This week’s workshop is taught by African geopolitics and refugee camps expert Gonzalo Sánchez-Terán, former director of the Jesuit Refugee Service in Liberia and Ivory Coast and head of its programs in eastern Chad. Gonzalo has worked for over 15 years in the emergency sector, and continues to work setting up and managing refugee camps with some of the most important INGOs in the world.
His invaluable on-the-ground experience, compassionate nature and ability to connect with students have made him one of our most beloved guest professors. In his workshop together with human settlements expert and guest professor Verónica Sánchez, Gonzalo introduces our students to the fundamentals of setting up and managing refugee camps, as well exploring the complexities entailed brought about by factors such as politics, corruption and context. He cites the Norweigan Refugee Council’s Camp Management Toolkit as one of the best handbooks on the subject, and specifically addresses the needs related to the building of these settlements and what architects can do to improve their efficiency.
For more about Gonzalo, check out this short interview with him and his presentation on Environmental Refugees at Ross Institute, and follow our FB page for more photos and insights from his workshop and those to come.