DOCSLIB.ORG

Expectations & Experiences of Resettlement

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Expectations & Experiences of Resettlement Expectations & Experiences of Resettlement: Sudanese refugees’ perspectives on their journeys from Egypt to Australia, Canada and the United States Martha Fanjoy Hilary Ingraham Cyrena Khoury Amir Osman ~ Forced Migration & Refugee Studies Program The American University in Cairo August 2005 TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter I: INTRODUCTION……………………………………………………….4 Background Literature............................................................................................................6 Background Information on the Sudan & Egypt…………………………………………..9 Methodology………………………………………………………………………………….13 Data Collection and Analysis……………………………………………………………......13 Respondent Demographics…………………………………………………………………...15 Methodological Issues…………………………………………………………………………15 Chapter II: DISCUSSION OF SELECTED VARIABLES………………………..17 Demographics…………………………………………………………………………………17 Egypt………………………………………………………………………………………...…...17 Resettlement Countries…………………………………………………………………………18 History, Policies & Programming of Resettlement Countries……………………………..20 Australia………………………………………………………………………………………….20 Canada……………………………………………………………………………………………22 United States……………………………………………………………………………………..23 Policy Comparisons………………………………………………………………………….....25 Information Attained Previous to Resettlement……………………………………....…….27 Information Received from Friends and Family Already in Resettlement Countries…..27 Cultural Orientation to Resettlement Countries……………………………………………..29 Chapter III: RESEARCH FINDINGS.....…………………………………………….32 Expectations & Experiences…………………………………………………………………...32 Expectations of Life in Resettlement Countries……………………………………………….32 Trends Across the Resettlement Countries…………………………………………………….35 Relationships with Resettlement Agencies…………………………………………………….37 Expectations of Assistance………………………………………………………………….……38 Refugee Perspectives on Assistance…………………………………………………………….38 Service Providers' Perspectives on Assistance………………………………………………..41 Analysis…………………………………………………………………………………………….43 Participation & Integration……………………………………………………………………44 Participation in Resettlement Countries……………………………………………………….44 Overall Participation……………………………………………………………………………..48 Perspectives on Success in Resettlement....................................................................................49 Indicators of Success……………………………………………………………….…….49 Personal Assessment of Success………………………………………………….....................49 2 Chapter IV: CONCLUSION………………………………………………………..…54 Impact of Governmental Policies on Refugee Integration…………………………………...54 Canada……………………………………………………………………………………….…….54 United States………………………………………………………………………………………55 Australia…………………………………………………………………………………………...56 Implications of these Trends…………………………………………………………………….57 Recommendations.......................................................................................................................57 Cultural Orientation Sessions…………………………………………………………...58 Information Dissemination & Feedback Mechanisms……………………………………….63 English Language Training Previous to Resettlement……………………………………….65 Final Words…………………………………………………………………………………..…66 Hypotheses for Future Research and Other Topics of Interest..............................................67 BIBLIOGRAPHY………………………………………………………………............69 APPENDICES…………………………………………………………………………..78 Appendix 1. Additional Statements by Research Participants……………………………...78 3 Chapter I: INTRODUCTION I first met [interviewee] in church and we chatted together. We had known each other since Cairo. I told him about the research and explained to him why this research was being undertaken. I asked him if he was willing to participate in the research and he accepted. I asked if I could go and interview him in his house and he gladly said yes, I can. He gave me his residential address and telephone and agreed on a day and time to visit him. On the agreed day, I went to his house and interviewed him in his house. He and his wife welcomed me and gave me Coke to drink. I then started the interview when his wife left to a shopping center. The children were in their rooms. He was willing to talk and I could observe that he is happy and his house has got all the utilities and is spacious with four bedrooms. When I asked him to compare life in Sudan and Egypt to life in Australia, he told me that Australia is many, many times better than Sudan, because the government gives money to those not working and the people are very kind and honest. There is not corruption like in Sudan and Egypt and there is freedom for one to express his opinion regardless of one’s status, i.e., refugee, migrant or citizen. – notes from the first interview conducted in Australia by one of the project’s four research assistants, James Wani. Cairo, Egypt is currently home to 20,500 recognized refugees, one of the largest recognized urban refugee populations in the world. Because of the city’s location at the crossroads of two major refugee­producing regions, Africa and the Middle East, its proximity to Europe across the Mediterranean Sea, and the resulting continuous flow of asylum seekers into and out of the city, Cairo provides a unique and intriguing context for refugee studies. A key center for refugee­based activity is the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) regional office, located in Cairo. In recent years, this unit has referred approximately 4,000 recognized refugees per year for resettlement to the United States, Canada, Australia and a number of other smaller receiving countries, making it the largest such program in the world. But despite the size of the refugee population and the resettlement program in Cairo, there has been little research conducted into the expectations