Refugee youth: A deferred hope or an elusive dream?
A protracted refugee situation refers to a scenario when an entire generation of a family spend their whole lives in refugee camps. In this blog post, we reflect on the recent fieldwork we conducted at the Tongogara Refugee Camp in Zimbabwe. The majority of the people we interviewed in the camp have been residing there for 10 to 25 years, with some even born there.
Our primary focus during this fieldwork was on the young people, because youth holds the key to the hope and promise of any community. Their imagination and aspirations for the future rekindle hope for unlimited possibilities and a better life. Yet, the research on the aspirations of young refugees in camps has been relatively scarce.
Employing qualitative research methods such as in-depth key informant interviews, observations, and focus group discussions, our investigation focused on understanding the drivers of vulnerability and potential pathways to emancipation within refugee settings. Additionally, we sought to shed light on how service providers address these issues in their operations and supply chain designs across the humanitarian-development nexus. The voices of the refugees themselves take center stage in our study.
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