Abstract      Refugee children living in refugee camps are a vulnerable population at a high risk of developing mental health problems, behavioural issues, and being exposed to violence or trauma. However, not all children that experience these stressors of displacement develop negative outcomes. Some children adapt to the circumstances and build resilience against the challenges. Because the number of refugee children has risen, the importance of studying the subject and finding protective factors are critical. Therefore the aim of this study was to look into circumstances and interventions that promote mental well-being and resilience in refugee children in the context of a refugee camp, from a holistic perspective. Considering UN global goals the results of this study can be used in expanding resilience-building interventions in order to promote mental well-being around the world, particularly in developing countries.  A qualitative approach was taken through semi-structured interviews to gather data. Two participants working as practitioners in a resilience-building project in the Zaatari refugee camp in Jordan were selected through a snowball selection. Through the theories of ecology of child development and the model of the seven Cs of resilience, this study identified resilience-building in several levels, including personal, family and community. Having knowledge about the strengths and development potential of oneself, close family relations, a supportive community and peer groups help children to  build resilience and overcome challenges. The study also found that in order to understand resilience-building in children a holistic approach is required. There are strong links between children, their families, their communities, and their psychosocial well-being. / Abstrakt  Flyktingbarn som bor i flyktingläger är en utsatt grupp som löper stor risk att utveckla psykiska störningar, beteendeproblem och utsättas för våld eller trauma. Trots alla stressorer med att vara flykting anpassar sig en del barn till omständigheterna och visar motståndskraft. Eftersom antalet flyktingbarn har ökat runt om i världen är vikten av att studera ämnet och hitta skyddsfaktorer som leder till motståndskraft avgörande för barnens välmående. Därför var syftet med denna studie att fokusera på omständigheter och interventioner som främjar flyktingbarns psykiska välbefinnande och motståndskraft i kontexten av ett flyktingläger, ur ett holistiskt perspektiv. Med tanke på FN:s globala mål kan resultaten av denna studie användas för att utöka motståndsbyggande interventioner för att främja mentalt välbefinnande hos barn runt om i världen, särskilt i utvecklingsländerna.  En kvalitativ metod genom semistrukturerade intervjuer användes för att samla in data. Två deltagare som arbetade i ett motståndsbyggande projekt (resilience-building project) i flyktinglägret Al-Zaatari i Jordanien valdes ut genom ett snöbollsurval. Genom teorierna om socialekologi för barnens utveckling och modellen sju C om motståndskraft identifierade denna studie att motståndsbyggande hos barn sker på flera nivåer, inklusive personlig, familj och i samhällsnivå. Att ha kunskap om sina styrkor och utvecklingspotentialer, att ha nära familjerelationer och stödjande samhällen och kamratgrupper hjälper barnen att bygga motståndskraft och övervinna utmaningar. Studien fann också att för att förstå motståndsbyggande hos barn krävs ett holistiskt förhållningssätt. Det finns starka kopplingar mellan barn, deras familjer och deras samhällen, och psykosocialt välbefinnande. För att hjälpa barn bygga motståndskraft är därför en dynamisk process nödvändig. / خلاصه کودکان پناهنده ای که در کمپ های پناهندگان زندگی می کنند، جمعیتی آسیب پذیر هستند که در معرض خطر بالای ابتلا به مشکلات سلامت روانی، مسائل رفتاری، و قرار گرفتن در معرض خشونت یا تروما قرار دارند. با این حال، همه کودکانی که این عوامل استرس زای جابجایی را تجربه می کنند، پیامدهای منفی ندارند. برخی از کودکان با شرایط سازگار می شوند و در برابر چالش ها انعطاف پذیری می کنند. از آنجا که تعداد کودکان پناهنده افزایش یافته است، اهمیت تحقیق کردن موضوع و یافتن عوامل محافظتی بسیار مهم است. بنابراین هدف این تحقیق بررسی شرایط و مداخلاتی بود که بهزیستی روانی و تاب‌آوری را در کودکان پناهنده در چارچوب یک اردوگاه پناهندگان، از منظر کل نگر ارتقا می‌دهد. با توجه به اهداف جهانی سازمان ملل، نتایج این مطالعه می‌تواند در گسترش مداخلات تاب‌آوری به  منظور ارتقای بهزیستی روانی در سراسر جهان به‌ ویژه در کشورهای در حال توسعه استفاده شود. برای جمع‌آوری داده‌ها، روش کیفی از طریق مصاحبه‌های نیمه ساختاریافته اتخاذ شده  است. دو شرکت کننده که به عنوان کارآموز در یک پروژه انعطاف پذیری در اردوگاه پناهندگان زعتری در اردن کار می کردند از طریق نمونه گیری گلوله برفی انتخاب شدند. این مطالعه از طریق تئوری‌های بوم‌شناسی رشد کودک و مدل هفت C تاب‌آوری، تاب‌آوری‌ سازی را در سطوح مختلفی از جمله فردی، خانوادگی و اجتماعی شناسایی کرده است .داشتن دانش در مورد نقاط قوت و محتمل رشد خود، روابط نزدیک خانوادگی، جامعه حامی و گروه های همسالان به کودکان کمک می کند تا تاب آوری را ایجاد کنند و بر چالش ها غلبه کنند. این تحقیق همچنین نشان داد که برای تاب‌آوری در کودکان به یک رویکرد جامع نگر نیاز است. پیوندهای محکمی بین کودکان، خانواده‌ها، جوامع و رفاه روانی اجتماعی آنها وجود دارد.

