Drawing from his own experiences as an immigrant and his interactions with refugees and immigrants in Botswana’s capital, Gaborone City, Felix Tapilira Chilumpha explores life in the Dukwi Refugee Camp. Located over 500 kilometers away from Gabarone, Dukwi Camp is isolated from much of Botswana’s population and resources, including education and jobs. In his report, Felix focuses on Botswana’s policies that impact refugees' and immigrants’ mobility, employment opportunities, and education.
Hadayek El Maadi, Cairo, Egypt
In this deeply personal reflection, author Nyayich Jal Gil, describes her experience as a refugee with a chronic medical condition living in Cairo, Egypt. She comments on the many challenges she and others in her situation have faced acquiring medication and securing support from doctors and NGOs, and how gaps in support affect physical and mental health.
Monterrey, Mexico 2021
In this deeply personal piece, architect and Mexican architectural history researcher Juan Manuel Casas García reflects on internal displacement and migration in Mexico driven largely by narco-violence, as well as migration to and integration within Mexican cities by those originating from outside of Mexico. His observations are rooted in Monterrey’s urban spaces and architecture, as well as his own upbringing in Mexico City and experience living in Monterrey.
Lowell, Massachusetts, USA
In this gorgeously written piece, Joseph Zorokong teases out the critical role more established immigrant communities have in supporting newcomers, reflecting on his family’s own refugee experience in Lowell, Massachusetts. In this diverse city, Zorokong examines the small but growing African community, their unique challenges in reaching resources and integration, and the process through which they tend their dual identities as immigrants and Americans.
Kampala, Uganda
Personal relationships and understanding between refugees and their hosts can often be the basis for sustainable integration of refugees. In this report, author Nyende Keith Mark discusses an arts-oriented project in Kampala which brought together refugee artists living in Nakivale settlement and Ugandan artists to build relationships and share skills, creating dialogue between refugees and hosts and aiding in refugee integration.