nature of unpredictable laws.. The length of time that displaced must wait to get registered and resettled is a huge problem within the journey refugees go through. From waiting at reception centers for weeks and even months, to waiting at refugee camps for years and years. In a recent episode of BBC’s program “BBC World Service’s More or Less program”which examines facts behind quoted statistic, a question regarding to the waiting time for refugees in camps was asked:
“Is it really true that the average stay in a refugee camp is now 17 years?”
-BBC, World Service’s More or Less Program
BBC proved that while this statistic originates from a nine year old publicaiton by the UNHCR, it also did not specifically refer to the proportion of refugees living in camps. It also only included refugees registered with the UNHCR and excludes current Palestinian and Syrian refugees-which is a large population. “While the oft-quoted ’17 year’ statistic is not true today, the length of time individuals and families spend away from their homes varies enormously” (Meban, Focus On Refugees).
“For many people around the world, a stay in a refugee camp could last an entire lifetime.” -Meban, Focus On Refugees PROBLEMS WITH WAITING:
“It is like a prison. There is nothing to do, you are just eating and sleeping.” -Interview with Jay Subedi, former Bhutanese refugee who lived in a camp in Nepal
“The problem with children who are refugees being stuck in camps for a long time is that a lot of them aren’t getting an education, whether it be having no money for it, having trauma that relates to shelling on schools, or simply that there just are no schools for them to go to in these camps and outside these camps. Children are living in camps for years and years without any education.”
-Interview with Michelle Kim, United States United Nations Advisor
Refugee camps by law must be temporary, however it seems impossible for refugees to have this temporary mindset when they are living there for their entire lives. Political laws and regulations strictly forbid permanent infrastructure or economic growth. However, we are beginning to see that government and politics are not stopping refugees from building more permanent housing structures and creating an economy within the camp like Zaatari, Jordan’s camp.
Migration Process
-Dangerous and arduous migration -Must pack lightly -Lost family members -When fleeing, you don’t know where you’re going sometimes, you just run. -Some navigate with phone, but battery dies -Must flee at in the dark at night so you don’t get killed in visible daylight -Have to be very quiet so rebels don’t hear you -Babies are given sleeping pills because their crying is too loud -Dangerous boat migration- 4,000+ asylum seekers drowned this year alone, 3,771 in 2015. -Families spend entire life savings to be smuggled -Sometimes the smugglers do not come for them and their money is wasted
Our Failures
-Failed to respond to the aspirations of their inhabitants -Only end up on social media after they tragedy -The biggest atrocity is speaking up and then being forgotten and ignored -Lack of interest and investment -Economic discrimination leaves victims with no opportunities -We have more refugees but less money and less political will -Hungary treating refugees horribly -Hampering of the delivery of aid -Fear of religious extremeists -Xenophobia -Social exclusion -Slovakia only takes in non-muslims because they don’t have mosques -Oppression -False perceptions -”Are we like what you see in the media?” -Syrian refugee , Salam Neighbor -Distorted understandings of different cultures -Misleading news agencies -FEARS vs REALITIES -Perception that Arabs are terrorists -Perception that refugees are a drain on local economies and nations.
Security
-Abuse by officials -Turkish border control officers abused and shot syrian refugees -sexual assualt going unoticed -Authorities failed to notice 30 Syrian children were raped for months at Nizip, Southern Tuerkey -Human traffickers and organ mafias -Children walk through chemical weapons -Aid workers are afraid of the populaiton they are serving. -Occasional security incidents require immediate relocation of teams
Mental Health
-”He has no money, all he has are the clothes on his back and his family” (Jay Subedi Interview) -Babies grow up with gun shots, not lullabies -Psychological problems from war -Nothing out of the ordinary mentality -When traumatized, we need to plant a seed a hope -”They erased Aleppo from the face of Aleppo” -Hopeless, anger, vulnerability, powerlessness -Childhood development impacted negatively from war -Loss of identity -Want to be recognized as a human being -Mental illness -”Everyone knows you and then you move and you have to start all over again. It takes time to get to know you again.” -Khawla Wakkaf Interview, Syrian student at SU -They want to do things for themselves, but theyre not given the opportunity to do so -Trauma from war- prevent kids from school -Disruptive social life -Some children grew up with only seeing war, nothing else. -”You flee, but the pain is still there.” -Language and Culture barriers -Forced to be reliant on services- negate the opportunity to advance and simultaneaously undermining the ability for return -Cripples dignity and prosperity -Commonality: all displaced people sacrifice identity, dignity, community
Other: Calais Jungle Camp- Were forced to leave camp and the consequence was that refugees were camping out in tents inside the city of Paris. Similar situation as refugee camp in Dadaab, Kenya- forced to close down.
