Thinking outside the (Ideas) Box

As free resources with few entry barriers, public libraries are invaluable institutions for people of all backgrounds who seek both formal and informal instruction. The library has long been an indispensable resource for education, information access, cultural literacy, and vocational training. Thanks to digitization, libraries are reaching more users than ever before. In its 2014–2015 annual report, the British Library alone hosted 35,000 people for its on-site learning programs. An additional 3.5 million people benefited through the Library’s online learning resources (British Library, 2015). In the United States, public libraries had over 1.59 billion visitors in 2009, and over half of impoverished young adults and seniors nationwide used public libraries to access the internet (Vinjamuri, 2013). The accessibility of libraries means they are acutely positioned to combat misinformation and socioeconomic inequality.

Even as libraries continue to break down usage barriers, there are still large populations who do not have access to libraries and the tremendous benefits which they provide. In many isolated and under-resourced areas worldwide, especially in areas of conflict, individuals have no way to benefit from the transformative resources of libraries. The international nonprofit Libraries Without Borders seeks to eliminate learning and information access inequality by expanding traditional definitions of libraries and broadening the areas over which libraries enact change. In particular, Libraries Without Borders is committed to the transformative, lifesaving relief that alternative library spaces can provide in post-disaster contexts. Libraries Without Borders has implemented a variety of library programs in such areas around the world with great success.

Most of Libraries Without Borders’ efforts in post-disaster contexts work with refugee populations in camps and processing centers. The global refugee crisis has been a frequent topic of discussion for governments, nonprofits, and individuals in recent years. Today, the world faces the highest number of displaced people since World War II (Graham, 2015). The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reports 65.3 million people forcibly displaced worldwide. Of these individuals, 21.3 million are refugees seeking asylum in foreign countries (UNHCR, 2015a); the vast remainder are internally displaced persons (IDPs), who have been forced out of their homes within their own countries (UNHCR, 2016a). The staggering number of IDPs and refugees stems from a variety of conflicts, including the South Sudanese Civil War and the US invasion of Iraq (DePillis et al., 2015). Most salient in the media is the ongoing conflict in Syria, where Syrians have been fighting a consuming civil war since 2011 (BBC, 2016). As of August 2016, the UNHCR reports over 4.8 million officially registered Syrian refugees, a figure that does not include IDPs or unregistered migrants (UNHCR, 2016b).

The plight of refugees in the 21st century stands out not only in scale but also in duration. The UNHCR defines a protracted refugee situation as:

one in which refugees find themselves in a long-lasting and intractable state of limbo. Their lives may not be at risk, but their basic rights and essential economic, social and psychological needs remain unfulfilled after years in exile. A refugee in this situation is often unable to break free from enforced reliance on external assistance. (UNHCR, 2006).

As a numerical estimate, the UNHCR denotes any ‘situation in which 25,000 or more refugees of the same nationality have been in exile for five years or longer in a given asylum country’ as a protracted refugee situation. At the end of 2014, the UNHCR classified 6.4 million people as living in such circumstances (UNHCR, 2015b). In 2016, the ongoing crisis in Syria shows no signs of abating, and millions of refugees continue to face the destabilizing, impoverished, and often violent circumstances of protracted displacement.

It is in isolated and under-resourced communities such as refugee camps where Libraries Without Borders pioneers its innovative education models. Libraries Without Borders, also known as Bibliothèques San Frontières, is an international nonprofit based out of both Paris, France, and Washington, D.C. As an organization committed to the recognition of education as a human right, as outlined in the United Nation’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Libraries Without Borders works to bring adaptable, technologically empowered education solutions to the most isolated and under-resourced communities worldwide (United Nations, 1948). Libraries Without Borders began its work in Haiti in 2007, partnering with the University of Haiti’s library. When the earthquake hit in 2010, the University of Haiti asked Libraries Without Borders to stay. The Libraries Without Borders team saw firsthand the need for cutting edge, flexible education solutions in post-disaster contexts. Where basic necessities such as food, water, and shelter were scarce, education and the opportunities it provided were even scarcer, and traditional solutions such as brick and mortar schools were not quick or cost-effective enough to meet the needs of a displaced population. The striking educational voids in post-disaster crises motivated Libraries Without Borders to develop new educational models that could thrive amid the resource gaps and inconsistencies of disaster and conflict scenarios.

