Existing approaches to refugee assistance simply arent working. Thats the topline from our report, Refugee Economies: Rethinking Popular Assumptions, published for World Refugee Day today. Around the world, crises in Syria, Central African Republic and South Sudan continue to increase the number of displaced people inside and outside international borders. More than two-thirds of refugees are in protracted exile for at least five years, often in closed camps and without the right to work or move freely. Current approaches often fail to recognise that refugees have skills, talents and aspirations. Despite the constraints placed on people, vibrant economic systems often thrive below the radar, whether in the formal or informal economy. In Uganda, where weve done our initial research, refugee policies are by no means perfect. But, unlike many other host states, it has a self-reliance strategy and allows refugees the right to work. We surveyed 1,600 refugees in Kampala and two rural refugee settlements to understand refugees economic lives, including their engagement with the private sector and the ways in which they use technology. Our results challenge five myths about refugees.
Posted on: Sat, 21 Jun 2014 05:01:28 +0000
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