In Tanzania, the legal categorization of refugees has resulted in the requirement that they maintain residence in camps, leading to the restriction of their movements. Refugees residing in designated camps are supposed to receive full support through humanitarian aid. However, in a new article by the EHTZ team, Dr. Opportuna Kweka argues that the protracted nature of refugees’ stay in Western Tanzania has resulted in a decline of monetary and practical support, as well as donor fatigue over time. A review of the literature about humanitarian aid reveals a widely shared misconception that most humanitarian support for refugees in Tanzania generates from the global North. This false assumption is challenged by showing how refugees and their host communities take part in everyday humanitarian practices. Refugees are compelled to socially re-categorize themselves in order to access the local assistance provided by their host communities.
