The Institute for Global Health and Development
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Item Impacts of COVID-19 restrictions on Scotland’s Refugees: Sudden-onset isolation in a neglected population group.(Queen Margaret University, 2021-09-14) Vidal, Nicole L.; Salih, Maleeka; Strang, Alison; Sagan, Olivia; Smith, CameronThis report summarises the findings of a rapid COVID-19 response research project led by the Institute for Global Health and Development at Queen Margaret University, working with support from the Scottish Refugee Council and Scottish Local Authorities. The research cohort were refugees and asylum seekers receiving services from either the Scottish Refugee Council or Local Authorities and their respective partners.VidalItem NGO Hybridisation as an Outcome of HIV Services Delivery in Global Fund-Supported Programmes in Ukraine(Springer, 2015-06) McGill, SvetlanaUkraine has one of the world's fastest growing HIV rates and was one of the largest recipients of funding from the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GF). Doctoral research recently completed by the author investigates the conduct and practice of international and national nongovernmental organisations (NGOs) as Principal Recipients of GF grants in Ukraine from 2004 to 2012. The study aimed to understand how NGO-based services were implemented in the context of a state-owned health care system. An ethnographic enquiry including 50 participant interviews was conducted in three oblasts in Ukraine, and in its capital, Kyiv, between 2011 and 2013. The paper is based on a doctoral research and presents some of the findings that emerged from the analysis. The author argues that the accent on NGO-run services promoted by GF has rendered the original grass roots, community-based NGOs, to be undermined or replaced by 'quasi', hybrid NGOs created by health officials and AIDS centres head doctors. The outcome of such hybridization is a weakened civil society that is dependent on external funding and is unable to genuinely represent their communities. 2015 International Society for Third-Sector Research and The Johns Hopkins UniversityItem Rupture and liminality: Experiences of Scotland's refugee population during a time of COVID-19 lockdown(Elsevier, 2023-08-11) Vidal, Nicole L.; Sagan, Olivia; Strang, Alison; Palombo, GianlucaThe disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic had profound effects on refugees. In migrating to seek safety, refugees demonstrate resilience, resourcefulness and the ability to adapt to stressful situations. However, social distancing and self-isolation measures greatly impacted these individuals as they stand to risk the most from interruptions to integration. In this paper, we examine the implications of increased loneliness and isolation for refugees’ experiences with integration. We argue, using original interview data, that the demands placed on some refugees through extremely harsh circumstances can leave many even more vulnerable, as was evident in extreme during the COVID-19 lockdowns. The findings of this study pertain to the refugee pandemic experience in relation to loneliness, hopelessness and, more so: agency, resilience and post-traumatic growth. In recognising that rupture and liminality are intrinsically linked to feelings of loneliness, mental wellbeing, or its erosion, the paper demonstrates the complexity of loneliness and its potential to cause long-term damage to mental and physical health. Our findings suggest the importance of an approach to integration that recognises the unique needs of refugees. Where emotionally supportive social networks are weak or absent, it must be a priority to enable meaningful connections with other trusted human beings.