The Refugee Archive is a nonprofit oral history archive and center for thought, research, and programming focused on female-headed households (refugees & IDPs) living in displacement.
Born from doctoral research, our growing team now partners with ministries, NGOs, governments, and universities to turn lived experience into usable programs, policy notes, and donor-ready evidence without compromising dignity or data protection. Learn more by visiting our website: www.therefugeearchive.org
Our starting point was simple: the voices of refugee single mothers are among the most important records of our time, yet they are often missing from history. Wars, treaties, and political leaders are documented; the women who held families together in tents, shelters, and unfamiliar cities rarely appear in the record.
The Refugee Archive is building a specialized, fast-growing oral-history and mixed-media collection focused on displaced female-headed households. Curated audio, transcripts, translations, and artifacts are preserved in a consent-driven digital library designed for scholars, educators, and communities.
This is not just storage. Each interview, image, and artifact contributes to a living evidence base that informs program design, improves policy decisions, and reshapes how displacement and survival are understood and remembered.
Why It Matters
Female-headed refugee households are one of the fastest-growing and most at-risk populations. In many conservative, patriarchal settings, they shoulder a triple burden: earning alone, caring for children and elders, and rebuilding life inside systems that rarely fit them. They are targeted by gender-based violence and scams, pushed out of school and work, and too often last in line for aid. Think of a mother as both the roots and the tree for future generations; her children are the apples. When mothers are denied the chance to be valued, to learn, to be protected, and to access fundamental resources, society ignores the fruit. If you want a healthy future, start by supporting the tree that bears it. Today, a single mother living in displacement is raising, on average, three children—three future friends, neighbors, doctors, and leaders. Put their voices on the record, and build with them, not around them.
Our Work
The Refugee Archive is a nonprofit lab + archive focused on displaced female-headed households (refugees & IDPs). We turn ethical oral histories into evidence, programs, and public memory.
Research & Scholarship — Partner with universities to advance FHH studies; produce field-grounded datasets, methods, and briefs.
Education & Training — Fellowships, internships, and trainer programs that build skills to collect, analyze, and use stories responsibly.
Policy & Advocacy — Translate evidence into practical briefs, webinars, and convenings that inform real-world decisions.
Cultural Engagement — Exhibitions, podcasts, and digital media that bring these voices into classrooms and public life.
Archival Collection — Consent-driven oral histories, translations, and mixed media stewarded in a secure, searchable digital library.
Who We Are
Our team is made up of the founder, a board, core creatives, and historians/journalists, including refugee leaders, researchers, educators, and cultural archivists from many countries. We are committed to ethical storytelling and to the belief that displaced female-headed households are not simply subjects of policy but authors of history.
Join Us!
