Associate Doctoral Candidate David Lefor
Institute of Development Research and Development Policy
Peace Education in Protracted Refugee Settings: Examining Resilience Development and Power Dynamics within Thailand's Refugee Camps
David's proposed study will investigate the complex relationship between peace education programmes and resilience development within Thailand's protracted Mae La refugee camp. Employing critical refugee studies (CRS), resilience theory, and critical peace education theory (CPET) frameworks, the research aims to centre refugee voices and experiences. It will analyse how programs may both support and hinder existing coping mechanisms within the constraints of protracted displacement, with a specific focus on the interconnected factors that shape resilience, such as institutions, resources, and adaptive facilitators. Utilising a critical ethnographic approach, the study will challenge assumptions about the potential (and the limitations) of peace education programmes in fostering lasting resilience within protracted displacement contexts. By examining the relationship between programme design and refugee-led resilience strategies, the research seeks to understand how even well-intentioned aid interventions may have unintended consequences for self-determination within the camp setting. This focus aims to contribute to recommendations for practitioners seeking to shift from top-down aid models to collaborative partnerships that prioritise refugee knowledge and agency. The focus on understanding lived experiences through critical ethnography aims to reshape peace education design, promoting greater effectiveness, ethical practice, and transformative change within protracted displacement contexts.
Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Dennis Dijkzeul
About David Lefor
Career History
UNICEF (2021-present) - Independent consultant
- Independently carry out a series of youth-focused studies, including: UNICEF Tajikistan: Analysis and Recommendations for Diversion Programmes in Tajikistan (Realising Children’s Equitable Access To Justice In Tajikistan) (2024); Review and Documentation of the Adolescent Development and Participation Section (Tajikistan, 2023-2024); Rapid Assessment of UNICEF's Child Rights and Business Initiatives (Thailand, 2022-2023), Landscape Analysis of Young People's Participation in Thailand (Thailand, 2022-2023), Assessment of Adolescent Pregnancy Initiatives (Thailand, 2022)
Samuel Hall (2022-present) - Project lead
- Project Lead in the Children and Youth pillar, with a focus on conducting research, evaluating programmes and designing policies in contexts of migration and displacement (key clients: Plan International, Save the Children, UNICEF Pakistan, UNICEF MENA, RUSI)
- Working in fragile contexts, carry out participatory research with young people and their communities on key transitions, supporting their education, health, and well-being
Includovate (2020-2022) - Programme manager/Director of programmes
- Lead the Programmes team, overseeing all research activities, liaising with clients, and providing support and training where needed
- Programme manager and researcher for a range of international studies and evaluations (key clients: ILO, UNDP, UNICEF, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Tanager)
- Vice Chair of the Institutional Review Board (IRB) and member of the Safeguarding committee
Amnuay Silpa School (2013-2020) - Teacher of Global Perspectives, Geography, and Psychology/Head of Social Studies
- Head of a large, multi-cultural, and high-performing department
- Taught Global Perspectives to students awarded with the top score in the world at A-Level (2018) and top in Thailand at AS-Level (2018, 2019)
- Introduced and led the Model UN programme to the school, with more than 20 students participating in global conferences
- Lead coordinator for the UNICEF Rights Respecting Schools Award implementation and awarded with a Bronze award in 2019
- Duke of Edinburgh's International Award lead coordinator (2014-2020)
Kuwait Bilingual School (2011-2013) - Teacher of Geography and English
- Education
- adolescent participation
- child protection
- migration
- human rights
- statelessness
- refugee rights
- gender
- inclusion
DAAD Graduate School Scholarship Programme, 2023-2026
- David has extensive experience in leading and carrying out impactful multi-country research, having led a range of research projects with a focus on themes such as education, child labour, child protection, participation and inclusion, gender, disability, and empowerment. He has experience in all aspects of research, including the development of mixed-method methodology design, data collection, analysis of data, and reporting. He has led large-scale projects throughout MENA, Africa, South Asia, and Southeast Asia. Having previously worked with adolescents for over a decade as an educator, he is passionate about ensuring that young people’s voices are heard, that they are empowered, and that they are equipped with the tools to access their rights and live a dignified life.
