Projects

LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR CURRENT AND PAST WORK

30 November, 2023

We’ve continued to expand our training offerings this year, delivering a bespoke, full-day training for resettlement and integration council staff in southwest England exploring common myths about forced migration, key terminology, displacement journeys, the basics of key UK resettlement programmes, best practices in supporting refugees, and the impact of resettlement on host communities. 

In addition, we were commissioned to develop and deliver a training  for council staff in the northeast of England combining trauma-informed care considerations in supporting refugees with the risk of secondary trauma to staff, and how to manage secondary trauma effectively. Both trainings were very well received, with the discussion on secondary trauma and how to manage it highlighted as especially helpful. 

For more information on existing trainings or to discuss new training needs, please do not hesitate to contact us. We are always happy to explore ways we can effectively support capacity building amongst frontline professionals and volunteers supporting forced and vulnerable migrants.

30 September, 2023

This summer, we conducted a final evaluation of the Handicap International – Humanity and Inclusion (HI) project Promoting Inclusive Work Environments and Rights (PIWER) in China. Funded by the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor (DRL), and in partnership with Beijing PEER Social Work Development Center (PEER), the PIWER project aimed to strengthen inclusive employment for people with disabilities in China through capacity building of civil society and displaced persons organizations, targeted engagement with employers, and coordination with local authorities.

To evaluate the project, we performed a detailed desk review of project documentation and internal and national guidance, and conducted interviews with CSO/DPO partners across five provinces, as well as with PEER and HI staff. Our analysis provided a nuanced understanding of the impact of the project, and provided practical and strategic considerations for incorporation into similar projects in future.

We greatly appreciate the opportunity to have worked with HI China, and are proud to have been able to contribute to its work on disability inclusion. We look forward to using our increased knowledge on this subject to enhance additional projects we undertake in future.

30 April, 2023

Over the winter and spring, we’ve delivered ten different trainings to civil society and local authorities across the UK. For a Migration Yorkshire conference, Mallory presented on how to ease the transition of Afghan refugees out of temporary hotel accommodation, and was subsequently invited to present on using trauma-informed care approaches to support resettled refugees of all backgrounds to rebuild life at a regional Refugee Council conference. We also built and delivered a training focused toward Homes for Ukraine hosts in understanding the affects of trauma and using trauma-informed care approaches to better engage and support their Ukrainian guests. In addition, we delivered a series of trainings on best practices in supporting Afghan refugees, asylum seekers, and refugees of all backgrounds to councils through Regional Strategic Migration Partnerships in London, the East Midlands, and North East. Participant feedback from all trainings have maintained a high satisfaction rate, with an average of 67% of respondents rating their overall experience as excellent, and the remaining 33% rating it as very good. 

We are in the process of developing additional trainings such as best practices in engaging interpreters when working with refugee families. 

Please contact us if you are interested in any of the above trainings, or have additional training needs you would like to discuss. We are always happy to explore additional types of trainings we would be well placed to develop and deliver.

19 December, 2022

Upcoming Speaking Engagement!

Mollie will be joining the Varieties of Peace Network (https://www.varietiesofpeace.net/) on December 19th, 15:30 CEST via Zoom to discuss her new article published in Conflict, Security and Development as part of a special issue edited by Johanna Söderström and Elisabeth Olivius.

Her contribution, “The Possibilities of Studying Affect to Illuminate Women’s Contributions to Peace” is available: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14678802.2022.2131375?src= (For a copy, please contact Mollie at )

Register to join us here: https://umu.zoom.us/meeting/register/u50rdu-rrDItG9GIcnld34-iz7-_arB3O1TN

21 October, 2022

 

We are pleased to announce we have conducted a mid-term evaluation of the Making Displacement Safer project for GNDR. Funded by USAID/BHA, this three-year project is implemented in 11 countries and seeks to mitigate disaster risk for urban displaced communities by understanding challenges, seeking innovative solutions, and institutionalising change in local, national and international policy systems.

