Introducing Field Notes

Stories from the Frontlines of Refugee Response

Welcome to Field Notes, a new section of The Refugee Archive dedicated to amplifying the voices of those who work with — and alongside — refugee women leading their households across the globe.

Every day, in refugee camps, border zones, urban shelters, and rural aid posts, thousands of humanitarians are doing the complex, often invisible work of supporting refugee families. From child protection officers in Za’atari to education specialists in Cox’s Bazar to social workers in Berlin, this global network of responders brings deep knowledge, emotional labor, and firsthand insight into what it means to survive displacement.

According to the United Nations, over 16,000 personnel work within UNHCR alone, operating in over 130 countries. This number doesn’t include the tens of thousands more working in INGOs, local organizations, grassroots initiatives, or governments. And many of them — translators, teachers, outreach workers — are refugees themselves.

Field Notes is a space to pause, reflect, and share. What are you seeing? What surprised you today? What does resilience look like when no one's watching?

This is where we publish short dispatches, reflections, and audio stories from the field, beginning with our new podcast series, Refugee Responders on the Frontlines of Motherhood.

If you work with refugee female-headed households — in any capacity — we want to hear from you.