After several days of working with The New School and IRC research and innovation team, I feel comfortable fully describing what I'm researching and visualizing while in Jordan. Specifically, I'm working with a division within the IRC called the Airbel Center. This division is focused on designing and testing innovative ways of developing solutions to challenges faced by refugees. To do this, they use a multidisciplinary approach of brining in individuals both inside and outside of the IRC.
Challenges
My team is addressing several challenges of Syrian refugees and vulnerable populations within Jordan. For example, we are looking at areas related to cash transfers, housing, information distribution, employment for women, healthcare, mental health, etc. My work will focus mainly on health seeking behavior (health care access) and situational mental health of urban Syrian refugees living in Jordan. To do this, we are currently gathering information on these challenges. Once we gather the data from individual interviews, I will use natural language processing to analyze the text. Interestingly, I will help design some of the interviews (along with another designer on the team), but I will not be conducting the interviews, because I don't know Arabic. Once the interviews are completed, they will be quickly translated, and I will conduct my analysis and visualizing magic. I hope to have all this done by the end of the month.
A Quick Turnaround
For those familiar with research, you may be saying, "Wow, that's a quick turnaround." I said the same thing. However, I'm learning that working with refugees requires a quick turnaround to address needs. The landscape is obviously quickly changing for this population, and I hope we can develop another model that IRC and other NGOs can use to collect, analyze, and visualize data quickly. So, the innovation is both finding new ways to improve healthcare access for refugees AND collect/analyze data quickly to meet refugee needs. I'm excited to give it a go, and its such a privilege to work with such amazing people from the IRC and The New School's Zolberg Institute. I particularly enjoy working with the researchers conducting the interviews, who are Syrian refugees as well.
Finding Solutions
After the data collection and analysis, which should be completed toward the end of the month, our work is not done. We will then move to finding solutions. We probably won't be able to select just one solution, but we will give the IRC several alternatives/innovations with moving forward with these challenges.
Love What You Do
I have to admit, I feel a little anxious about the work ahead, but I find working with data and a team of designers and researchers fascinating. Plus, its been great using my new skills in computer programming and data visualization in coordination with my previous research experience to help guide the project. Its all coming together, and I'm grateful for the opportunity.
If you keep following, I'll keep posting. This weekend, it looks like we're going on an adventure south of Amman. I'll be posting photos of course when we return.
I'm closing with a photo I took of the moon rising over Amman.
Amman Moonrise