"You do your house, I do my house" A Critical analysis of the humanitarian response to the refugee crisis on Chios
Authors
Krystad Myrvold, Kamilla ; Teigen, Julie
Term
4. term
Education
Publication year
2016
Submitted on
2016-05-31
Pages
142
Abstract
This thesis examines how humanitarian actors can enable a more coherent response to meet the needs of migrants and refugees arriving on the Greek island of Chios. Using Biermann’s inter‑organizational theory and a qualitative approach based on interviews and fieldwork on Chios—supported by actor mapping and a case study of the volunteer organization A Drop in the Ocean—the study analyzes cooperation, overlap, and gaps in the response. The analysis has three parts: (1) The emergence of new organizations and arrangements, with grassroots NGOs covering immediate needs for food, clothing, and basic healthcare at beach landings, while larger actors provide legal assistance, camp management, and coordination to establish a more continuous “single flow” through the island. (2) Cooperation challenges, notably differences in organizational culture, standards, and procedures that lead to incompatible practices; the authors argue for minimum standards for newly established actors, balanced with flexibility, to foster synergy, continuity, and more efficient use of resources. (3) Cooperation strengths, including burden‑sharing and better use of overlaps, where major actors benefit from information provided by more informal groups on boat landings; sharing best practices and experiences across organizational levels is seen as crucial for quality and professionalization but is insufficient across the Greek islands, especially in medical services at arrival. The thesis concludes that stronger cross‑level collaboration, minimum standards, and systematic exchange of practices can produce a more coherent, needs‑driven humanitarian response on Chios.
Denne afhandling undersøger, hvordan humanitære aktører kan skabe en mere sammenhængende indsats for at imødekomme behovene hos migranter og flygtninge, der ankommer til den græske ø Chios. Med udgangspunkt i Biermanns teori om inter‑organisationalisme og et kvalitativt design med interviews og feltarbejde på Chios – suppleret af kortlægning af aktører og et casestudie af frivilligorganisationen A Drop in the Ocean – analyserer studiet samarbejde, overlap og mangler i responsen. Analysen er struktureret i tre dele: (1) Fremkomsten af nye organisationer og ordninger, hvor nye græsrods‑NGO’er udfylder akutte behov for mad, tøj og basal sundhed på strande ved ankomst, mens større aktører varetager juridisk bistand, lejrdrift og koordinering for at skabe et mere sammenhængende forløb gennem øen. (2) Udfordringer i samarbejdet, især forskelle i organisationskultur, standarder og procedurer, som kan skabe uforenelig praksis; her peger forfatterne på behovet for minimumsstandarder for nye aktører, samtidig med at fleksibilitet bevares, for at fremme synergi, kontinuitet og effektiv ressourceanvendelse. (3) Styrker ved samarbejde, herunder muligheder for byrdefordeling og bedre udnyttelse af overlap, hvor større aktører kan drage nytte af information fra mere uformelle grupper om bådankomster; deling af erfaringer og “best practice” på tværs af niveauer vurderes som central for kvalitet og professionalisering, men sker ikke i tilstrækkelig grad på de græske øer, især inden for medicinske ydelser ved ankomst. Afhandlingen konkluderer, at styrket samarbejde på tværs af organisationsniveauer, etablering af minimumsstandarder og systematisk erfaringsudveksling kan skabe en mere sammenhængende og behovsdrevet humanitær respons på Chios.
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Keywords
Other projects by the authors