Kelsey Craig  

Kelsey Craig '19

Project Title: Social and Economic Integration of Refugee Populations in Low-Income Countries

Summary: Refugees are those who are forcibly displaced from their home country due to either political or economic instability, violence (or the threat thereof), or environmental catastrophes. In recent years, the international community has begun to pay attention to the treatment and well-being of refugees worldwide. However, much of that attention has been directed toward refugee crises in high-income earning countries, such as those in the European Union. Low and middle-income countries on the other hand, are hosts to some of the highest rates of refugees, due to their proximity to the refugee producing nations, and receive little to no international attention or aid in comparison. This project provides a general overview of the global refugee crisis, by using two commonly applied models of refugee aid in low-income countries: the care and maintenance approach, and the self-reliance approach. This project also examines a case study of the refugee crisis in Uganda, one of the largest refugee hosting low-income countries. Uganda places a strong focus on creating a system of social and economic integration for the refugee population into the host community, and such processes can be understood through both the policies created to aid refugees as well as the continual acceptance of refugees into the nation.