Project Leads

Alexandria Nylen
Civil-Military Program Coordinator, Center for Human Rights and Humanitarian Studies, Brown University

Omar Bah
Founder, Executive Director, Refugee Dream Center

Project Description

In partnership with the Providence-based Refugee Dream Center, this project will document the personal experiences of Afghan civilians who worked with the US military in Afghanistan, and who experienced the evacuation from Kabul. This research project will serve two purposes: 1) to better understand civilian perceptions of working with the US military in a warzone, and 2) to evaluate the immediate needs of this population for successful resettlement in the US. Using a grounded qualitative approach, this research will collect data through semi-structured interviews with newly arrived Afghan refugees of all identities.

This will be achieved through the following objectives:

• Document immediate needs Afghan refugees resettling in Rhode Island
• Understand mental health needs amongst the population
• Document and evaluate personal experiences of working with the US military in Afghanistan
• Document and evaluate personal experiences of the US evacuation of Afghanistan