This study aims to explore how four Syrians, involved as case managers in Questscope’s mentoring program, describe and experience their lives in Zaatari Refugee Camp. The participants were asked to describe their experiences through qualitative interviews. The results were analyzed through the lens of Antonovsky’s salutogenic theory to examine each participant’s sense of coherence and what activities or people contribute towards a strong SOC. The results show that the participants face many challenges in Zaatari Camp, most notably the feeling that their lives have been reduced to a simple existence in which they are expected to be content with food and shelter. They express the feeling that their hopes and aspirations have come to a standstill and that camp conditions do not allow them to move forward in their lives, such as by completing university. However, their stories also include indications of strong SOC in that the participants make sense of their situation, perceive that there are resources available to deal with their situation, and have incentive to persevere in spite of their circumstances. They describe their work with Questscope, through which they are encouraged to take initiative and responsibility, as helpful and motivating because it builds their confidence, gives them purpose and allows them to hope and move forward.

Conflict in Africa remains one of the continent’s principal development challenges. The human, economic and development costs of conflict are immense. A peaceful and secure environment remains the greatest priority for ordinary Africans across the continent. However, this often remains a mirage for many as violent armed conflicts continue to take its toll on many ordinary citizens, often, displacing them as refugees. Some refugees remain in very a deplorable refugee camps that offer them no prospects of decent livelihood for many years. With fear that they would be persecuted upon return to their countries of origin and often the delays in finding solutions to political violence, refugees remain in a protracted situation. A Protracted refugee situation means that refugees have lived in exile for more than five years with no immediate prospect of finding a durable solution to their plight by means of voluntary repatriation, local integration or resettlement. Thousands of refugees who fled violent conflicts in the West Africa and other parts of Africa have lived for more than a decade in the Krisan and Buduburam refugee camps in Ghana. A situation that can be termed protracted. This paper investigated the perceptions of local Ghanaians, Refugees of Krisan Refugee Camp and Government Official on the integration of refugees in Ghana. Krisan Refugee Camp which was built in 1996, particularly, houses about 1,700 refugees from nine countries: The Democratic Republic of Congo, Congo Brazzaville, Côte d’Ivoire, Chad, Liberia, Sierra Leone and The Sudan. The refugees have lived with the indigenous people of Krisan village for more than a decade and thus offered the best case for the investigation. The researcher used qualitative triangulation method to collect data. That is, he observed the refugees, the local people and supervisors of the refugee camp who made up the sample population. The researcher was able to conduct a face to face in-depth interview and studied necessary documents that informed the study immensely. Thematic data analysis revealed economic and employment opportunities, security, cultural and social networking and finally good counselling on the three traditional durable solutions as the themes greatly impacting on the integration of refugees in Ghana. A number of recommendations are made to inform the management and integration of refugees in Ghana and in Africa in general.