-PBS Frontline Documentary, Children of Syria Produced by Marcel Mettelsieten- April 19, 2016
“Someone will walk into a sniper zone without knowing and then when he’s walking, he’s shot.” -They hang sheets across between buildings in the streets to act as blinds. -Kids play in ruins -Instead of playing with dolls and toys, kids re-enact killings a nd hangings “Sometimes, I envy the dead. Because they’re finally found somewhere to settle down” - Hala. -PBS Frontline Documentary, Children of Syria Produced by Marcel Mettelsieten- April 19, 2016
CHAPTER FIVE:
DESIGN THINKING
-Top-bottom design -Jon Kolko’s wicked problem -humanitarian design -design methods -design considerations: -design is us w/ them IDEO quote + ”nothing for us without us” -not every refugee context is identical, and so in choosing solutions we need to consider what is appropriate for that specific context.
WHAT IS DESIGNING FOR SOCIAL GOOD? Humanitarian design serves a purpose to make things better for humanity - to help reduce suffering and inequality while increasing peace, health and happiness.
HUMANITARIAN DESIGN Designing to reduce suffering and inequality, while promoting peace, health and happiness.
What Can I Do? -Talk about it. Don’t have to go out and save the world. Its important to have a good idea, but it is also important to see what can be achieved with that idea. We need to talk to the people we are designing for (refugees, asylum seekers, internally displaced people, stateless people) because we have been doing the same humanitarian aid since 1951; Because so much has changed since then, we must learn and understand what the displaced struggle through CURRENTLY- not just basing aid off of the knowledge we had 65 years ago. “When you find someone deeply traumatized, the first thing you do is plant a seed of hope. We shouldn’t sit in our tents and think of our misery. If we do, we will die of depression.”- Salam Neighbor Documentary Designing for TRAUMA: Help- children from not slipping too far behind in school, not to replace school but to help them to get ready to go back. They have the desire to go back and rebuild their homes, but first they need the education, skills and knowledge to rebuild.
<Cheissam (Outreach Officer @ IRC at Zataari, Jordan>
CHAPTER SIX:
POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS
1. Innovation
(enabling testing of new ideas that is less different for everyone)
2. Rigor (Push for data)
3. Flexibility
(every entrepreneur knows that first prototype is not the one that generally works, need flexibility to adapt/ bottom-top design thinking)
4. Partnership
(need to bring in ALL parties- state, public sector, private and societal sectors)
ALEXANDER BETTS- TedTalk “Our Refugee System is Failing. Here’s How We Can Fix It” Idea 1: Enable Environments Idea 2: Economic Zones (give jobs to refugees within camps) Idea 3: Preference Match (match what State wants with what refugees want- MATCHING MARKETS) Idea 4: Humanitarian Visas (allows people to collect visa at neighboring country to travel around)- undercut smugglers, Brazil offers humanitarian visa 100%, 1922-1942 Nansen, France). ABILITY TO MAKE CONTRIBUTIONS, ONLY IF WE LET THEM. RATIONAL REALISTIC WAYS OF MANAGING.
“Why are we warehousing talented people and why do we see them as a burden on society?” -Perception. Uganda: Exceptional housing, giving refugees basic freedoms, basic socioeconomic freedoms. Right to work. Qualitative research, pacipatory. PEOPLE WITH POTENTIAL IF WE INVEST AND SUPPORT THEM. -Contribute to our economy and society. JORDAn is a country that is trying to become a manufacturing country that lacks labor and investment by businesses- Give this opportunity to Syrians. THE SOCIAL IMPACT BOND: Helps fund initiatives with a social goal through private moneywith govt paying back the investors if the initiative works. <New Business model for Social Change> if they get the govt to agree, then can create a contract where they only pay if it worked. Gies option for govt. to try out different things without the embarrassment of paying and failing. PROBLEM: takes a long time to measure outcomes- use contract to raise money from socially motivated investors. March 2010- signed bond with Ministry of Justice around Peterborough Prison- Prisoners come out of jail and is met by someone who evaluated issues inside prison; Person takes prisoner to connect them with benefits, connects to employers and whatever is needed.
To promote respect for diversity and human dignity and reduce intolerance, discrimination, and social exclusion.
THINK GREEN PIEZOELECTRICITY 1. Using piezoelectricity to conduct electricity within refugee camps Apply in areas that create the most footfall/footprint- food centers, registration centers, community centers.
