Student Spotlight: Kelberer Publishes in Middle East Project
Vicky Kelberer, MA Candidate at the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University, said that adequate shelter is an overlooked intervention that can make a positive impact in the lives of refugees fleeing from the war in Syria.
Kelberer made her case in a scholarly article published Nov. 5 in the Middle East Research and Information Project (MERIP). MERIP is a non-profit, non-governmental organization based in Washington, D.C. Since 1996, MERIP has maintained one of the most informative websites on Middle East politics, culture and society.
Kelberer’s article is entitled “Seeking Shelter in Jordan’s Cities: Housing Security and Urban Humanitarianism in the Syria Crisis.”
From the text of the article:
The housing crisis in Jordan was already acute before the Syrian civil war, due in part to the presence of large Palestinian and Iraqi refugee populations. Now that crisis is compounded by the arrival of over 630,000 Syrian refugees since 2011. The Syrian refugees not in camps often compete with poor Jordanians or other refugee groups for jobs and housing. Jordan needs an additional 48,230 housing units to meet the mounting demand, and many existing units are significantly below habitable standards. Refugees and native Jordanians cite housing as their area of greatest concern, as well as their largest monthly expenditure.
Royal efforts to ameliorate the problem have failed. In 2005, King ‘Abdallah II kicked off the “Decent Housing for a Decent Life” campaign, which aimed to provide 100,000 new homes for low-income Jordanians over five years. The campaign ended up constructing most dwellings in rural areas far from job opportunities and the areas of greatest need.
You can read the entire article here.
Kelberer has published on the Syrian refugee crisis in the Huffington Post and Parabellum Report and is a member of the Pardee School’s Forced Migration and Human Trafficking Working Group.