Post-Resettlement Food Insecurity: Afghan Refugees and Challenges of the New Environment

Household food insecurity, living conditions, and individual sense of security: A cross-sectional survey among Burkina Faso refugees in Ghana

Food insecurity and achieving adequate nutrition is a major global challenge, especially in vulnerable groups such as refugee communities. In West Africa, thousands of Burkina Faso refugees have crossed the border into northern Ghana due to conflict and instability in their home country. We conducted a one-off cross-sectional survey to assess household food insecurity, living conditions, and sense of security among Burkina Faso refugees currently residing in the Upper East region of Ghana. Study data was collected over 14-21 October 2022 from 498 refugee households, via registered refugee households who were contacted with the help of the community refugee focal persons. We used the validated USAID household food insecurity questionnaire, analysed using Rasch modelling, with descriptive statistics, and linear regression analyses (with significance at p < 0.05) to assess food insecurity. Results revealed that 100% of households experienced food insecurity, with 95.2% defined as moderate or severe, and 70.4% as experiencing severe food insecurity. Refugees from rural areas were less insecure compared to urban refugees (β = -4.25 [CI: -5.79 --2.71], p < .001). Refugees residing in host communities experienced lower food insecurity than those in designated refugee camps (β = -1.56 [CI: -2.74 --0.39,] p = .009). Further, refugees who were dissatisfied with their accommodation size were more likely to experience food insecurity (β = 2.96 [CI: -0.06-2.47], p = .060). Most refugees (73.5%) felt safe and welcomed by host communities. Our results highlight the extremely high prevalence of moderate and severe food insecurity in this vulnerable refugee population. We provide evidence to support the need to improve food distribution logistics, prioritising suitable accommodation, and facilitating access to healthcare. Follow-up research, such as repeated community surveys, can track this evolving situation to continuously inform decision-making for refugee support.

The prevalence of food insecurity amongst refugees and asylum seekers during, and prior to, their early resettlement period in Australia: A cross-sectional analysis of the 'Building a New Life in Australia' data

With over 100 million humanitarian migrants globally, there is increasing pressure on high-income countries to offer resettlement opportunities. Humanitarian migrants face many challenges during pre-settlement and resettlement. One challenge is food insecurity (FI). The Building a New Life in Australia (BNLA) longitudinal cohort study gathered data from migrating units, that is, a group of humanitarian migrants included on the same visa application (n = 1599). Data were gathered in five annual waves (2013-2018). Data included food security status in four pre-settlement situations and during resettlement. The results of this secondary analysis of BNLA Wave One indicate that FI was highest in refugee camps (71%), followed by bridging visas (30%), community detention (17%), immigration detention (11%), and during early resettlement (9%). During early resettlement, respondents who were male, those from Afghanistan or Iran, and those living in a single person household reported the highest prevalence of FI. An association was found between having spent time on a bridging visa and FI during early resettlement (p < 0.01). This study's results are an important step in understanding the scale of FI and which sub-groups are most vulnerable, so the resources and policies of high-income countries can better meet food security needs during resettlement.