Through a review of project documentation, interviews with global and local GNDR  members, consultations with global partners, and focus groups with displaced community members and local government and academic stakeholders, we evaluated the progress of the project to date and provided practical and strategic recommendations to maximise the impact of the project in the remaining delivery period. 

We are proud to have been able to contribute to the continued success of this exciting initiative, and look forward to seeing what it continues to achieve over the next year and half.

21 September, 2022

We recently developed and delivered a series of two-hour trainings focused on better understanding the challenges facing Afghans in transitioning from bridging hotels into long-term local authority support. Topics covered include a brief overview of the situation in Afghanistan, experiences of Afghan families during and after evacuation, subsequent effects on decision-making within families, and ways in which trauma-informed care can be applied to ease the process. Using a format that explores these topics and exchanges thoughts and experiences between participants, this training aims to inspire and empower local authorities to support the successful relocation of families in British communities.

We worked with the South East Strategic Migration Partnership in the UK to deliver trainings to local authorities throughout the region. The trainings were very well received, with many participants, including those having worked with refugees for decades, stating it was the best training they had received in years.

For information on delivering similar trainings in your area, please contact us at .

31 June, 2022

On behalf of the Greater London Authority and Mayor of London, we completed an assessment of systemic barriers to primary healthcare access from the perspective of health professionals tasked with registering patients. We identified key challenges and systemic recommendations to enhanced primary healthcare access amongst migrants and other marginalized                                                                   communities.

For additional examples of work led by Mallory and Mollie individually in their previous professional roles, please see below.

Mallory Carlson

Over the course of her career, Mallory has worked with a number of stakeholders and organizations to develop key integration and emergency response resources and research products: 

  • Developed and oversaw the delivery of a number of highly regarded integration resources, such as the IOM UK Refugee Information Sessions, Integration Hub, and Syrian Session Workbook (IOM UK, London): https://unitedkingdom.iom.int/iom-uk-integration-hub 
  • Participated in field interviews of UK local authorities and Syrian refugees, and supported the subsequent analysis and drafting of the UNHCR report Towards Integration (IOM UK, London): ​​https://www.unhcr.org/uk/5a0ae9e84.pdf 
  • Supported the development and drafting of the Mass Evacuations in Natural Disasters (MEND) Guide (IOM HQ, Geneva): https://cccmcluster.org/resources/mend-guide
  • Developed and led the delivery of an employment and job search training programme for refugees, which increased job placements by 200% (Ethiopian Community Development Council/African Community Center, USA)
  • Analyzed local NGO participation in a variety of global emergency and post-conflict interventions to enhance beneficiary participation in decision making (MSc. Dissertation, University of Oxford, UK)
  • Developed and implemented field interviews of local authorities and target communities to examine Chinese government development policies in Yunnan and the impact on local Hani ethnic minority communities (Field report project toward BSc. at Sarah Lawrence College, Yunnan, China)

Mollie Pepper, PhD

In her time as a practitioner and academic, Mollie has generated and contributed to multiple publications as well as internal research, training manuals, and reports that include the forcibly displaced and focus on the roots and consequences of displacement. Her work includes: 

Professional Products

  • Independently executed a research consultancy for the International Rescue Committee culminating in a report: “Gender and Livelihoods in the Muslim Community of a Refugee Camp in Thailand.” 
  • Consulted with Jewish Family Services in Seattle to develop and pilot training manuals for newly resettled refugees: “Financial Literacy” and “Health and Human Services.” 
  • Created training manual and training-of-trainers programme for the American Refugee Committee while working as a Livelihoods Coordinator in Thailand. “Business Skills for Entrepreneurs” is a week-long training programme for refugees on the Thailand-Burma border.
  • Participated in designing and executing an evaluation for Pro Mujer Bolivia in Cochabamba resulting in two bilingual reports: “Investigation of the Need for Services in Indigenous Languages (Investigacion de la Necesidad de Servicios en Idiomas Indigenas)” and “Evaluation of the New Training Program (Evaluacion de la Neuva Sistema de Capacitacion).”

Peer Reviewed Work

Public Outreach