The Burden on Children: The Cost of Insufficient Post-Conflict Services and Pathways Forward
Summary
Key Insights
-
•
Uganda hosts over 1.5 million refugees, 60% of whom are children, representing one of the largest child refugee crises globally.
-
•
The 70/30 land and resource allocation policy, though progressive on paper, creates tensions due to chronic underfunding and perceived inequities between refugees and host communities.
-
•
Redemptive design goes beyond human-centered and regenerative design by aiming to restore people, place, and time to their rightful future.
-
•
Starting research from a community’s desired future—‘from the future to the future’—helps guide sustainable, hopeful design interventions.
-
•
Social dynamics in refugee-host contexts often involve feelings of unfairness, justice, and dignity, complicated by external power systems like NGOs and government agencies controlling resources.
-
•
Historical tribal conflicts brought from places like South Sudan continue to affect cohesion within refugee settlements and must be mapped to inform design.
-
•
Facilitating hope is an active, structured process that includes embracing multiple knowledge systems and critical reflexivity about researcher positionality.
-
•
The A, B, C, D model structures engagement by exploring the past (A), envisioning the future (B), bridging stakeholders (C), and re-initiating conversations (D).
-
•
Engaging donors effectively requires personal dialogue and aligning their futures with those of communities served, often through informal settings like dinners.
-
•
Sustainable systemic change requires horizontal design approaches combined with top-down legislation to stabilize and scale redemptive solutions.
Notable Quotes
"Will you become an advocate for the world’s most vulnerable voices muffled and unheard in complex systems?"
"Uganda is Africa’s largest refugee host nation with over 1.5 million refugees, 60% of whom are children—yet this crisis is often invisible in media."
"Redemptive design means to buy back or restore something or someone to its rightful place."
"You begin research from the end—from the future to the future—asking communities to share their envisioned future first."
"The tensions between host and refugee communities are more than poor service design; they point to chronic systemic issues rooted in resource allocation and social justice."
"Hope is not passive. Hope is very proactive and requires facilitation that helps people dream despite their harsh realities."
"Knowing your positionality and having native speakers and culturally sensitive methods is vital for authentic data gathering."
"We had conversations with donors over dinners and asked about their vision for innovation and future impact—it’s about asking the right questions."
"There’s never really conflicting futures—everyone wants to take care of the most vulnerable children; you just have to find the bridge between visions."
"Our job as innovation managers is to build the playgrounds where people play—designing the built environment to complement policy and sustain future generations."
Or choose a question:
More Videos
"The community is an ongoing prototype; members have a strong, frequent voice in shaping what good looks like."
Marc Fonteijn Ru ButlerIncrease your confidence, influence, and impact (through a Professional Community)
December 3, 2024
"Design’s value is in asking meaningful questions and steering towards the right outcome, not getting bogged down in technical parameters."
Dem Gerolemou Alexis Oh Neef RehmanClimate technology fundamentals
May 15, 2024
"The faster the reaction, the less distorted it is by cognitive processes, capturing genuine gut feelings."
Daniela Magaña Flores Ariane Rahn Jeff Ephraim BanderAhead of Competition: Learn What UX Benchmarking Can Do for Your Business Today
March 10, 2022
"Design systems are not just components but guidelines, rules, and principles to create consistent experiences."
Abbey Smalley Sylas SouzaScaling UX Past the Size of Your Team
January 8, 2024
"Anything below zero on the design staffing score indicates we’re staffing lower priority projects over higher ones."
Patrick CommarfordDesign Staffing for Impact
January 8, 2024
"We believe in global citizenship and de-westernizing research by including community members in the discourse and insight decisions."
Xenia Adjoubei Sean BruceEmpowering Communities Through the Researcher in Residence Program
March 29, 2023
"Stop being the unquestioning executors of a marketing plan based on 20th century logic and values."
Craig VillamorDesign Systems for Ethical Design
January 26, 2023
"A designer working on a new component needs to understand not just that component but the templates using it and overall approach."
Jon Fukuda Ellie KryslDesign Planning and Management Support
October 3, 2023
"Our hypothesis was we could create better product faster with more eyes looking at the problem, not just product."
Iain McMaster IHan ChengDesign and Product: from Frenemy to Harmony
November 29, 2023
Latest Books All books
Dig deeper with the Rosenbot
How have changes in communication technologies historically affected collective knowledge building, and what might AI's role be?
In what ways does storytelling help insights cut through corporate and organizational noise?
How can barriers like childcare and internet access be addressed to promote equitable participation?