Local communities: first and last providers of protection (Forced Migration Review 53‪)‬ Oxford University

This issue’s feature theme, ‘Local communities: first and last providers of protection’, looks at the capacity of communities to organise themselves before, during and after displacement in ways that help protect the community.

Supporting locally led protection strategies can significantly improve the impact of protection interventions.

The growing criticism of protection actors for neglecting indigenous coping strategies and capacities should prompt a radical, creative re-think of attitudes and approaches.

In parts of Sudan, local NGOs and women’s groups have taken the lead in their own protection, and their considerable achievements have helped change the status of women in their communities.

Nearly 60 percent of all refugees now live in cities, a trend that will continue as camps increasingly become an option of last resort.

As Rwandan refugees in Kampala, I and others like me are uniquely placed to help newly arrived refugees find their feet in the city. The work is demanding but vital.