SMUGGLE/ESCAPE KIT? Problem: have to travel at night so the regime doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t see/hear and shoot you. Rocky path- kids falling, babies given sleeping pills so you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t hear them cry. -sustainable -solar power -prarie wagons -heating blanket -human heat
PUBLIC FUNDRAISING EXAMPLES:
Project 7: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Project 7 sells gum, snacks, bottled water and clothing. For each product purchased they make a corresponding donations for things like fruit trees, meals, digging wells, and providing education. Products are available in many retail stores, as well as on their website.â&#x20AC;?
TOMS: Probably the most well known of the one-for-one companies, TOMS has expanded beyond their classic canvas shoe model to sell boots, eyeglasses and more, all with their one-for-one donation match. Products are sold in many stores, as well as online.
FIGS: As part of their Threads for Threads program, Figs will donate a pair of scrubs to a healthcare provider in a developing country for every pair purchased on their site. -Livestrong Bracelets -Lokai Bracelets -Product Red For awareness-raising venues (like college campuses, churches, etc, where a physical presence/ presentation is happening), create an objects that people can walk away with (for free) so that they don’t forget- audience for people who forget about this crisis. I believe that physical objects carry much more significance than informational pamphlets, which tend to get lost on surfaces throughout one’s home or office, get avalanched by other pamphlets to read “someday when I have the time,” then ultimately get tossed in the recycle bin. Three dimensional objects, on the other hand. have more “currency” or significance, and these days can be very cheaply produced. People are MUCH less apt to throw it out, especially if they can find a use for it (paperweight, refrigerator magnet, etc.), and there it is, in their face daily, consciously or sub-consciously working on them to not forget. This object would have the website address and act as a “bridge of rememberance” between the awarenessraising presentation and the website where they will hopefully then purchase other objects/ products offered for monetary support toward the refugee crisis.
CONVERSATION NETWORK to eliminate
COMMUNICATION BARRIERS Addressing the lack of communication between: Refugees + Public World Refugees + camp aid workers/ camp organizations Camps + Sponsors/ Charitable Organizations
aid workers and organizations Sending things that they donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t need. (Laziah Benjamin interview- one company just sent tablets) Online platform that serves all-
Addressing the lack of communication between
Refugees + the Public World : PENPAL IDEA As part of design research, interviews are an essential part of the process. For my research, I conducted various interviews with former refugees, people from war-torn Syria on a student visa, professors, volunteer workers and organizations, news correspondants, and US United Nations advisors. However, I realized that I couldn’t interview those who matter the most- refugees, asylum seekers, and internally displaced people who are currently still living in war-torn areas, refugee camps, and unestabilished terrortories. As a result, I had to use existing interviews from third party sources like news agencies and social media. While looking for interviews of refugees, I realized that there are important problems that arise from news outlets and the media.
PROBLEM 1. People do not understand what is going on at the time until after it has happened, when it becomes recorded history. 2. The overwhelming amount of bad news can make it hard for us to fully comprehend individual news. 3. News eventually becomes forgotten, thus the refugee crisis is often forgotten. 4. People only know what we learn. Often times, people do not understand the scale of a crisis until it becomes recorded history in which we read about after the event. News agencies and social media are effective tools used to discover and understand news and stories. Through the use of technology, we are able to learn the horrifying realities refugees face today without actually witnessing it in person. However, the sad truth is that we are constantly fed massive amount of sad news going on in the world, often making it hard for us to fully comprehend. This endless overflow of negative information also causes people to forget about specific crises’ they once were so invested in. “The biggest atrocity is speaking out to the public, and then being forgotten and ignored” (Khawla Wakaaf, Syrian immigrant). Unfortunately, only the top trending stories flood our news feed while the rest are undermined. For example, the Syrian refugee crisis grabbed the media’s attention when a photo was released of a Syrian boy who was found dead on a beach in Turkey when fleeing the armed conflict. This photo echoed around the world and was a major topic of discussion. However, we must realize that this boy is just one of millions of vulnerable people who are dying or enduring immense pain due to the conflict.
It is great that top news stories on refugees can spark much discussion and empathy, but what if we could learn about the less publicized stories of refugees as well? What if every individual refugee could share their story and receive the same quality of response? SOLUTION: A service that provides a way for the general public to interact with displaced people who are not within their location.
A one to one dialogue/experience with displaced people can help outsiders develop a deeper understanding of the struggles refugees face, as well as creating empathy, Rather than reading about it on the news/social media and then forgetting about it as time passes, this will create a more personal and meaningful experience in hopes of remembering this crisis and storing it into our tacit knowledge. ELIMINATES false perceptions, ENHANCES our understanding and LEAVES a lasting imprint on our lives.
