Well, I returned from my first circuit ride about a week ago, and it was some experience! It all got kicked off when our team of about 10 people met up at Jomo Kenyatta airport. We immediately started loading up the huge blue metallic trunks containing the file of each case to be processed during the trip.
We also loaded our own luggage. Many of the others had brought huge bags, mostly filled up with snacks and goodies. If there's I learned during my first trip, it's that snacks are perhaps the most important item on the packing list, especially when you've had enough injara (ethiopian sour bread staple) for one day! Peanut butter in particular is a must!
After a lengthy check in process and some hefty overweight fees, we boarded the two-hour flight to Addis Ababa. When we arrived, we were detained for a little while by some overzealous customs officials who wanted to charge a heavy duty because we had more laptops than people! However, after a lot of arguing (and a little prayer on my part!) we were allowed to pass. We spent the night in Addis, and then woke up bright and early, around 4:30am, for our flight to Dire Dawa.
Pic - boarding Ethiopian Air
Dire Dawa is the second largest city in Ethiopia, and it's actually a pretty little town. Culturally, it's a bit different than other parts of Ethiopia, being mostly Muslim (rather than Orthodox), and having a large Somali speaking population. It's actually located not too far from the Somali border. We arrived around 9am, loaded up our trunks, and followed our UN escort to the hotel, where we had just enough time to stow our bags before heading to the worksite.
Pic - looking out at the refugee shelter at the worksite
Our worksite was a small community center on the other side of town. When we arrived, we found quite a large number of Somali refugees gathered, as well as a several interpreters. We worked quickly to set up our computer and photo equipment, and then got to work.
Pic: Me ready to dive into some files!
The population we worked with in Dire Dawa had mainly been brought in from the Kebribeya Refugee Camp. Most of them had been living there since fleeing Somalia during the political crisis in 1991- that's 18 years! Many of the younger refugees have actually been born there, and don't know any other life besides camp life. Being Somali families, the groups were often quite large- and average of 5-8 children per family. I learned quite a lot about the political situation in Somalia, and Somali culture by interacting with people and having to ask all kinds of questions about their families and why they had fled Somalia.
For the first week, Lindsay and I (the newbies) did formfilling and casework training, and helped out a bit with taking photos of each refugee. That was pretty hilarious at times, especially when there was a tiny baby that just started screaming its little lungs out. At that point everybody- photo takers, interpreters, and refugees alike- would join together in making fools of ourselves in an effort to provoke a little smile. We were very fortunate in that our team leader and colleagues were very patient and encouraging in helping us learn.
I have to confess that the learning process was frustrating at times- between being so new to the process, and dealing with difficult working conditions and technological difficulties- patience and humility are required in high supply!
Pic - trying to get a smile!
By the time the second week of the circuit ride rolled around, Lindsay and I were thrown into doing the full load of four casework interviews per day. These interviews are the final stage in the JVA process before the case is adjudicated by US immigration, so they are pretty important. In the first part, we verify with the refugee that all of the information that we have for them in our files is correct. In the second part, we speak with the principal applicant (usually the family head) about why they had to flee Somalia.
The main task for the caseworker is to capture background information about the refugee, as well as the story of why they had to flee, how they fled, and why they cannot go back. The 'claim' stated at the end of the case history, is the key element. It's basically a summary of why the refugee is unable to return to their home country based on their fear of persecution on one of the five grounds recognized by the US government: race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or membership in a social group.
Getting these stories can be quite an experience- emotional, draining, tedious, frustrating, even humorous! I had one case where it was 6pm, and most of my co-workers had already finished for the day. For some reason, I just couldn't find a way to get the refugee to express that he had a legitimate fear of returning to Somalia. I knew I couldn't let him go until I had done so, or his case would certainly be denied. Even the translator got frustrated and asked to be switched out with someone else. I finally ended up explaining to him about the five claims, and saying, "so, which one is it?" He went with race, and I think we were both equally glad to have the interview finally concluded.
Another day, Lindsay was questioning a woman in detail about how her father had been killed, in order to capture evidence of 'past persecution.' If you heard us questioning people, you might actually be shocked, because we do it so matter-of-factly- "Who killed him? How did they do it? Did you see him die?" We simply have to get the claim, regardless of how painful the memories might be. In this case, the woman finally told Lindsay, "if you ask me any more questions about my father, I'm going to cry."
I had another case one morning that had been pretty serious and straight forward. As we came to the end, and I was trying to get the refugee to state why he feared returning to Somalia. He had already mentioned a radical Muslim group that makes you kill if you join, and kills you if you don't. A very scary group, but I was happy because this group's name was like the 'magic word.' It made for a very solid claim on the basis of religion. I just needed the refugee to be a bit more clear about why he wouldn't join, so I blurted out, "explain this to me...why don't you want to kill people???" The refugee understood a little English, and he just started laughing. The translator also started cracking up, and even I was soon dying. It was just such a ridiculous question that it struck all of our funny bones! I had trouble keeping a straight face for the rest of that interview...
Our team processed about 2-300 cases during our 3.5 week circuit ride. My impression so far is that I really enjoy this work. It can be incredibly draining (as evidenced by the team's average bedtime of 8:30pm!) but I really enjoy the mix of detail-oriented procedures and personal interaction with the refugees. You also feel that you one link in a chain that will hopefully connect the refugee, who has often been through so much trauma, to a peaceful life and new opportunities. Dust, heat, flies, long hours, frustrating interviews and all- I am glad to be part of it!
Pic- me at my desk takin' care of business.
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