and experiences of the refugees themselves on this process. These perspectives could be significant determinants of success in the resettlement country. Therefore, the Forced Migration & Refugee Studies Program at the American University in Cairo generously agreed to fund the study described throughout the rest of this paper, a pilot project seeking to provide preliminary documentation of refugees’ expectations and experiences throughout the resettlement process. The 15,000­strong Sudanese refugee community in Cairo is both the largest refugee population and the primary beneficiary of the resettlement program. Thus, this group formed the most logical case study for this project. The purposes of this project, besides filling a gap in the research already conducted on refugee resettlement, were two­fold. Primarily, it aimed to investigate Sudanese refugees’ expectations of life in resettlement while in Egypt and previous to travel, and their experiences of life in resettlement after arrival in Australia, Canada and the United States, the three largest receiving countries worldwide. Secondly, through this report and various other articles and presentations, the authors aim to facilitate the communication of these perspectives to the governmental, non­governmental and inter­governmental agencies 4 whose actions can significantly impact the lives of refugees, in the hopes of improving refugees’ experiences of resettlement and adjustment. To this end, this research seeks to answer several key questions: Ø What expectations do refugees have for life upon resettlement? How, or do, these expectations differ from their actual experiences? Ø What factors shape refugees’ expectations of life in the resettlement country? Ø How do the policies of the three resettlement countries affect refugees’ expectations and experiences throughout the resettlement process? Ø What role do refugees’ expectations play in their experiences of resettlement and life in their resettlement country? Are they, or can they be, determinants of success in resettlement? Ø How do refugees define ‘successful resettlement’? How does this compare to the government’s understanding of ‘successful resettlement’ in the three resettlement countries? What factors can affect someone’s perception of their resettlement experience? The remaining sections of this chapter provide background information integral to this research, including a review of the literature on refugee resettlement that reveals the gaps this research intends to fill, a brief historical background of the situation in Sudan causing people to seek asylum in Egypt, a sketch of the resulting situation for refugees in Cairo; and an overview of the methodology employed in conducting fieldwork. Chapter II discusses a number of the variables that could influence success or failure in resettlement, including demographics of the study population, resettlement country policies and information received by refugees previous to resettlement. Chapter III presents and analyzes the significant findings of this research project, compiling them into the following sections: Expectations & Experiences; Relationships with Resettlement Agencies; Participation & Integration; and Perspectives on Success. Chapter IV provides recommendations for improving the chances of individual success in resettlement, including refinements to the receiving countries’ respective Cultural Orientation sessions (facilitated by the International Organization for Migration); observations of the impact of specific policies on refugees’ experiences of resettlement in the receiving countries; and recommendations for a smoother facilitation of the overall resettlement process in Cairo and in transit to the receiving countries. It also identifies several topics and specific hypotheses for future research that rose out of this
Load more

Recommended publications
  • The Secession of South Sudan: a Case Study in African Sovereignty and International Recognition
    College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University DigitalCommons@CSB/SJU Political Science Student Work Political Science 2012 The Secession of South Sudan: A Case Study in African Sovereignty and International Recognition Christian Knox College of Saint Benedict/Saint John's University Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.csbsju.edu/polsci_students Part of the Political Science Commons Recommended Citation Knox, Christian, "The Secession of South Sudan: A Case Study in African Sovereignty and International Recognition" (2012). Political Science Student Work. 1. https://digitalcommons.csbsju.edu/polsci_students/1 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by DigitalCommons@CSB/SJU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Political Science Student Work by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@CSB/SJU. For more information, please contact [email protected]. The Secession of South Sudan: A Case Study in African Sovereignty and International Recognition An Honors Thesis College of St. Benedict/St. John’s University In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for All College Honors and Distinction in the Department of Political Science by Christian Knox May, 2012 Knox 2 ABSTRACT: This thesis focuses on the recent secession of South Sudan. The primary research questions include an examination of whether or not South Sudan’s 2011 secession signaled a break from the O.A.U.’s traditional doctrines of African stability and noninterference. Additionally, this thesis asks: why did the United States and the international community at large confer recognition to South Sudan immediately upon its independence? Theoretical models are used to examine the independent variables of African stability, ethnic secessionism, and geopolitics on the dependent variables of international recognition and the Comprehensive Peace Agreement.
