Ethiopia – The Journeys Project

Financial Inclusion in Refugee Economies

February 28, 2017April 7, 2021 Lori Zimmermann 407 Views 0 Comment Afghanistan, Algeria, Burundi, denmark, DRC, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Family, Friends and Networks, Gender, Greece, Humanitarian aid, Identity and documents, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Money and finance, Palestine, Senegal, Syria, Technology, Turkey

An essay by Kim Wilson and Roxanne Krystalli. Financial inclusion as a term and topic has become popular in humanitarian settings. A mounting global refugee crisis has brought financial access into the focus of donors and practitioners. In this paper, we ask questions that concern both donors and practitioners: Is digital, formal finance – at the heart of most financial inclusion strategies – suited to the needs of refugees, migrants, and displaced populations? Must financial inclusion approaches be tailored for maximum relevance in contexts of protracted displacement or resettlement?

Central and South Asia Europe Middle East-North Africa Middle East-North Africa Multimedia Sub-Saharan Africa Videos

Financial Journeys in Greece, Turkey and Jordan

September 20, 2017April 9, 2021 Lori Zimmermann 349 Views 0 Comment Afghanistan, Algeria, Burundi, DRC, Ethiopia, Family, Gender, Greece, Humanitarian aid, Identity and documents, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Money and finance, Palestine, Senegal, Smuggling, Syria, Turkey

In this video, Kim Wilson and Roxanne Krystalli discuss their research exploring the formal and informal financial systems used by refugees in Greece, Turkey and Jordan.

Central and South Asia Europe Long-Distance Journeys Middle East-North Africa Middle East-North Africa Publications Reports Sub-Saharan Africa

The Financial Journey of Refugees: Evidence from Greece, Jordan, and Turkey

September 30, 2017April 5, 2021 Ellysse V. Dick 503 Views 0 Comment Afghanistan, Algeria, Barriers, Before the journey, Burundi, Dangers and trouble, Destinations, DRC, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Family, Forgery bribery and corruption, Friends and Networks, Gender, Greece, Humanitarian aid, Identity and documents, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Language, Lodging and food, Money and finance, Palestine, Saving and Lending, Senegal, Smuggling, Syria, Technology, The journey, Turkey

A full report, executive summary, and a compendium of field notes, by Kim Wilson and Roxanne Krystalli. The Financial Journeys of Refugees investigates what money and financial transactions can reveal about the journeys and experiences of forced migration. We examine money as a key node of the displacement experience: fueling transactions among formal and informal actors along the way; determining livelihood options; shaping or restructuring kinship networks; and coloring risks, vulnerabilities, or protective forces available to refugees. Our inquiry highlights these transactions and the power dynamics that unfold among refugees as well as between refugees and formal or informal authorities.

Central and South America Central and South Asia Essays & Articles Long-Distance Journeys North America Publication Spotlight Publications Sub-Saharan Africa

What Can Hotels Teach Us about Smuggling?

March 31, 2019April 5, 2021 Ellysse V. Dick 673 Views 0 Comment Bangladesh, Cameroon, Costa Rica, Dangers and trouble, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Forgery bribery and corruption, Ghana, Haiti, Host and transition communities, Identity and documents, India, Lodging and food, Money and finance, Nepal, nigeria, Smuggling

By Maria Teresa Nagel, under the supervision of Kim Wilson. There is limited research describing the smuggling industry and its actors, particularly in Central America. Our study hopes to address this knowledge gap by disclosing how human smugglers lodge their clients and the role hotels play in the smuggling ecosystem.

Central and South America Essays & Articles Long-Distance Journeys North America Publications Sub-Saharan Africa

The Ties that Bind (or Not): Social Networks Among Extra-Continental Migrants

April 30, 2019April 5, 2021 Lori Zimmermann 417 Views 0 Comment angola, Cameroon, Costa Rica, Dangers and trouble, DRC, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Forgery bribery and corruption, Friends and Networks, Haiti, Honduras, Smuggling, Somalia, The journey

By Heather Kunin, under the supervision of Kim Wilson. Social networks have long been recognized as playing a pivotal role within migration, with multiple studies examining, among other phenomena, the role of social networks in predicting the decision to migrate and choice of destination, as well as in impacting migrants’ chances for integration. Social network analysis (SNA) is a methodology for visualizing and interrogating relationships among actors and is highly applicable to a field where social networks are considered “one of the fundamentals of the migration process.” Until recently, this discipline has been woefully underutilized within migration studies, although this is beginning to change.

