Since 2019, the Centre for Peace and Justice, Brac University (CPJ) and The Asia Foundation, partners within XCEPT, collaborated on a series of research initiatives focused on Rohingya populations living in refugee camps in Bangladesh.

Research commissioned in this program supports more effective policymaking and programming in borderland regions that experience conflict, and emphasizes partnerships with researchers and research institutions based in regions that they study. This generates an understanding of critical issues that is grounded in the perspectives of those who experience them firsthand.

Key learnings from the project are:

  • Volunteers benefit from more robust and immersive training opportunities.
  • Trust and familiarity between respondents and researchers requires long-term engagement.
  • Two-way exchange between volunteers and respondents enhances the learning process and uncovers areas for further inquiry.
  • Community-driven and participatory analysis processes deliver higher quality research outputs and outcomes.
  • Community-driven research and knowledge generation can help foster community dialogue and uplift marginalized voices.