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She wants to improve the lives of children living in the world鈥檚 second largest refugee camp, which is in Uganda and shelters people fleeing violence and unrest听in South Sudan

Laura DeLuca wants to improve the lives of children living in the world鈥檚 second largest refugee camp, and is using the 2019 Children, Youth and Environments award from CU Engage to do just that.

DeLuca, an anthropologist and instructor with the Sewall Residential Academic听Program, will spend part of August conducting research in Bidibidi, a refugee settlement in Uganda. She will join workers who will interview refugees ages 10 to 24 to learn their needs and then use that information to help improve their lives and living conditions.

鈥淭his will give them a chance to voice their own perspectives and share their priorities,鈥� DeLuca says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 about shaping their environment for the future鈥攖o help build a sustainable future for them.鈥�

DeLuca says to ensure the changes are sustainable, local organizations including universities and nonprofits will play key roles in the project.听 听

DeLuca became interested in Bidibidi after talking with the founder of one of those nonprofits, Essie Nakajigo, who also served as a at the Boulder Chautauqua campus this spring. Nakajigo, who is Uganda鈥檚 ambassador for women and girls, started a nonprofit called Living in the Face of Trauma to help children in Bidibidi and elsewhere.

鈥淓ssie told me about her project and I thought it sounded amazing,鈥� DeLuca says. 鈥淪he鈥檚 working to solve real life issues affecting humanity around the world.鈥澨�

DeLuca, who鈥檚 researched and written about refugees for years, says the more she learned about Bidibidi, the more fascinated she became. 鈥淚 was captivated because it鈥檚 so new and unlike the multi-generational camps in Kenya such as Kakuma and Dadaab. Many of the Sudanese refugees I鈥檝e met in Colorado lived in Kakuma. It鈥檚 also interesting because Uganda has a unique model for refugees; they鈥檙e able to get a parcel of land and to move freely throughout the country.鈥�

in its April 2019 issue about the efforts to convert the camp into a livable city, with clean water, health clinics and electricity.听

Bidibidi was a small village before taking in refugees in 2016. Now it鈥檚 the second largest refugee camp in the world (the largest is Kutupalong in Bangladesh) with 270,000-plus refugees, most of whom have fled ethnic violence, indiscriminant killing and upheaval in .

Researchers say youth make up 25% of the nearly 70 million forcibly displaced people worldwide.

DeLuca says young children, and girls in particular, are some of the most vulnerable among those seeking safety as refugees. 鈥淣ot only does fleeing take a toll on young bodies, it also poses challenges for young developing minds and educational outcomes,鈥� she says.

鈥淕rowing up as a refugee can mean facing increased risk of sexual and gender-based violence as well as discrimination.鈥�

Despite the difficulties surrounding refugees, DeLuca says she enjoys fieldwork. 鈥淥f course it鈥檚 challenging to bear witness to the stories of refugees fleeing persecution and civil war, (but) fieldwork is one of the most powerful ways to understand the human dimension of problems,鈥� she says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 exciting to immerse yourself in a new cultural context.鈥�

Jennifer Ciplet, director of communications and international partnerships for CU Engage, says the award committee liked DeLuca鈥檚 鈥渂ottom up approach鈥� to her research and her understanding of the 鈥渟ocial complexities鈥� of refugee work in Uganda.

鈥淭he selection committee had several excellent applications this year and ultimately chose three Children, Youth and Environment award winners,鈥� Ciplet says.

CU Engage awards around $5,000 in Children, Youth and Environments funds annually to support summer research work with youth. To learn more, visit Children, Youth and Environment Award.

DeLuca is also working with Engineering for Developing Communities faculty and graduate students on other proposals that would enable them to return to Bidibidi.