With the help of French designer Philippe Starck, Libraries Without Borders developed the Ideas Box as an innovative solution to this issue. The Ideas Box is a portable media center and mobile classroom that fits on two standard shipping pallets and can be installed in 20 minutes. The box expands to create a pop-up space covering over 330 ft² and includes a media center complete with laptops and tablets, a library supplied with paper books and e-readers, a built-in cinema, and collapsible furniture. The box is waterproof and comes with a durable awning to protect its components from the elements, making this device ready to implement in a variety of contexts. At the core of the Ideas Box is a customized and preloaded digital server. The server creates a Wi-Fi hot spot that can connect up to 20 smartphones, tablets, or computers at a time to thousands of preloaded educational, cultural, and training resources such as Wikipedia and Khan Academy. The box’s self-paced, diverse contents allow users of all ages to craft a personalized educational experience.

Libraries Without Borders deployed its first Ideas Box in Burundi in February 2014 (Libraries Without Borders, 2016). In 2014, Burundi became home to over 50,000 refugees, primarily Congolese refugees fleeing ethnic and political persecution (Lachal, 2015). Although the Ideas Box enhances a variety of educational contexts, it is particularly valuable in refugee camps such as the Kavumu and Bwagiriza camps in Burundi, where isolation, turmoil, and poverty result in extreme and diverse needs that have not been met through conventional education methods. For refugee children who attend formal classes, the Ideas Box ameliorates the high student-to-teacher ratios that impede successful learning. In a recent UNHCR study of 66 refugee camps worldwide, the student-to-teacher ratio averaged 50 students per teacher and exceeded 100 students per teacher at some camps (UNHCR, 2003). But the most significant benefit of the Ideas Box is its ability to extend educational and psychosocial benefits to users of all ages, even in camps with less formal education programs. The Ideas Box provides an adaptable educational space in which a diverse variety of refugees may find stimulation and respite, whether they are adults learning computer skills or young children playing board games. As of 2016, Libraries Without Borders works with refugees not only in Burundi but also in Jordan, Lebanon, Ethiopia, France, Germany, Greece, and Italy. Most of these new sites seek to address the staggering educational shortages among the rapidly growing population of Syrian refugees.

Along the way, Libraries Without Borders hopes to shift international conceptions of what constitutes lifesaving aid. As a recent UN press release reveals, conventional definitions of lifesaving aid refer solely to the austere necessities of survival: ‘food, medical supplies and equipment, vaccines, water and sanitation items’ (UN News Centre, 2016). These basic provisions are, of course, crucial. However, a limited definition of lifesaving aid neglects the protracted state of displacement, which is the reality for refugees today. In 2003, the UNHCR estimated the ‘average duration of major refugee situations’ at 17 years (UNHCR, 2004). This means that young refugees generally spend the duration of their formative years in refugee camps. As over half of the 21.3 million refugees worldwide are under the age of 18, the need for consistent education in refugee camps is acute (UNHCR, 2015a). Countless studies have shown the drastic socioeconomic advantages of education. A report on the economic circumstances of Tanzanians revealed that working adults with a primary school education had a 20% reduced risk of living below the poverty line compared to working adults who did not complete primary school. The likelihood of poverty dropped 60% for those with a secondary education. A study from rural Indonesia demonstrated that for each additional year of schooling, individuals mitigated their risk of falling back into poverty by 25% (UNESCO, 2013). The prospect of future stability which education offers is a critical opportunity in the embattled, unstable lives of refugees. Basic education also has profound impacts on aspects of life beyond economic success. Empirical studies reveal the positive impact of education on issues such as maternal and reproductive health, gender equality, and civic participation (UNESCO, 2013). In the long term, such improvements are indeed lifesaving for individuals and families in refugee camps.