Central and South America Central and South Asia East and South-East Asia Essays & Articles North America Publications Putting Down Roots Sub-Saharan Africa

How to Achieve the American Dream on an Immigrant’s Income

April 30, 2019April 9, 2021 Lori Zimmermann 918 Views 0 Comment Bangladesh, cambodia, Colombia, El Salvador, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Family, Financial health, Friends and Networks, Kenya, mexico, Money and finance, Nepal, Saving and Lending, usa

By Jeffrey Ashe, Kim Wilson.
The American Dream—being able to earn a good living, buy a home, send children to school, and build a life in the United States regardless of social stature or place of birth—is an aspiration for most who immigrate to the United States. While new immigrants may be fleeing violence, poverty, and persecution—so called “push factors”—they are also pulled by the prospects of a better life for themselves and their children. Some immigrants arrive in the United States wealthy, educated, and fluent in English. These case studies focus on immigrants who may arrive with a few dollars in their pocket, struggle with English, and sometimes are without legal documents. Our research examines how immigrant households save up in groups to transform income that is irregular, uncertain, and low into regular, predictable, and meaningful sums of cash.

Central and South Asia Europe Middle East-North Africa Middle East-North Africa Multimedia Sub-Saharan Africa Videos

Financial Journey of Refugees in the Mediterranean

July 2, 2019April 9, 2021 Lori Zimmermann 382 Views 0 Comment Afghanistan, Algeria, Before the journey, Burundi, DRC, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Forgery bribery and corruption, Gender, Greece, Humanitarian aid, Identity and documents, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Money and finance, Palestine, Senegal, Smuggling, Syria, Turkey

What can money reveal about the experience of migration? This video, created by Charlie Bentley, highlights the groundbreaking research of Kim Wilson and Roxani Krystalli, using finance as a lens to understand migration journeys throughout the Mediterranean.

Central and South America Central and South America Essays & Articles Publications Sub-Saharan Africa Sub-Saharan Africa

Reflections on Conducting a Lean Research Field Study

November 30, 2019April 9, 2021 Lori Zimmermann 235 Views 0 Comment Barriers, Burundi, Congo, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Fletcher students’ research experience, Gender, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Language, mexico, Rwanda, Somalia, South Sudan, Uganda

By Sarah Carson, under the supervision of Kim Wilson.
Field research is a common and often powerful piece of post-graduate training in international affairs and development. But sending students to the field also comes with risks to both students and study participants. What happens when you send five students abroad to execute Lean Research on their own? What challenges might they encounter, and what innovative solutions could they develop? And what do they learn that could be applied to similar experiences in the future?

Essays & Articles Middle East-North Africa Publications Sub-Saharan Africa

Gaps in Policies, Chasms for Refugees

March 31, 2020April 5, 2021 Lori Zimmermann 276 Views 0 Comment Ethiopia, Host and transition communities, Humanitarian aid, Identity and documents, Integration, Somalia

By Devang Shah, under the supervision of Kim Wilson.
An open-door policy, free primary education, health care, monthly rations and cash. Sounds like a perfect policy recipe for integration of refugees with their local communities. However, for more than twenty years since Kebri Beyah camp was established, refugees living there are still financially unstable and far from integration. Why are the steps taken by various governmental and non-governmental organisations still proving ineffective? This essay attempts to answer this question by diving into the chasm between policy making and policy implementation for the case of the Somali region in Ethiopia. We will analyze which policies, programs, and initiatives have worked, which have not, and why.

Essays & Articles Middle East-North Africa Publications Sub-Saharan Africa Sub-Saharan Africa

What Lies Ahead? Navigating New Insecurities in Displacement

March 31, 2020April 9, 2021 Lori Zimmermann 119 Views 0 Comment Burundi, Congo, Dangers and trouble, Ethiopia, Family, Friends and Networks, Gender, Host and transition communities, Integration, Religion, Rwanda, Somalia, South Sudan, Uganda

By Catherine Wanjala, under the supervision of Kim Wilson.
Uganda’s 1.4 million refugees have trekked into the country, fleeing violence and conflict in South Sudan, Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi, Somalia, and other regional neighbors. They came to Uganda sometimes intentionally, sometimes merely following the crowd, but all looking for peace. Through in-depth interviews with 30 refugees in Kampala in August 2019, we found that many urban refugees have found only partial peace, continuing to confront insecurity in displacement. Their experiences and fears of violence are limiting their livelihoods opportunities, their interest in integration, and even their willingness to send their children to school.

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