- David has worked closely with UNICEF and other child-focused organisations carrying out evaluations, situation analyses, rapid assessments, and various other studies, and has experience in working alongside a range of public and private stakeholders. He is skilled in quantitative and qualitative methodology design and data analysis. He served as the Vice-Chair of an Institutional Review Board for one year and has been trained in ethics in research.
- David worked as an educator for over a decade prior to his work in international development, teaching Global Perspectives and Research, Geography, and Psychology, as well as leading a Social Studies department at a large school. His experience in teaching contributed to his students being awarded with the top score in the world in Global Perspectives at A-Level (2018) and top in Thailand at AS-Level (2018 and 2019). His passion for international development stems from his extracurricular work in education, including Model UN, Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award, and School Enterprise Challenge, all clubs of which he led while a teacher.
- Gendered Considerations in Relation to Climate Change and Agriculture: Reflections On Impact, Funding, And Mainstreaming (chapter in the textbook: Centring Gender in the Era of Digital and Green Transition. Springer Nature. 2023)
- UNICEF Tajikistan: Analysis and Recommendations for Diversion Programmes in Tajikistan (Realising Children’s Equitable Access To Justice In Tajikistan) (2024)
- UNICEF Tajikistan: Review and Documentation of the Adolescent Development and Participation Section (2023-2024)
- UNICEF Jordan: Endline Evaluation of the Adolescents and Youth Life Skills Programme (Maharati) (2023-2024)
- UNICEF Thailand: Landscape analysis of young people’s participation in Thailand (2022-2023)
- UNICEF Thailand: Rapid assessment of Child Rights and Business (2022-2023)
- UNICEF MENA: Multi-country evaluation of child protection case management systems in the UNICEF MENA region (2022-2023)
- UNICEF Pakistan: ECE Models Study (2022-2023)
- Plan International: Final Evaluation of the BRiCE project (2022-2023)
- Save the Children: Girls on the Move North Africa & MENA (2022)
- UNICEF Thailand: Rapid Assessment of Adolescent Pregnancy Initiatives (Independent Consultant, 2022)
- UNICEF Thailand & The Life Skills Development Foundation: Impact Evaluation of the Developing Migrant Adolescents Programme (Independent Consultant, 2022)
- UNICEF Thailand: Rapid Assessment of Youth Employability Initiatives (Independent Consultant, 2021-2022)
- ILO Regional Office for Africa: Mid-Term Evaluation for the “Accelerating Action for the Elimination of Child Labour in Supply Chains in Africa” Project (2021-2022)
- UNICEF Laos: Formative evaluation for the UNICEF Love and Care for Every Child project (2021-2022)
- UNICEF Ghana: Situation Analysis of Children, Adolescents and Women in Ghana (2021-2022)
- Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation: Assessment of Women's Financial Inclusion in Ethiopia (2021-2022)
- BRAC: BRAC Country Landscape Analysis for Scaling Extreme Poverty Programs and Policies: Ethiopia (2021-2022)
- UNDP: Study on the elements and economic costs of disability for children with disabilities and persons with physical disabilities in South Africa (2021)
- Tanager: Gender Analysis and Food Environment Analysis for the SELEVER2 project (2020-2021)
- ILRI: ILRI community-based breeding programmes gender study (2020-2021)
- Women Gaining Ground: Baseline Assessment (Bangladesh, India, Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda) (2021)
- UNICEF Thailand: Strategic Positioning and Partnerships Strategy Evaluation of the UNICEF Thailand Country Programme 2017- 2021 (2020-2021)
- Digital Opportunity Trust: Daring to Shift Conceptual Planning Needs Assessment, Baseline Study, & Gender Analysis (2020-2021)
Contributing paper speaker. The 66th Annual AARES Conference: “Rethinking 'gender in agriculture and climate change' in the context of funding ecosystems” (February 2022)
International Humanitarian Studies Association