    [Show full text]
  • Sudan Crisis Appeal
    Disasters Emergency Committee: Sudan Crisis Appeal ETC (UK) Ltd June 1999 CONTENTS PAGE Contents 2 List of Acronyms 5 Executive Summary 7 1.0 Background to the Evaluation 8 1.1 The Purpose of the Evaluation 8 1.2 DEC Agencies Participating in the Appeal 8 2.0 The DEC Approach to the Evaluation 8 2.1 Appointment of the Evaluation Team 8 2.2 Planning and Reporting System for DEC Participating Agencies 9 3.0 ETC UK Approach to the Evaluation 9 3.1 Team Members 10 3.2 Terms of Reference 10 3.3 Methodology 10 4.0 ETC UK Field Contacts 11 5.0 Emergence of the Crisis 12 5.1 Affected Population 13 5.2 Decision to Appeal 15 6.0 The DEC Sudan Crisis Appeal 16 7.0 Participating DEC Agencies’ Operations 17 7.1 Types of Activity 19 7.2 Evidence of the Delayed Rains in 1998 20 7.3 Expenditure by DEC Agencies 21 8.0 Evaluation Findings 22 8.1 Restrictions on Humanitarian Space 22 8.2 Transport and Logistical Problems 23 8.3 The Need to Strengthen OLS 23 8.4 Non OLS Interventions 25 8.5 Activities in South Sudan 25 8.6 Activities in Government of Sudan Controlled Sudan 25 8.7 Advocacy 26 8.8 Performance Standards 26 2 8.9 Nutrition 27 8.9.1 General Ration 27 8.9.2 Nutritional Surveys 27 8.9.3 Supplementary and Therapeutic Feeding 28 8.9.4 Redistribution within Communities 28 8.9.5 Other Provisions in Feeding Centres 29 8.10 Perceptions of the DEC 29 9.0 Efficiency 29 10.0 Effectiveness 30 11.0 Lessons Learnt 31 11.1 DEC Performance 31 11.2 Need for Collective DEC Responses 31 11.3 Diversity in Response 31 11.4 Supplementary and Therapeutic Feeding 31
    [Show full text]
  • Annual Report 1998
    ANNUAL REPORT 1998 EMERGENCY PREVENTION SYSTEM EMPRES For Transboundary Animal and Plant Pests and Diseases DESERT LOCUST CENTRAL REGIONAL PROGRAMME Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Table of Contents Section Title Page 1. Introduction 3 2. EMPRES Activities 4 2A. Establishment of EMPRES Central Region Field Unit and National Liaison Officers 4 2B. EMPRES Central Region Structure and Function 5 2C. Coordination 5 2D. Early Warning and Survey 6 2E. Early Control 8 2F. Research 10 2G. Training 12 2H. Residue Analysis Laboratory Development 13 2I. Acetylcholinesterase Blood Testing Programme 14 2J. Database Construction 14 2K. EMPRES Central Region Brochure 14 2L. Strategies Development 14 3. Unforeseen Events 15 4. 6th EMPRES Liaison Officers Meeting 15 5. Donor Support for EMPRES Central Region 16 6. EMPRES Activities Related to Logical Framework 17 Acronyms 28 Annex 1: EMPRES Central Region Progress Indicators 29 2 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 This is the second Annual Report of the EMPRES (Desert Locust) Central Region Programme. It herein documents progress made by EMPRES staff and Liaison Officers during 1998. 1998 was the second year of full activities in the field, and it was the year in which the necessary background work for developing a comprehensive EMPRES Central Region approach was mostly completed. 1.2 The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Emergency Prevention System (EMPRES) for Transboundary Animal and Plant Pests and Diseases is a Special Programme of the FAO. It has two components, one on certain animal diseases, the other presently focusing on the prevention of Desert Locust plagues. Many of the previous Desert Locust plagues have started in countries around the Red Sea.
