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Create Educational Program for Refugee Women during Pandemic





Project Type
Service Design, Human-Centered Program

Duration
4 Weeks

Role
Design ResearcherAbout

This project is designed for refugee women at the Faros Horizon Center, a non-profit organization providing a safe environment and educational activities to support their future. During the lockdown in Greece, many refugee women were confined indoors, so we aimed to create engaging take-home activities to help alleviate depression and recreate the supportive environment they experience at the center.




Project Background                    



Due to the lockdown, many refugee women at Faros Horizon Center were confined indoors, raising concerns about potential distress and depression. Faros aims to provide remote activities that will help these women find relief while indoors, offering a similar learning and entertaining experience to what they would receive at the center. 

To dig in further, we conducted Secondary Research and Interviews.


Research



Secondary Research
                         
  • Research Objective: Understand the impact of refugee status and the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental well-being of refugee women at the Horizon Center. 

  • Research Questions:
  1. How does refugee status affect women's current mental state?
  2. How has COVID-19 impacted the mental state of these women?
  3. What does the daily life of refugee women generally look like?





Interviews                                                                                             
  • Research Objective: Explore the existing support structures for refugee women during COVID-19 and understand their expectations regarding the activities provided.

  • Research Questions:
  1. How were support and activities originally offered to refugee women at the center?
  2. What is the current experience for the women at home?
  3. How do the women feel at the moment?
  4. What are the current expectations of refugee women from the Horizon Center?

  • 8 Participants in 2 groups:
    5 Horizon Center (HC) Staffs
    3 refugee women interviewed by HC staff





Results



                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

Challenges Faced by Refugee Women During the Pandemic


  • 1 out of 3 asylum seekers and refugees, experience high rates of depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder

  • Women are already burdened with multiple responsibilities, as wives, mothers, and household managers

  • According to the SARS pandemic report, quarantine could lead to severe mental problems including loss of motivation, depression and even post-traumatic disorders





                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

Benefits of Group and Play-Based Activities

  • The playful aspect of activities leads to higher participation and easier access to the tasks, even while managing multiple responsibilities

  • Engaging in activities within a group environment fosters a sense of community and empathy among the women, especially during challenging situations.

  • Refugee women receive emotional support through educational activities, which provides them with positivity and hope, empowering them to apply these lessons in the future.



                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

Barriers to Communication and Childcare Responsibilities

  • Group video calls are not feasible for all women at the moment. The most accessible communication tool has been chat discussions on WhatsApp.

  • Most of the women are required to care for their children full-time. Activities that involve their kids reduce the pressure of childcare and create positive memories during difficult times.

  • At the center, women were offered simple handwork activities, like knitting, to help reduce stress while also improving their skill sets for future work after relocation.






Design Challenge


How can we offer engaging 
take-home activities for refugee women that help alleviate depression and recreate the supportive environment they experience at the center?


                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

Initial Idea Generation


Among 40 initial activity ideas, we selected 6. We also narrowed down to 5 potential program structures.

Before finalizing the structure and activities, it was crucial to ensure that each activity aligned with our goals. 

To achieve this, we conducted the following:

  1. Internal Testing: Since communication with refugee women is currently challenging, we ran internal activity sessions to assess the ease of participation, educational value in understanding emotions, and the structural feasibility of the activities.
  2. Consultation with Social Workers: We introduced the activities to social workers at the Horizon Center to evaluate whether any of them might inadvertently cause harm to refugee women or minors.
  3. Application to 5 Structure Options: We tested which activities fit best within the initial structure options. This allowed our team to identify activities that provided a smooth and cohesive experience throughout the 5-day program.



Idea Development & Selection


                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               
Structure



We decided on a holistic structure that connects activities throughout the week. However, it remains simple enough for those who might miss a session. 

On Tuesdays and Thursdays, participants focus on reflecting on their feelings and sharing thoughts in a WhatsApp group. This gives the women a chance to bond and empathize with each other, as they don’t often have space to share their emotions.


Monday:
Look Around Your



Task: Take a photo of a personal belonging or space and share the experience or feelings associated with it.

Purpose: To help the women ease into talking about their feelings by using everyday objects, creating a more comfortable environment for discussing emotions.


Wednesday: 
Emotion Character Design


Task: Participants will draw and brainstorm to create a character based on specific emotions. They will then develop backstories for these characters.

Purpose: This activity invites participants to explore the theme of the week—emotions—more deeply. By creating characters and their backstories, the focus is not on drawing skills but on exploring emotions and personal experiences through storytelling.

Friday: 
Negative to Positive!


Task: Create a storyline that transforms a negative emotion character into a positive one.

Purpose: By crafting this story, participants can indirectly explore coping strategies to turn their negative emotions into positive ones. According to staff, this is a challenge that many women often face—finding ways to shift negativity into positivity.





User Testing 


After several iterations, we finalized the program structure with the selected activities. It was now time to test it with refugee women. We conducted the testing session via WhatsApp, with a translator and social workers participating in the session.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

Result: Negative Emotions are Hard!

Participants found it difficult to choose an object and associate it with a negative emotion. Additionally, this activity could potentially trigger their traumas. 

So we decided to take out all the negative characters and focus on positive character creation.

Participant works shared through HC staff






Final Execution



Service Blueprint





Program Materials

Activity Instruction

Manual



Activity Supporting Materials

Overall Prep






Student Works!