The plethora of enduring benefits from education is not the only reason that academic instruction is a lifesaving intervention in refugee camps. In fact, the immediate consequences of educational intervention are just as critical for refugees as the long-term effects. Education provides stability, creativity, autonomy, and intellectual stimulation. These factors facilitate invaluable psychosocial support for refugees, whose daily lives are simultaneously horrifying and mundane, repetitive and unstable. Amid the inconsistencies of protracted displacement, education serves as a grounding force, establishing a regular set of activities that echoes pre-conflict life. This ‘sense of normalcy and routine’ is particularly crucial for children and adolescents who face the tumultuous and typically violent circumstances of displacement at an early age (Bruijn, 2009). The Ideas Box proves to be a particularly successful intervention for psychosocial support because it reaches a wide user base and allows individuals of all ages to exercise independence when using the Box’s contents. The sense of autonomy enabled by informal education, crucial for psychosocial well-being, is lacking from many other areas of refugees’ lives.

Libraries Without Borders has conducted several impact studies which demonstrate that the Ideas Box enhances both formal and informal education in refugee camps. In 2015, Libraries Without Borders staff evaluated several of its pilot Ideas Box sites in Burundi. The Libraries Without Borders team used both quantitative and qualitative studies to assess the efficacy of Ideas Box programs in terms of educational gains and psychosocial well-being.

The education tools included in the Ideas Box empirically proved to enhance the academic instruction dramatically at participating refugee camps. A quantitative study conducted at the Bwagiriza refugee camp in Burundi revealed that students who attended classes in the Ideas Box demonstrated 23% more academic improvement than students who attended classes in a traditional academic setting (Peich, 2016). The study evaluated fourth- and eighth-grade students’ improvements in French and mathematics before and after 12 weeks of instruction in their respective classroom environments. For both groups, instruction in the Ideas Box improved testing scores more than for students who received traditional instruction. The difference was particularly pronounced for younger students using the Ideas Box, who demonstrated over 30% more academic improvement in mathematics than their peers who studied in the camp’s standard classroom environment (Peich, 2016). Teachers who used the Ideas Box for the study also reported increased engagement and participation among students during their classes. The Ideas Box’s profound impact on student learning may stem from several sources. In addition to mitigating the pressure and depersonalization of larger class sizes (40 students for each teacher in this study), the Ideas Box promotes student investment in their education, whether through online courses, which offer immediate feedback, or through simple but impactful tasks such as helping the teacher set up the Ideas Box furniture for an educational movie screening. For refugee children who attend classes in the Ideas Box, the box becomes a space over which they can exercise ownership.

The psychosocial benefits of the Ideas Box measured by impact surveys prove even more momentous and wide-reaching than the educational gains of youth students. As a versatile space available to refugees of all ages, the Ideas Box provides educational and psychosocial benefits that improve the quality of life of all refugees. For the qualitative portion of its impact study, Libraries Without Borders interviewed over 160 participants during a mix of individual interviews and focus groups. Survey participants from the Kavumu and Bwagiriza refugee camps in Burundi identified several key characteristics of the Ideas Box, which make it an invaluable resource in the refugee camps. First, the Ideas Box serves as a safe space where users, especially children, are free from issues such as at-risk behavior, problems related to lack of supervision, and domestic abuse. The Ideas Box is a place in which individuals may go to learn, relax, and play away from the tensions and pressures of camp life. Second, the Ideas Box provides a dedicated space for intercultural exchange. There are no barriers to entry for the Ideas Box. Users complete a simple registration process and are then free to use all of the Ideas Box’s contents. Age, gender, ethnicity, and level of literacy do not prevent the use of the Ideas Box, and multimedia tools such as films and games are accessible even to those who are illiterate. The Ideas Box also benefits refugees who cannot directly attend Ideas Box sessions but know individuals who do attend, an effect the Libraries Without Borders team calls ‘the expansion principle.’ The case of B, a 35-year-old mother interviewed during the impact survey, provides a good example of this phenomenon. B was the mother of 11 children, three of whom had passed away. Although B and her younger children did not attend Ideas Box sessions, her older children brought home information, ideas, and excitement from the Ideas Box to share with the rest of their family. The eldest, a 15-year-old, was attending a writing workshop and had B help him with a story. Another child drew pictures of animals at the Ideas Box for his mother and younger siblings. As a result of the expansion principle, B’s entire family benefited from Ideas Box programming, although they could not all be present in the physical space. It is estimated that each Ideas Box user positively impacts two to five people who cannot attend Ideas Box sessions (Lachal, 2015).