    [Show full text]
  • Rural Development and Microfinance Projects in Sudan
    RU L DEVELOPMEi AND MICROFINANCE PROJECTS IN SUDAN With Special Attention to Community Participation Nawal El-Gack With a Foreword by John Overton and Regina Scheyvens The Edwin Mellen Press Lewiston. Queenston•Lampeter Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data El Gack, Nawal. Rural development and microfinance projects in Sudan : with special attention to community participation / Nawal El-Gack ; with a foreword by John Overton and Regina Scheyvens. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN-13: 978-0-7734-3075-4 (hardcover) ISBN-10: 0-7734-3075-X (hardcover) 1. Rural development--Sudan. 2. Rural development projects--Sudan- Citizen participation. 3. Sudan--Rural condition. 4. Microfinance-- Sudan. I. Overton, John, 1951- II. Title. HN787.Z9E4 2012 338.9624--dc23 . 2012034599 hors serie. A CIP catalog record for this book is available from the British Library. Copyright © 2013 Nawal El-Gack All rights reserved. For information contact The Edwin Mellen Press The Edwin Mellen Press Box 450 Box 67 Lewiston, New York Queenston, Ontario USA 14092-0450 CANADA LOS 1L0 The Edwin Mellen Press, Ltd. Lampeter, Ceredigion, Wales UNITED KINGDOM SA48 8LT Printed in the United States of America This book is dedicated to all development planners and practitioners who are concerned about development in practice and care about genuine community participation. Table of Cc s Foreword by John Overton and Regina Scheyvens Preface iii Acknowledgements vii 1. INTRODUCTION 1 Background The Significance of the Study 5 Research Question and Objective 8 Organization of the Book 13 2. RESEARCH METHODS AND FIELDWORK EXPERIENCE 19 Introduction 19 General Framework 33 Primary Data 39 Data Reduction 52 Limitations 55 Summary 56 3.
    [Show full text]
  • Why Women Rebel: Understanding Female Participation in Intrastate Conflict
    Why Women Rebel: Understanding Female Participation in Intrastate Conflict Item Type text; Electronic Dissertation Authors Henshaw, Alexis Leanna Publisher The University of Arizona. Rights Copyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author. Download date 01/10/2021 12:35:38 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10150/293429 WHY WOMEN REBEL: UNDERSTANDING FEMALE PARTICIPATION IN INTRASTATE CONFLICT by Alexis Leanna Henshaw Copyright © Alexis Leanna Henshaw 2013 A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of the SCHOOL OF GOVERNMENT AND PUBLIC POLICY In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY WITH A MAJOR IN POLITICAL SCIENCE In the Graduate College THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA 2013 2 THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA GRADUATE COLLEGE As members of the Dissertation Committee, we certify that we have read the dissertation prepared by Alexis Leanna Henshaw entitled Why Women Rebel: Understanding Female Participation in Intrastate Conflict and recommend that it be accepted as fulfilling the dissertation requirement for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy ____________________________________________________________Date: 3/4/13 Faten Ghosn ____________________________________________________________Date: 3/4/13 Gary Goertz ___________________________________________________________Date: 3/4/13 V. Spike Peterson ___________________________________________________________Date: 3/4/13 Miranda Joseph Final approval and acceptance of this dissertation is contingent upon the candidate's submission of the final copies of the dissertation to the Graduate College. I hereby certify that I have read this dissertation prepared under my direction and recommend that it be accepted as fulfilling the dissertation requirement.
    [Show full text]
  • Livestock Policy Discussion Paper No.3
    Livestock Policy Discussion Paper No. 3 SOCIO-ECONOMIC IMPACTS OF FREEDOM FROM LIVESTOCK DISEASE AND EXPORT PROMOTION IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES A. McLeod and J. Leslie Food and Agriculture Organization Livestock Information and Policy Branch, AGAL June 2001 J. Leslie A. McLeod Preface This is the third of a series of ‘Livestock Policy Discussion Papers’. The purpose of the series is to provide up-to-date reviews of topics relating to the livestock sector and its development in various regions of the world. A strong emphasis is placed on the compilation of quantitative information, methodological aspects and on the development of policy recommendations for the topic at hand. This paper explores the benefits and costs of freedom from OIE List A diseases and the benefits from and hindrances to international trade in livestock products in order to highlight the complexity of the link between disease freedom and export. It suggests that proposed disease control policies need to be examined within a broad context, to capture the full impact on different parts of the livestock sector and different groups in society. This is especially important in developing countries, which need to ensure financial and economic viability of any investment and to countries and funding agents with an equity agenda. Even where disease freedom and export expansion are technically possible and economically attractive, they are likely to have different effects on different stakeholders, gains to one corresponding with neutral effects or even losses to another. The paper therefore particularly examines two wider effects: impacts on the livelihoods of poor livestock keepers and multiplier effects through the economy.
