The Journey: Camps
“Refugee camps are temporary facilities built to provide immediate protection and assistance to people who have been forced to flee due to conflict, violence or persecution. While camps are not intended to provide permanent sustainable solutions, they offer a safe haven for refugees where they receive medical treatment, food, shelter, and other basic services during emergencies.” (UNHCR) Refugees can stay months, years, or an entire lifetime in camps. Nearly 3 mill people live in what are known as formally recognized and funded refugee camps, the largest of which are in Bangladesh, Jordan, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Ethiopia. Another 60 % of the world’s refugees live in cities, while there are countless unregistered and ad hoc camps, and provisional clusters either in the margins of cities or remote locations worldwide, with new survival solutions emerging constantly.
Our team members obtain informed consent from each individual before an interview takes place. Individuals dictate where their stories may be shared and what personal information they wish to keep private. In situations where the individual is at risk and/or wishes to remain anonymous, alias names are used and other identifying information is removed from interviews immediately after they are received by TSOS. We have also committed not to use refugee images or stories for fundraising purposes without explicit permission. Our top priority is to protect and honor the wishes of our interview subjects.