Egypt: Designing research with displaced populations in MENA region (February 12 - 16, 2017) by Sara Sadek

Designing research with displaced populations in MENA region (February 12 - 16, 2017)

The past two years have witnessed the highest records of refugees, asylum-seekers and internally displaced since World War II, with an estimate of 4.8 million Syrians alone hosted in MENA in addition to other refugee groups from the Horn of Africa and Iraq. In light of the lack of prospects migrants and refugees experience in MENA, assessing their socio-economic needs have become a major task undertaken by agencies catering to migrants and refugees.

This course is intended for practitioners from national governments, international inter-governmental organizations (IGOs), and national and inter-national non-governmental organizations (NGOs), working with migrants and refugees in urban and camp settings. It is also for junior researchers, undergraduates and post-graduates in social sciences working on topics related to migrants and refugees.

The course will provide essential tools and techniques needed to conduct research and needs-assessments with displaced populations. It will help participants:

• Understand the aims and objectives of research.

• Identify the appropriate research method for the target groups and subject matter.

• Select the appropriate sample frame/s and sampling techniques.

• Create research tools to reflect the focus of the research.

• Consider the contextual limitations and challenges in conducting research with migrants and refugees.

• Understand the ethical considerations and limitations vis-à-vis interaction with respondents/clients when conducting research.

The course will cover mixed research methods with an emphasis on qualitative techniques namely: Focus Group Discussions, Semi-Structured Interviews, in-depth interviews and ethnographies. It will lay out the pros and cons of the different methods and sampling techniques. It will discuss in-depth the implications of reflexivity on the data collection, analysis and outcomes. It will also look at ethical considerations and challenges in conducting research with beneficiaries.

The course includes lectures and application of methods. Participants will be expected through a group project to apply one of the research methods through a practical exercise with refugee and migrant respondents in Egypt on a topic of interest. Participants will also submit a reflective piece covering their scope of work.

Requirements: A minimum knowledge of displacement and migration terminologies is a requirement for the course participation. Knowledge of research is not required.

About the Instructor: Sara Sadek is a researcher and trainer in the field of migration and protection. She is currently an adjunct professor at the Center for Migration and Refugee Studies at the American University in Cairo and a PhD Candidate at the Center for Applied Human Rights at the Politics Department at the University of York, UK. She obtained her B.A in Political Science at the American University in Cairo (AUC) in 2003 and her M.A in Refugee Studies at the University of East London (UEL) in UK in 2007. She has lead and participated in a series of medium to large-scale needs assessments and research projects using quantitative and qualitative methods including: large-scale surveys, focus group discussions, interviews and ethnographies. She worked as a researcher and consultant for international organizations and academic institutions. To name a few: Center for Migration and Refugee Studies (CMRS), Cynthia Institute for Gender and Women Studied (IGWS) at the American University in Cairo (AUC), the International Organization for Migration (IOM), United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Save the Children International (SC), Swiss Development Cooperation, the University of East London, the French Institute for the Near East (IFPO), Duke University, and Center for Applied Human Rights at the University of York, UK. Research topics covered: labor migration, civil society-state relations, trafficking and smuggling, mixed migratory flows, domestic labor, unaccompanied minors, survivors of Sexual and Gender-based Violence, Diaspora and transnational communities, child protection, livelihoods and socio-economic rights, citizenship, narratives of displacements and transitional justice.

.Eligibility for all courses:

Requirements: These courses are offered for undergraduate and postgraduate students, and researchers as well as practitioners working with migrants and refugees. A minimum knowledge of displacement and migration terminologies and context is a requirement for participation in any of the four courses.

All courses are conducted in English and no translation facilities are provided. Participants should have a very good command of the English language. Each course will run from 9.30 am till 4pm for five days.

Interested applicants can apply for one course or for all courses.

Number of Participants: minimum of 12 in each course

NB: Non- Egyptian applicants are strongly encouraged to apply early because it takes more than one month to obtain Egyptian visa.

Dates and Location:

CMRS courses will take place between Sunday 15 of January and 16^th of February at the AUC Tahrir Campus in Downtown Cairo. The exact location and room numbers will be forwarded to accepted participants before the start of the courses.

Deadlines for submitting application for all courses are:

• 8 of Dec, 2016

• Deadline for paying course deposit (30% of the course’s fee- 150$) is 15 of Dec, 2016

Application Information:

To apply for the courses:

1. Fill out the application form. The form is available on CMRS website: http://www.aucegypt.edu/GAPP/cmrs/outreach/Pages/ShortCourses.aspx

2. Send the application form to cmrscourses@aucegypt.edu with your most recent C.V; Att. Naseem Hashim

Applicants may apply to and be accepted in more than one course. Please do not hesitate to contact cmrscourses@aucegypt.edu if you have any difficulty with the application process.
Applicants accepted for the course will be notified by email within a week after the deadline for submitting the application. ]