CHAPTER FIVE:
DESIGN BRIEF
DESIGN BRIEF: How can design facilitate empowerment and equality to help refugees solve their own problems? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Refigees have skills, ideas, hopes and dreams... They are also tough, resilient, and creative with the energy and drive to shape their own destinies given the chanceâ&#x20AC;?
-Fillipo Grandi (Newly appointed Secretary General of the UN)
Opportunity#1 : REFUGEES CRISIS + SUSTAINABLE RESOURCES Find what sustainable resources exist/ COULD exist within host countries. Find people with those needed skills + Teach people who are interested in learning- maybe refugees teach eachother Match those acquired skills + designing a sustainable product/system: What can be made?
Examples:
-Technology for Tomorrow- MAKAPAD a product made by refugees for refugees While creating sustainable income generating activities. <take away, but what if we could create products made by refugees not just for refugees, but for the global market? Plastic bags- Salam Neighbor Woman went around camp and collected plastic bags, ended up creating art and products and sold them for profitempowerment + available resources
Opportunity#2 : REFUGEE CRISIS + INTERNAL HOST COUNTRY CRISES Merging multiple problems into one solution EXISTING CRISES
+ REFUGEE CRISES
Examples- Brazil Green City, Recycle Beirut
CHAPTER SIX:
WINTER BREAKSTARTUPBOAT
TedxTalk: Innovation Solutions for the Refugee Crisis on Startupboat -Paula Shwarz INNOVATIVE ENTREPRENURIAL PROJECTS
-Went to 500startups to focus on underpriveledged founders and look at ways to measure social impact Venture Bus: Africa 50% internationa + 50% native -People from everywhere get together (business, not social)- 1st pitch, 2nd pitch, then winner wins a prize -BUS to BOAT= Startupboat because people in Greece travel by boat
-We shouldn’t forget this friendship and relationships= POWER OF COMMUNICATION GREECE= Migrant crisis + Economic crisis -friend said 15,000 people cancelled traveling to Greece that summer- so Paula thought ‘what can she do to bring people into this country?’ -Startup that offers social impact BUT NOT part of contemporary system. -Scalable concepts -Proper match-making UNLEARN+RELEARN TOGETHERMigration Hub Network + Migration Lab- replicate diff locations to test technical staff
PAULA’S Letter- “Empowering hoovers or how to open-source the creation of ecosystems” “They have seen, felt and understood in a very short period of time how flexible a system can be- also in a negative way- that everything is manmade and that often no one really has the key or the answer we are looking for.” “It’s the children of the next generation, this is the potential that refugees and digital migrants carry within them.” “Money isn’t everything if you don’t have a common set of values as a base of communication with the people around you that allows you to live in freedom and peace. “
“There is massive potential in the people around us if we enable them to support us in forming structures in underdeveloped regions, simply because no one can grasp the pain points of a dysfunctional system better than those who had to flee from it- who had to leave their lives behind”
“Refugees have gone through a type of education that can grow massive positive impact around the world if we enable those who possess this potential to use it to build the base for a better future.” “They don’t work for money but because they now that with every step we take together, we change the world and if we don’t do it, there might be other people with worse intentions who are also very capable and who will build other forms of structures in order to provide stability for individuals- this is what ISIS does in a way.” SAMOS: 3 months- new university, remote healthcare station, implemented wifi in refugee camps. “You will soon see that you can build in a peaceful way and that there is no reason to be angry when everything is possible.
“Remember that if you decide to start building, you cannot fail because no one has the answer to the questions you are trying to solve and that if you build with ego, for the well-being of the community and with the willingness to iterate based on feedback from your peers, you can only produce more value.”
Mobile Clinic- Startupboat + Cisco + Bayer Collaboration with Startupboat Pythagoras Academy to provide rural communities that are further off. -mobile desks -ebooks library -hair dresser (rural community, many refugees ask for it) -Mobile learning unit where you can also digitize content FUNCTIONS: -Language learning -Tech skills learning -Community building activities -Musical instruments
Possible Ideas for this Mobile Clinic
They flee to escape war, to find peace. Maybe peacekeeping workshops?
MENTAL HEALTH THERAPY: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) Art workshops/ Ceramics/ Sculpture= Art Therapy Music therapy Animal therapy Aromatherapy Emotional support groups- Group therapy Yoga/ Exercise Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s self-defense- maybe Tae Kwon Do?