Craving care in refugee camps

Abstract

Engaging refugees in development projects by the United Nations, or any other international aid organisation, should not be an elitist practice that presumes a hierarchy that places the organisation at the top and refugees at the bottom. For both ethical and pragmatic reasons, such projects and initiatives should take into consideration culture, religion, geography, politics, and social aspects when planning and delivering their services, otherwise their outreach and success will be hindered. This commentary looks at the emotional toll of diaspora on the Somali women interviewed for Bagelman and Gitome’s article, ‘Birthing Across Borders: “Contracting” Reproductive Geographies’, and contemplates the effects that this potentially has on the relationship between these women and health professionals in Dadaab, as well as their relationship with traditional Somali midwives.