Using Humanitarian Engineering in Refugee Humanitarian Interventions

Purpose

Humanitarian NGOs face significant challenges to limiting infection spread while assisting refugees. This study aims to assess:

• a) how humanitarian NGOs attempt to limit infection spread while assisting refugees,
• b) what barriers exist to limit infection spread,
• c) in which services are those barriers most intractable, and
• d) which refugee populations are most impacted.

Using data from on-the-ground service provision to refugees in thirteen locations in Lebanon, Jordan, and Turkey, the overall goal is to determine what interventions could be implemented that would mitigate barriers to implementing practices that will slow the spread of COVID-19 among refugee populations.

Expected Outcomes

The research is expected to produce recommendations for how refugee humanitarian NGOs can improve their services while also reducing the risk of spreading COVID-19. It will use the interdisciplinary field of humanitarian engineering to consider how physical structures and technologies are used in everyday humanitarian practices, and how structures and technologies can be better mobilized to reduce infection risk. It may include recommendations for other stakeholders to alter their practices, such as host government agencies and donor organizations. These recommendations will be distributed through a written final report and a series of five webinars offered in English and Arabic.