Student testimonial
Student Bauke – MSc International Development Studies
For his thesis, Bauke went to do research for 3 months in Rhino Camp, a refugee settlement in Uganda.
The course Humanitarian Aid & Reconstruction inspired my thesis. My research focused on education systems for refugees in Uganda. It was really interesting and exciting!
Inspiration and motivation
“During my master’s, I studied different theories related to international development. While following the course Humanitarian Aid & Reconstruction, I gained knowledge on various refugee settlements in East Africa, such as Kakuma refugee camp. This sparked my interest in the topic and the region. However, I had never experienced the contexts that I was studying in practice yet. Luckily, the course program provides a lot of freedom and this gave me the opportunity to actually go to Uganda for my research.”
Field experience: Rhino Camp refugee settlement
Bauke wrote his thesis about governance of educational space with regard to refugees in Uganda. More specifically, he examined how discourses are produced in and through education and how refugees and camp governance actors negotiate educational space in a refugee settlement.
“At first it was confronting to see that people are somewhat stuck in the settlement. Although refugees are allowed to move in and out of the settlement, many structural barriers limit their movements. As a researcher, I could move freely, which created a complex dynamic between myself and the research group.
I made use of follow-along participant observation. It is a form of participant observation where you walk with someone while doing an interview. It is a very informal way of conducting interviews and stimulates creative thought and reveals additional insights as you move through the camp’s spaces. Besides conducting interviews with refugees, I talked to NGOs and the UNHCR.”
Academic Consultancy Training (ACT)
“One of my most interesting experiences in the master’s program was ACT. It provided an opportunity to do research in a different setting. My group conducted research on grassroot food initiatives in Amsterdam. We went for fieldtrips and visited all sorts of different organisations to find out what challenges they face and to map their visions. I learned a lot from these experiences, and it was rewarding to interact with people and visit places I wouldn’t normally encounter. Besides, with ACT you work in a very diverse team with students from all kinds of backgrounds. As a result, you reflect a lot on your personality and your role within your group. ACT therefore contributes greatly to your personal development.”