    [Show full text]
  • 2. Ignasio Francis.P65 16 19/01/2006, 09:54 Nyamnjoh & Jimu: Success Or Failure of Developmental States in Africa 17
    2 Success or Failure of Developmental States in Africa: Exploration of the Development Experiences in a Global Context Francis B. Nyamnjoh & Ignasio M. Jimu Implicit or explicit in all rhetoric on development in African countries is undeniably a desire to improve the socio-economic aspects of all people by ensuring among other things a reasonable access to the necessary goods and services for a modest living. Lack of development implies a denial of choices and opportunities for living a tolerable life (UNDP 1997). Yet, in every African country the poor outnumber those who can claim to have security to the basic needs of life. Statistics indicate a rise of poverty, unemployment and inequality in many African countries, which is a nude manifestation that development in its broadest sense is an illusive ideal to many African states. This is more than a scandal considering numerous commitments by African states to alleviate poverty since it is tantamount to betrayal of the hopes for better life for all. It is not a secret even to the ardent optimists of Africa’s development that nearly a half-century of post-colonial economic endeavour has not been enough for Africa to realize positive and substantive change in the socio-economic aspects of the peoples. The paradox is that nationalist struggles in the early years preceding and after independence in many African states drew strength from the socio-economic agenda and upliftment of the African peoples beleaguered by decades of colonialism. Why so much poverty despite decades of preoccupation to achieve development by state and non-state actors alike (cf.
    [Show full text]
  • Conventiontocombat Desertification
    UNITED NATIONS Convention to Combat Distr. Desertification GENERAL ICCD/COP(ES-1)/INF.2 20 November 2007 ENGLISH ONLY CONFERENCE OF THE PARTIES First extraordinary session New York, 26 November 2007 Status of ratification of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification Note by the secretariat 1. The text of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) was adopted in Paris on 17 June 1994, at the Headquarters of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization; it was opened for signature in Paris on 14 and 15 October 1994, and thereafter at United Nations Headquarters in New York until 13 October 1995. By that date, the Convention had received 115 signatures. The Convention entered into force on 26 December 1996. Those States which have not signed the Convention may accede to it at any time. 2. At the fourth session of the Conference of the Parties to the UNCCD, the Regional Implementation Annex for Central and Eastern Europe (Annex V) was adopted by decision 7/COP.4. 3. For any States ratifying, accepting or approving the Convention or acceding thereto after the date of entry into force, the Convention shall enter into force on the ninetieth day after the date of deposit by such State of its instrument of ratification, acceptance, approval or accession. 4. This document contains information concerning dates of signature and ratification received by the Secretary-General of the United Nations, as Depositary, as at 20 November 2007. 5. The following table lists all 192 Parties to the Convention as at 20 November 2007 and shows the general status of ratification of the Convention.
    [Show full text]
  • Univerza V Ljubljani Ekonomska Fakulteta
    UNIVERZA V LJUBLJANI EKONOMSKA FAKULTETA M A G I S T R S K O D E L O PRIMERJALNOPRAVNI VIDIKI VARSTVA AVTORSKE PRAVICE IN SORODNIH PRAVIC V SLOVENIJI, HRVAŠKI, MAKEDONIJI TER BOSNI IN HERCEGOVINI V Ljubljani, maj 2006 Mojca Urban čič I Z J A V A Študentka Mojca Urban čič izjavljam, da sem avtorica tega magistrskega dela, ki sem ga napisala pod mentorstvom prof. dr. Krešimirja Puhari ča in skladno s 1. odstavkom 21. člena Zakona o avtorskih in sorodnih pravicah dovolim objavo magistrskega dela na fakultetnih spletnih straneh. V Ljubljani, dne 15. 5. 2006 Mojca Urban čič KAZALO 1 UVOD.............................................................................................................................. 1 2 ZASNOVA VARSTVA OBRAVNAVANIH PRAVIC V MEDNARODNEM PRAVU IN PRAVU EU ................................................................................................................ 4 2.1 KLASI ČNO MEDNARODNO PRAVO IN PRAVO EU ..................................... 4 2.1.1 POLOŽAJ KLASI ČNEGA MEDNARODNEGA PRAVA V NACIONALNIH PRAVNIH SISTEMIH........................................................ 4 2.1.2 POLOŽAJ EVROPSKEGA PRAVA V NACIONALNIH PRAVNIH SISTEMIH DRŽAV ČLANIC ES ................................................................... 6 2.2 SVETOVNA TRGOVINSKA ORGANIZACIJA (STO).................................... 11 2.3 POMEN SPORAZUMA O TRGOVINSKIH VIDIKIH PRAVIC INTELEKTUALNE LASTNINE – TRIPS.......................................................... 13 2.4 NESORAZMERJA IN OVIRE V MEDNARODNI TRGOVINI IN NJIHOV VPLIV NA UVELJAVLJANJE
    [Show full text]
  • H I C N Households in Conflict Network Quantifying the Impact Of
