S2, E8: Legal aid, bureaucratic obstacles, and grassroots NGOs

In this episode, Jasmin Arciero and Oliver Nixon  interview Alexa Netty, the trustee and chair of the steering committee of SolidariTee. SolidariTee is a charity that supports NGOs offering legal aid to forcibly displaced people​, and so they begin with a discussion on the importance of legal ​aid as a key facet of refugee support. They also touch on debates surrounding the role of NGOs in refugee crises: where they fit within a complex system of assistance and whether and how it is possible to overcome structural constraints on their coordination and efficiency. Alexa also shares personal stories from her time volunteering in refugee camps to shed light on some of the lived experiences of refugees and the obstacles they are forced to overcome to receive asylum. To conclude, Jasmin and Oliver discuss the future of SolidariTee and other issues that SolidariTee is working to address.

Jasmin and Oliver are both studying for an MSc in Development Studies at the LSE. Having become engaged in the issues surrounding forced migration and displacement, they were intrigued to delve deeper into the debates surrounding humanitarian assistance and NGOs in support of forcibly displaced people. Jasmin, during her undergraduate degree, volunteered with SolidariTee (https://www.solidaritee.org.uk/), raising funds that contributed to legal aid grants, as well as leading awareness-raising events and sponsorships.