BACKGROUND: Children who are exposed to war are at great risk of suffering mental health and developmental problems. The care children receive from parents during and after conflict is highly important, acting as a significant protective factor. The stress and difficulties of war and displacement, often leaves parents unable to give children the care they need. By supporting families through the use of parent interventions, it may be possible to weaken the link between war and displacement, and psychological difficulties in children. AIMS: The present project had two main aims. Firstly, to examine the parenting needs and challenges of refugee families living in preresettlement contexts. Secondly, to test the feasibility of disseminating parenting information to families living in conflict zones. The project took place in Syria and Turkey with families that had experienced the conflict in Syria. METHOD: First, a systematic review was carried out to explore previous evaluations of parenting programmes in preresettlement contexts. Then, a qualitative study was carried out exploring the parenting challenges and needs of refugee families, and the coping strategies parents utilised in caring for their children in preresettlement contexts. Thematic analysis was carried out to identify key issues from the data, and parental experiences. The final study tested the feasibility of large-scale distribution of parenting information leaflets and feedback questionnaires in a conflict zone in Syria. Descriptive statistics were used to explore the sample characteristics of the respondents and t-tests were utilised to examine the usefulness of the parenting leaflet. In addition, a content analysis methodology was used to code respondent comments that had been written on feedback questionnaires. CONCLUSION: The current available evidence base on parenting interventions in preresettlement contexts is poor. However, very soon after the immediate extreme stress of displacement, parents are very keen to access information on how best to parent their children. It may be possible to design and deliver interventions for parents in this context based on theoretical parenting principles and identified needs, to inform holistic interventions and culturally appropriate policy responses. The successful delivery of parenting information to families in a conflict zone demonstrates the scope for using existing humanitarian supply routes, both to distribute information and to receive feedback directly from recipients, even in high risk settings. Further research is required to investigate the efficacy and effectiveness of such an intervention in practice.

The purpose of this study is to analyze the communication of six different non-governmentalorganizations present in the refugee camps in the Aegean Sea, to understand which problemsthey identify as critical and how the communication may be interpreted in the light of theneeds of the organizations. The second purpose is to review the discrepancy between thehumanitarian perspective and the justification perspective, by applying the theoreticalframework consisting of framing theory and two discourse-theoretical theories on the resultsof the content analysis. According to the non-governmental organizations, the camps do not meet seven of the ninebasic needs identified by Sphere and UNHCR. The material does not provide enoughinformation regarding the last two needs, the right to non-refoulement and accessibility forpeople with disabilities. While the organizations might have an interest in existing, theanalysis shows that the most evident receivers of the reports are political stakeholders and thegeneral public, and the most evident intent is to conduct advocacy and raise awareness. The theoretical analysis shows that the camps cannot be considered justified as theprerequisites for a fair and functioning decision-making process where every individualsubject to the decision is recognized are not fulfilled. Hence, there is a discrepancy betweenthe humanitarian perspective and the justificatory perspective, in which the justificatoryperspective sets higher requirements focusing on equal humanitarian preconditions andpolitical rights, while the humanitarian perspective solely focuses on basic needs fulfillment.

