Alien Status: The feeling of un-belonging

Most people cannot bring themselves to relate to the uneasiness that comes from being in a foreign place, especially when it is attributed by factors other than your own. To refugees however, this feeling is often too common than not.

They represent a group of displaced persons, away from their homes mainly because of political instability. Wars and conflicts have forced them to migrate from their places of origin to neighborhood countries, in order to seek safety and places of refuge for themselves and their families (if they have any). A journey that takes courage, because of the number of uncertainties that lay ahead of them.

A long road away from home, mostly met by tough obstacles and dangerous ordeals, a journey born out of desperation, in search of a place of refuge. The routes are mostly unsafe, often accessed during the night in the flight of their lives with hopes of finding shelter away from the acts that violate human rights and conflicts that plague their country.

Some are intercepted mid way, while majority are received by destination host countries. The reception involves being provided with protection and being placed in refugee camps, in which their new reality awaits. The organizations appointed to handle their stay or resettlement often oversee their welcome and needs while at the camp.

Dependent on policies of the host countries, while at the camps the refugees are faced with the choice whether to return back to their country, once factors that propelled them to leave have dialed back and being settled, or rather to embark on the journey of being integrated into the host communities.

The Integration process is complex to both parties involved, as the refugee has to undergo the gradual process of adapting to the culture of the host community without the need to completely churn out their own in the process. The host community on the other hand has to be ready to receive the refugees and start learning how to address the needs of the now diverse population.

To be efficient, host countries are to adapt and employ an approach that best work for their communities and which have a long term perspective, even though there exists approaches that are standard across all host communities. One thing is for sure, organizations that are responsible are to have a clear perspective plan for refugees while they are in the camp, plans and strategies that will also aid in integrating them back into the society.

The integration into new host communities is beneficial to both communities if well implemented. While at the camps, the refugees who are regarded as asylum seekers in the host country, are to be provided with educational programs that aid their personal development. The education should involve both, academic and vocational training. Both trainings will ensure their minds and body are active, so as to be ready when they are introduced into the host population. This will help to reduce the feeling of isolation and assist them with a copying mechanism in the new environment. Academic Training is important as it is a proven tool in eradicating illiteracy, because an individual is equipped with knowledge of various fields such as humanities and social sciences, natural sciences, formal sciences and applied sciences.

Vocational Education and Training is essential as it will equip them with skills that enhance their chances of being employed, entice innovation which is a key aspect in ushering them into enterprise, a fit that will contribute towards the economy of the country. In countries, where most of the workforce population is elderly and old, with few young people and no high birth rates, the refugees with such training will be a solution in bridging the gap, to ensure the economy does not suffer as a result of limited availability of labour.

Host communities will benefit from the addition of the workforce, as the existing one, will need not work longer to afford their retirement. Also, the incoming population arrive with new skills of their own, of which can be improved to compliment the ones required in the host countries. However, these types of trainings are to be packaged with cultural training, so as to ensure the refugees fully understand and respect the culture of host communities, without blasphemous attempts.

Migrant Organizations and regulatory stakeholders are to consistently conduct reviews of the integration programs and collect feedback and observations from the refugees. Their experiences should be well-documented and supported with substantial evidence to be used in making decisions that can impact their lives. Upon review of the programs that is facilitated by effective communication between both parties, weaknesses are to be identified and concerns from both parties are to be taken into considerations in an effort to promote social cohesion.

Host communities should also be educated on how to treat the migrant population with dignity, respect their culture and avoid discriminating them. The media is to play a front role in combatting negative perceptions that are normally attached to the status of being a refugee, by gathering accurate information in connection to this new group of people, strive to showcase their humanity and the challenges they deal with on the daily basis.

In addition, funding. Host communities are to be adequately funded to effectively facilitate their operational costs that are key in providing them with necessary services whilst they are still in the camps. Refugees are to have access to clean water, decent housing, medicine, food, quality healthcare and education for their children, all of which require significant funding. Adequate finances are important in providing assistance to immediate refugees and also aid integration process for those who have been in the host country for a long time. The funds should also be geared towards the creation of financing scheme that will also support refugee entrepreneurs in developing their businesses under the conditions of returning the investment with returns. The financing should be coupled with the financial education that will assist their financial inclusion journey in an effort to raise awareness and provide them with information that will open doors for them to access basic financial services such as owning a bank account.

The building of funding mechanisms is not only to be left at the mercies of the civil society organizations that handle their affairs but rather be a strong collaborative effort between the organizations, policy makers and philanthropists who are focused on providing solutions for this group of people.

Or maybe just maybe the longterm solution that will be most lucrative to both parties are the Sustainable Charter Cities-In-Exile as proposed by Michael Lokshin and Jan Peter Olters. The host countries that are willing to free up land that remains un-used, to build cities in which they will rehabilitate the refugees back into normal routines. With an efficient legal infrastructure to be established, good governance, a sustainable ecosystem that adequately produce public goods and modern infrastructure to be constructed, these cities, if carefully administrated, will promote self reliance in refugees, aid their integration, while also contributing towards the economy. The government of host countries can also open up for corporations to invest in these cities, by allowing them to construct facilities and industries such as construction, carpentry, welder, which require manual and skilled labour. By doing so, most of the refugees will be able to earn a living while in exile, develop new skills and the host nation will benefit from the economic production made available.

One thing is for certain though, being a refugee is not a status someone asks for, but rather outside factors that have attributed to it. It can happen to anyone. Having being fortunate to be raised in a country that is peaceful, I had not given much thought to what refugees go through, a privilege of belonging I so carried, unconsciously. It was not until I encountered people who shared with me their personal experiences that led them into the country other than that of their origin, it was then my eyes were opened to the realties of other communities.

We owe it to humanity to help, we all can do better.