Finally, the Ideas Box plays a crucial role in helping refugees address and transcend trauma. Many refugees grapple with severe memories of violence and brutality: for example, young children who saw their parents murdered, adults who have inhibiting injuries, and individuals whose entire families are missing or dead. For some refugees, particularly younger ones, the Ideas Box serves as an escape, a source of distraction from traumatic memories. One orphaned child observed during the accountability study regularly experienced shock, lost his appetite, and tried to run away from his foster family due to post-traumatic stress. The Ideas Box allowed him to watch movies and play games to escape his trauma and to use Facebook to try to reach his brother, from whom he was separated. Other refugees ameliorate their trauma by focusing on future possibilities. The Ideas Box provides tools to learn history and access verified knowledge, which may inform future hopes and decisions. The boxes at the camps also offer forward-looking, skills-based programming. Facilitators conduct classes on literacy and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) skills several times a week for students of all ages. The skills which refugees of all ages can acquire at the Ideas Box support their hopes for a better future (Lachal, 2015).

The Ideas Box also offers a transformative outlet for those who seek creative outlets to address trauma. Some of the most powerful results of the Ideas Box programs in Burundi are the artistic and creative projects which residents of refugee camps can use to explain and confront their trauma. Creative programs facilitated by Ideas Box staff include drawing workshops in which young children express traumatic experiences pictorially and a creative writing workshop hosted by artist Claire Lecoeuvre from January to March 2015. One striking example of creative projects enabled by the Ideas Box is the work of Peace Forever, an independent acting collective of adolescents and young adults located at the Kavumu camp. Youths Adamo Samwel and Bulambo Alain founded Peace Forever in 2013. When the Ideas Box arrived at the Kavumu camp in 2014, the group took advantage of the resources and proactively requested training in videography. Peace Forever then produced a short film entitled ‘The Mysterious Dream’ (which is available for viewing by the public on YouTube). The film, which incorporates supernatural elements, is a haunting representation of social violence and psychosomatic trauma. Peace Forever is working to create more films that address topics such as inheritance, abortion, and reconciliation (Lachal, 2015). The organization is an optimal example of the creativity and autonomy, which the Ideas Box enables through the invaluable combination of hardware, training, and consistency of space. The Ideas Box is a centering psychosocial force in refugee communities, regardless of how each individual approaches his or her past and present experiences and chooses to cope with his or her trauma.

It is stories such as that of Peace Forever that demonstrate the principle of education as lifesaving aid. Food, water, shelter, and medicine are of course crucial to ensure the physical well-being of refugees. Similarly, statistics are necessary to measure change, optimize procedures, and uphold accountability in humanitarian interventions. However, even the most shocking figures cannot do justice to the actual lived experiences of refugees, whose lives are not numerical sound bites but complex tapestries of tenacity and loss, brutality and resilience. Prioritizing the education and livelihoods of refugees is a decision of respect, one which looks upon refugees as human beings rather than as data points. After all, the root of the word ‘humanitarian’ is ‘human,’ and a definition of lifesaving humanitarian aid accordingly must encompass more than an animal existence. The importance of providing refugees with education is even more crucial given the protracted nature of modern refugee crises. It is one thing to subsist in deprived and isolated circumstances for weeks or months; it is quite another situation to do so for years or even decades. The Ideas Box provides a space in which, for at least a period of time, autonomy takes the place of uncertainty, and exploration overcomes stagnation. Libraries Without Borders’ focus on education as an inalienable human right is not only a desire to spread the economic and cultural benefits of learning. It is also a promotion of human dignity, an assertion of each individual’s prerogative to have a say in his or her future. As the international community continues to face the refugee crisis, Libraries Without Borders hopes to encourage dialogue on the lifesaving nature of education and to allow even more refugees to think outside the box.