The global population of forcibly displaced people has increased during the last years, due to persecution, conflict, violence, or human rights violations. Since 1997 the number of forcibly displaced people increased from 33.9 million people to 65.6 million at the end of 2016, amongst which 22.5 million are refugees living in refugee camps around the world. These camps are usually hastily built shelters with the main objective to provide immediate protection and safety, therefore these camps rarely have power supply that can satisfy more than the basic, essential needs. However, the average length of time during which a refugee spends in exile is approximately 20 years and in order sustain shelters for such a long time, there is also a need to satisfy the long-term energy demands. The purpose of this thesis is to chart the energy-related problems in refugee camps and to evaluate potential energy supply solutions with respect to given indicators, with a setting in Central- and Eastern Africa. The given indicators are availability, scalability, adoptability, environmental impact and cost. The different energy solutions that are chosen for evaluation are fuel generators, solar power, biogas, wind power and fuel cell. A literature study is conducted with the limitation to mainly examine camps between the equator and southern Europe and where the assumption of every refugee camp having approximately the same problems is made. The literature study of different refugee camps revealed that most energy-related problems could be derived from insufficient energy supply, which results in problems with cooking and lack of lighting. The available energy resources in refugee camps are mainly firewood or charcoal, that emits hazardous gases during combustion. The collection of firewood as well as the lack of lighting also puts people, mainly women and children, at safety risks. Furthermore, the lack of decent lighting also reduces the amount of productive hours. To solve the problems, the evaluation of the chosen energy solutions could work as a foundation for projects on implementing energy systems in a refugee camp setting. The evaluation provides an overview of how the energy solutions works in relation to the given indicators and thus their ability to provide energy in an economic, social and environmental manner. Furthermore, the results from this thesis have been compiled into a project manual, with summarizing tables of each energy solution in regards to the indicators. Every refugee camp has their own needs and conditions that has to be met in order to provide sufficient energy solutions, which makes it difficult to fully assess the evaluated energy solutions. Therefore, there is a need for further work that would include a case study. By conducting a case study, the needs and conditions for the chosen refugee camp can be taken into consideration, thus resulting in a solution that could better meet the demand. In most cases, the energy related problems in refugee camps are not one solution issues but could rather be solved by combining different methods of energy access. The evaluated energy solutions could therefore be combined to meet the demands of refugee camps. / Antalet människor som är på flykt i världen har ökat under de senaste åren på grund av förföljelse, konflikt, våld eller kränkningar av mänskliga rättigheter. Sedan 1997 har antalet människor på flykt ökat från 33,9 miljoner till 65,6 miljoner i slutet av 2016, varav 22,5 miljoner är flyktingar som lever i flyktingläger runt om i världen. Flyktingläger är ofta konstruerade under nödsituationer, där det främsta syftet är att ge omedelbart skydd och säkerhet. Syftet med flyktinglägren är därmed att agera som ett tillfälligt skydd, vilket innebär att de sällan är utrustade med strömförsörjning som kan tillgodose mer än de mest grundläggande och nödvändiga behoven. Trots att lägren är konstruerade som tillfälliga lösningar, tillbringar en flykting i genomsnitt 20 år i exil. För att kunna hålla goda levnadsförhållanden under en sådan lång tid i ett flyktingläger, finns ett behov av att tillgodose lägren med långsiktiga, hållbara energilösningar. Syftet med kandidatexamensarbetet är att kartlägga energirelaterade problem i flyktingläger och att utvärdera potentiella lösningar för energiförsörjning med avseende på givna indikatorer, med fokus på Central- och Östafrika. De angivna indikatorerna är tillgänglighet, skalbarhet, acceptans, miljöpåverkan och kostnad. De olika energilösningarna som utvärderas är bränslegeneratorer, solkraft, biogas, vindkraft och bränsleceller. En litteraturstudie genomförs med den huvudsakliga begränsningen att granska läger mellan ekvatorn och södra Europa och där ett antagande om att varje flyktingläger står inför liknande problem görs. Kartläggningen av energirelaterade problem i flyktingläger visar att de flesta problem kan kopplas till en otillräcklig energiförsörjning, vilket i sin tur resulterar i problem med matlagning samt brist på belysningsmöjligheter. De tillgängliga energiresurserna är huvudsakligen ved eller kol, som vid förbränning avger hälsofarliga gaser. Insamling av ved samt brist på belysning utsätter även invånarna, främst kvinnor och barn, för säkerhetsrisker. Bristen på ordentlig belysning reducerar även antalet produktiva timmar för människorna i ett flyktingläger. För att kunna bidra med en lösning till problemen kan den utförda utvärderingen av de valda energilösningarna användas som en grund för andra projekt, som ämnar att implementera energisystem i flyktingläger. Utvärderingen ger en översikt av hur energilösningarna fungerar i förhållande till de givna indikatorerna och därmed deras förmåga att tillhandahålla energi på ett ekonomiskt, socialt och miljömässigt sätt. Resultaten från kandidatexamensarbetet har även sammanställts i en projektmanual, med en sammanställning för varje energilösning med avseende på indikatorerna. Varje flyktingläger har dock unika behov och förutsättningar som måste tillgodoses för att tillhandahålla tillfredställande energilösningar, vilket försvårar en fullständig bedömning av de utvärderade energilösningarna. Det finns därför ett behov av ytterligare undersökning innefattande en fallstudie som kan ta hänsyn till de behov och förutsättningar som kan finnas. Slutligen kräver de energirelaterade problemen i ett flyktingläger oftast en kombination av olika energilösningar, eftersom att en sådan bättre kan möta ett flyktinglägers energibehov.

Evidence points to that the prevalence of teenage pregnancies is higher within refugee camps than elsewhere. Yet little research attention has been given the subject of teenage pregnancy within refugee situations where the numbers are steadily increasing, an area that therefore needs to be explored further. This thesis is based on a qualitative field study conducted within two Burundian refugee camps in Tanzania, Nduta and Kanembwa. Semi structured interviews were conducted with both teen mothers and Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and Bloc leader with knowledge in the area in order to investigate the reasons for and implications of teenage pregnancy within a refugee setting. The research question is why the prevalence of teenage pregnancy is higher within a refugee context. And what can be done to empower young mothers with the knowledge and skills to protect themselves and to successfully claim their reproductive and sexual rights? The findings of the study points to that similar factors contributing to teenage pregnancy such as education, culture, poverty and unstable family relations are also applicable in a refugee situation. Conditions within refugee camps are however more extreme and the prevalence are therefore higher than in other settings. Taking a Liberal feminist standpoint based on the ideas of Amartyra Sen (1999) it is argued that the empowerment of women’s free agency and wellbeing is the key to a decline in fertility rate amongst teen mothers in refugee camps. Thus it follows that if women are to successfully claim their sexual and reproductive rights more efforts needs to be made in promoting the inclusion of women into educational and vocational activities.