    View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by IDS OpenDocs H i C N Households in Conflict Network The Institute of Development Studies - at the University of Sussex - Falmer - Brighton - BN1 9RE www.hicn.org Quantifying the Impact of Women’s Participation in Post-Conflict Economic Recovery Patricia Justino, Ivan Cardona, Rebecca Mitchell and Catherine Müller HiCN Working Paper 131 November 2012 1 Table of Contents EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ........................................................................................................ 6 1. BACKGROUND ................................................................................................................ 9 1.1. Aims and Rationale ........................................................................................................................... 9 1.2. Definitions and Concepts .............................................................................................................. 11 2. LITERATURE REVIEW ................................................................................................ 13 2.1. Changes in gender roles during and after conflict ...................................................................... 13 2.1.1. Impact of conflict on family roles ...................................................................................................................... 13 2.1.2. Impact of conflict on women’s economic roles ....................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • US Strategic Interests and the Role of the US Military in Africa
    Africa Command: U.S. Strategic Interests and the Role of the U.S. Military in Africa Lauren Ploch Analyst in African Affairs July 22, 2011 Congressional Research Service 7-5700 www.crs.gov RL34003 CRS Report for Congress Prepared for Members and Committees of Congress Africa Command: U.S. Strategic Interests and the Role of the U.S. Military in Africa Summary In recent years, analysts and U.S. policymakers have noted Africa’s growing strategic importance to U.S. interests. Among those interests are the increasing importance of Africa’s natural resources, particularly energy resources, and mounting concern over violent extremist activities and other potential threats posed by under-governed spaces, such as maritime piracy and illicit trafficking. In addition, there is ongoing concern for Africa’s many humanitarian crises, armed conflicts, and more general challenges, such as the devastating effect of HIV/AIDS. In 2006, Congress authorized a feasibility study on the creation of a new command for Africa to consolidate current operations and activities on the continent under one commander. Congress has closely monitored the command since its establishment. On February 6, 2007, the Bush Administration announced the creation of a new unified combatant command, U.S. Africa Command or AFRICOM, to promote U.S. national security objectives in Africa and its surrounding waters. Prior to AFRICOM’s establishment, U.S. military involvement on the continent was divided among three commands: U.S. European Command (EUCOM), U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), and U.S. Pacific Command (PACOM). The command’s area of responsibility (AOR) includes all African countries except Egypt.
    [Show full text]
  • Inclusion of Pupils with Special Education Needs in Sudan: Teachers' Perceptions of Their Competence and Their Perceived Training Needs
    Institute of Education University of London Inclusion of pupils with special education needs in Sudan: Teachers' perceptions of their competence and their perceived training needs A thesis submitted to the Institute of Education University of London for the degree of PhD in School of Psychology and Human Development 2011 By: Nagi Hamza Baldo Mohamed School of Psychology and Human Development 1 ABSTRACT In Sudan, the education of children with special educational needs (SEN) in mainstream schools shows slow progress. The traditional medical approach, whereby the majority of children with SEN are educated in segregated schools or receive no education at all, is still the dominant recourse for educating pupils with all types of disabilities that may require special needs education. This research is the pioneering attempt to explore Sudan's context of special education, and teachers' perceptions of their competencies and training needs within mainstream education in relation to inclusion of pupils with SEN. The research was carried out in Khartoum, the capital city of Sudan, where three visits were made throughout the study to collect the relevant literature and data. Following extensive literature review of teachers' competencies related to SEN, a questionnaire was developed by the researcher. It was tested and used to collect quantitative data for the study. A total of 301 completed questionnaires, out of 325 distributed, were collected from fifty basic schools with a response rate of 92.6%. This was complemented by qualitative data obtained from semi structured interviews with 20 qualified teachers, 10 teacher trainers from the Faculty of Education University of Khartoum, and 10 educational supervisors responsible for advising and assessing teachers' performance in the state.
    [Show full text]