What We Do | Research Projects

The global refugee crisis is humanity’s canary in the coal mine — revealing service systems failures that must be transformed.

This crisis is one of the most urgent humanitarian challenges of our time. With more than 140 million people displaced worldwide, refugees endure immense suffering as they leave their countries of origin and struggle to find safety and opportunity in host countries. Their journeys expose the service systems failures that will eventually affect us all.

During displacement — often lasting months or even years — refugees struggle to remain invisible to avoid being mistreated. Invisibility still leaves them vulnerable to mistreatment, abuse, violence at borders, exploitation by smugglers, forced labor, sexual violence, and extortion. At the same time, they are excluded from essential services such as medical care, food, water, shelter, and transportation. For children, the elderly, and people with illnesses or disabilities, these exclusions are especially deadly, turning displacement into a daily struggle for survival.

ServCollab contributes by connecting research to practice. Our work gathers and analyzes refugee experiences — such as those recorded in hotline service data — to make their needs more visible and to provide insights that nonprofits, international agencies, and local communities can use to design stronger, more humane services.

Our refugee research challenges old paradigms and calls for a new approach grounded in human values, ethics, and collaboration. Guided by the spirit of Ubuntu — “I am because we are” — the refugee crisis reminds us that humanity is interconnected. By addressing state-imposed vulnerabilities, poverty, and exclusion, we can move toward service ecosystems that are sustainable, resilient, and just for all humanity.