Patriarchal power structures and oppression from the occupation are two major influences in how women in Dheisheh refugee camp can live their lives. Gender roles are strict and traditional and women are homebound and generally marginalized in the community. Daily life is made difficult by the occupation making violence, fear and loss a plainness. However, the occupation has caused traditional gender roles to sway, in terms of women having to work outside the home in order to support the family, because husbands and fathers either being killed or imprisoned by the Israeli Occupation Forces, IOF. Women are also given higher education in a larger scale than before because education has become both a form of resistance but also a way and a hope for the younger generation to build a better future for themselves and the community. Making work and education tools and strategies for women to gain more independence. Strength is the outcome of living under dual oppression. Women are forced to be strong by the harshness of living under occupation and are made strong by constantly negotiating their roles as women within the stern framework of a patriarchal society under a violent occupation.

Natural disasters and conflicts in many different parts of the world force thousands of people to get displaced from their homes and live in refugee camps temporarily or permanently. For refugee families, lack of energy access has great impact on their lives. Tarpon Solar Company has developed a solar tent which is a combination of laminated cloth and flexible solar cells. In addition to producing renewable electricity, it can create a comfortable outdoor shelter from sun, rain and wind.   The aims of this study were to define and size the solar system of the tent in both AC and DC systems and optimize the tent to work in different locations around the world. Besides designing a monitoring system for the solar tent to evaluate the performance. In addition, defining the social aspect and the consumer behavior for a better solar tent future design. As a case study, Tarpon AC solar tent in Glava, Sweden has been installed to cover the basic needs of the tent users. To understand the solar tent performance in different weather zones, 4 different locations were suggested. A monitor system was designed to monitor the tent solar system performance. The simulation software PVsyst was used to size the PV system in the different locations with different solar data.   The PVsyst simulation results showed that the current Tarpon solar tent with 32 photovoltaic modules is extremely oversized to cover the basic needs loads (Lighting, mobile charging and ventilation) in the emergency cases.   The current Tarpon solar tent has a standard number of photovoltaic modules integrated in the tent fabric while the photovoltaic modules number should vary from one location to another according to the weather data and solar irradiation. In this case the current Tarpon solar system used in Glava, Sweden can be optimized by decreasing the number of photovoltaic modules to only 6 photovoltaic modules instead of 32 modules.   The study also shows that the features of the off-grid system components (battery and charge controller) are different from one location to another according to the criteria of selection.   This study concludes that for the temporary short-term emergency use of the tent where only basic needs loads are needed, DC system is better than AC system in terms of energy efficiency, system size and cost in the different proposed locations. While AC system is better when using the tent for prolonged time in terms of user flexibility and ability to extend the system. Understanding the consumer behavior and the goal of the tent whether to be used for an emergency short term shelter or a permanent shelter for a prolonged time are important factors for a better solar tent design.

This research aims to find architectural and urban design related solutions to enhance the living conditions of refugees who are trapped in protracted refugee situations. One key issue that could be considered the main problem-generating factor in protracted refugee situations, is the lack of a clear definition for the appropriate deign life-span of refugee camps in general. As an example of that refuge situation, focus within this research is upon the two refugee camp models found in Jordan; the Zaatari camp and the Azraq camp. Both were established in response of the recent civil war in Syria, started in 2011. A comparison between the two refugee camps resulted in identifying the strong points and the shortcomings of the current models. In addition, an assessment of the refugees’ needs is made based on the refugee camp’s design guidelines and the official reports published by the different humanitarian organizations. The above mentioned researched information is utilized to develop and apply an adaptable design solution that aims to overcome the unpredictable future of the refugee situation in Azraq refugee camp in Jordan. The proposal includes a long-term plan that may develop over time and which is divided to three stages depending on the longevity of the refugee camp. Each stage takes into consideration the changing requirements and needs that the refugees develop over time.