World Changing Response # 3 - Rethinking Refugee Reconstruction

Refugees usually end up living wherever they can for several years until permanent housing can be established or until they can return to their homes. Providing temporary housing and schools for refugees is often cast aside in the news stories. Poor sanitation and lack of infrastructure lead to waterborne illnesses and deforestation of the surrounding land to improve the tents. Many aid agencies are reluctant to fund temporary or even permanent shelter during the crises.

A movement towards sustainable and practical housing based on the needs of the refugees requires the community’s involvement not an imposing outside force. Research has found that getting schools back up and running after a disaster is hugely beneficial. Schools provide a sense of routine, regularity, and safety that can divert children’s focus from the crisis. The involvement of parents and the rest of the community in building the schools also alleviates their focus and can turn shock into action. Technology has also become a huge tool in the healing process. Video cameras are used to document stories as well as open-source textbooks for further translations. Radios for spreading information, organizing community resources, and can be a means of spreading stories when all other forms of communication fail. The Freeplay is a crank powered solar radio used as a teaching device that broadcasts educational and public health programs. Fuel-efficient stoves are in use in Darfur to protect the health and safety of mothers to also reduce the amount of fuel needed to feed their families (Steffen 221-223).

Steffen, Alex. World Changing: A User’s Guide For The 21st Century. New York: Abrams, 2008.