SHIVANGI DESHWAL
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Changing the way nonprofits prepare: Lessons learned from early resettlement of Rohingyas in USA
Project Type
Research Project
Date
Aug, 2021
Location
United States
Role
Graduate Research Assistant (Aug 2021- 2023). Conducted comprehensive literature review for adaptation of new refugee population i.e., Rohingyas in the US. Oversaw data management process including qualitative coding by master level students. data analytical process and prepared reports for partnering agencies and progress. Presented findings to partnering agencies. Responsible for writing the literature review, results, findings, and conclusion, and editing of manuscript.
Output: I) Two research manuscripts accepted for publication in the top Management journal. (First paper published in Journal of Human Service Organizations: Management, Leadership, & Governance. The second paper (as first author) awaits review on the Journal of Human Rights and Social Work.)
ii) One symposium paper and one oral paper accepted at Society for Social Work and Research conference in Jan 2021 (Washington DC) and Jan 2022 (Phoenix, Arizona)
Link
Over one million Rohingya, a stateless Muslim minority, have fled the Rakhine state of Myanmar due to widespread institutionalized discrimination and ethnic cleansing (UNHCR, 2023). When Rohingya refugees first started to arrive to the Unaccompanied Refugee Minor Program (URM) in the US around 2013, the service providers felt ill prepared because of the lack of information available (and therefore an inability to appropriately tailor services) to this new minority population. Shortly after, service providers were introduced with a new obstacle in navigating the stark difference in gender socialization of Rohingya refugees within the US culture.
This study was conducted in partnership between the university researcher and staff members at the two national agencies (Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS) and United States Conference of Catholic Bishops/Migration and Refugee Service (USCCB/MRS)) that provide URM foster care services.
Due to the fact that URM youth are in the custody of the county/state child welfare system, this study relies on the perspectives of service providers to answer the research questions. Therefore, participants in this study included social service providers (n=23) who worked with Rohingya young adults that were resettled through the Unaccompanied Refugee Minor (URM) foster care program in different locations across the US. URM programs that had resettled five or more Rohingya youth (n=15 agencies) between October 2013 and January 2019 were invited to participate in the study.