What this life looks like
You support some of the world's most vulnerable people to survive, recover, and rebuild their lives. Refugee Aid Coordinators manage the programmes and services that help refugees and internally displaced persons access protection, shelter, food, health, education, legal assistance, and livelihoods support. Africa hosts over 26 million refugees and displaced people — the majority of the world's displacement crises are on this continent, and skilled coordinators are urgently needed.
What she actually does
You coordinate service delivery across protection, health, education, shelter, and livelihoods sectors for refugee and displaced populations, liaise between UN agencies, national governments, and implementing partners, manage refugee registration and documentation systems, ensure vulnerable individuals — unaccompanied minors, survivors of sexual violence, people with disabilities — receive targeted support, manage programme budgets, and engage refugee communities as active participants in programme design.
Where you can work
| Sector | Places in Africa |
|---|---|
| UNHCR | The primary UN agency for refugee protection — the largest employer of refugee aid professionals globally |
| International NGOs | IRC, NRC, DRC (Danish Refugee Council), Mercy Corps, IRC Africa — major refugee implementing partners, Jesuit Refugee Service, COOPI |
| African NGOs | Windle International Kenya, Refugee Consortium of Kenya |
| Government | Refugee affairs commissions and departments: RRS (Kenya), OPM (Uganda), DORS (Tanzania) |
Why it matters in Africa
Africa's displacement crises are among the world's most severe and most protracted — with millions displaced by conflicts in Sudan, South Sudan, DRC, Somalia, CAR, Ethiopia, and Mozambique. The majority of Africa's refugees are hosted by neighbouring African countries — often the continent's poorest nations. Uganda hosts over 1.5 million refugees, making it the world's third-largest refugee-hosting country. Skilled, compassionate coordination professionals are essential to ensuring these populations are protected and supported.
Your pathway in
- Study Social Work, Development Studies, International Relations, or Public Health
- Gain field experience with national or international organisations working with displaced populations
- Build knowledge of refugee law — the 1951 Refugee Convention and the 1969 OAU Refugee Convention (specific to Africa) are foundational
- Develop skills in refugee information management systems: UNHCR's proGres and RIMS are the primary tools
- Learn RSD (Refugee Status Determination) procedures — understanding the legal process of refugee recognition is essential
Skills you will need
- Refugee protection principles
- Programme coordination across sectors
- Refugee registration and documentation
- Vulnerability identification and targeting
- Inter-agency coordination
- Report writing for donors
A woman in this field
Fathiaa Abdalla
Sudan
Fathiaa is an outstanding Sudanese humanitarian who has spent over 30 years leading complex field operations for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and premier international NGOs. Her extensive career spans structural emergency interventions and forced displacement management in major refugee-hosting nations across Asia, the Middle East, and Africa—including Afghanistan, Iran, Yemen, Ethiopia, Tanzania, and Malawi.
Take your first step
- Study the 1951 Refugee Convention and the 1969 OAU Refugee Convention — the OAU convention was specifically developed for Africa and extends refugee protection beyond the 1951 definition in important ways
- Research UNHCR's work in a specific African displacement crisis — their operations portal at reporting.unhcr.org provides detailed, real-time information on how refugee programmes are managed
- Learn about the Jesuit Refugee Service at jrs.net — one of the most respected refugee-focused organisations in Africa, with a strong emphasis on education and psychosocial support
- Volunteer with an organisation supporting migrants, asylum seekers, or internally displaced people in your country — understanding displacement from a service-delivery perspective is the best practical foundation