World Refugee Day 2020
Learn about four refugees on the frontline of the COVID-19 Pandemic and what you can do to support them
This World Refugee Day, we at Refugee Pathways would like to lift up and celebrate refugees worldwide who have been on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic. Refugees are our essential workers, our childcare providers, our grocery store clerks, our mask-makers, our doctors and our scientists. They are the people who feed our communities, teach our children and provide our medical care. No strangers to adversity themselves, refugees around the world have been rising to meet the needs of their communities during this pandemic. Their heroism and resilience do not go unnoticed.
On the frontlines of the medical field
Refugees are essential workers in the medical field, assisting overwhelmed health systems during the COVID-19 pandemic as nurses, doctors and scientists.
Moheyman Alkhatavi, a 24-year-old Iraqi refugee, is serving as a nurse in Abadan, a city in southwestern province of Iran. Moheyman works tirelessly alongside other nurses in Teleghani Hospital to provide his patients with COVID-19 testing, monitoring for symptoms, and doing his best to secure the medicine needed for his patients’ treatment. Monheyman has expressed pride in being able to assist his host community during this time by applying his nursing skills. Moheyman is quoted recalling how people would doubt his potential as a refugee, stating “people telling me that, because I was a refugee, I shouldn’t dream to go to university and instead focus on an easier trade. But I wanted to make a difference in people’s lives.” During this time of crisis, Moheyman has done just that — made a difference in many lives.
Behind the sewing machine
Refugees skilled as tailors have also stepped up to serve their communities during this pandemic, creating thousands of face masks to keep community members safe.
Maombi Samil, a 24-year old refugee from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, created a fashion design and tailoring business in Kenya’s Kakuma camp. Once the pandemic began, Maombi became committed to putting his tailoring skill to good use in making protective gear for his community. Maombi explains how he “wanted to use [his] talent and locally available fabric to show that [refugees] can also contribute to the pandemic.” Not long after, Maombi and his team had completed 300 masks to distribute to UNHCR staff in the Kakuma camp, as well as to local refugees who could not afford to buy the masks from his shop. Moambi emphasizes that “social distancing is just not possible in the camps. The best we can do is to protect ourselves as much as we can.” He is certainly going above and beyond to ensure the protection of his community during this time.
In Kayseri, Turkey, with the support of the UNHCR, a group of Afghan refugees began producing 1,000 face masks each day to protect people from the pandemic.
They have teamed up with volunteers who are able to deliver the masks to local hospitals, migrant health centres and local NGOs. One of the volunteers, Roshan Ghafori, is a 26-year-old dentistry student who recently left Herat, Afghanistan with her family in search of safety. Upon seeing the devastation that COVID-19 has had on the world, she said “In this situation… it’s our duty to help the people in any way.” As the group aims to make 30,000 face masks within a month’s time-frame, it is safe to say Roshan is superseding her duty to help those in her community.
Feeding our neighbors
Refugees are also business owners in our communities, opening their doors to feed essential workers and those experiencing economic hardship due to the pandemic.
Malakeh Jazmati, a Syrian refugee living in Germany, has used her restaurant in the Schöneberg district of Berlin to serve her community. Malakeh has opened up her kitchen to provide meals, free-of-charge, for supermarket employees. She acknowledges that it is not only our doctors and nurses who are protecting us during this time but also our essential workers at the grocery store, who do not have the luxury of staying home. Malakeh stated, “I firmly believe that if you do good things, something good will come back to you.” Malakeh’s kind actions demonstrate solidarity within her community by providing a meal for those who put their health on the line to protect their neighbors.
“We may all have our differences, but the language of food is universal.” — Malakeh
These refugee stories are just a few examples of how refugees are contributing to the COVID-19 response. Their resilience, strength and determination to support their refugee and host communities, despite having faced immense hardship themselves, is truly inspiring.
This week, UNHCR released the latest global displacement numbers, which indicate a significant increase in displacement in 2019. Nearly 80 million people are currently forcibly displaced due to persecution, conflict and violence. Forty percent of them are children. UNHCR’s report indicates that one percent of humanity lives in forced exile and for many of them, accessing durable solutions remains challenging. This is why complementary pathways for resettlement are more important now than ever.
On this World Refugee Day, with displacement numbers at a record high and with the above stories in mind, we encourage you to take action:
- Show your support for refugees on social media.
Tag @refugeepathways on your Twitter, Facebook and Instagram posts and we will amplify your message through retweets, reposts and sharing.
Hashtags: #WorldRefugeeDay #WithRefugees #IstandWithRefugees
Sample Tweets:
79.5 million people worldwide have been forced to flee their homes in search of safety. This #WorldRefugeeDay we must stand in solidarity with refugees and show that refugees are welcome in our communities.
As of #WorldRefugeeDay, 1% of humanity is displaced as a result of conflict or persecution. It is more important than ever that we show our support to welcoming refugees.
There are 26 million refugees who have fled their homes and crossed borders to escape conflict and persecution in 2019. Too often, refugees still find themselves facing discrimination in their host communities. Stand with refugees this #WorldRefugeeDay to say #RefugeesWelcome.
2. Write to your government in support of accepting refugees into your community.
Encourage your government to offer reliable humanitarian visas and family reunification processes to refugees.
In the upheaval and chaos of an emergency, family members can get separated which can be a dangerous and terrifying experience. Family reunification is a fundamental aspect of bringing normalcy back to the lives of persons who have fled persecution or serious harm and have lost family during forced displacement. The German family reunification serves as a strong example of how necessary the reunification of families is for refugees. See if your country has a family reunification program on Refugee Pathways, and then write to your government to encourage the creation or strengthening of a program!
Humanitarian visas, such as Canada’s Humanitarian Visa Referral, are granted in emergency cases and for urgent humanitarian reasons to vulnerable refugees, refugee families, and internally displaced people. Does your country have a humanitarian visa program? Write to your government and demand they support this pathway for refugees in your country.
3. Encourage universities to offer scholarships for refugees.
School-age refugees have had their education severely interrupted, often limiting their ability to continue onto higher education. Some colleges and universities have created scholarships for refugees, such as Columbia University Scholarship for Displaced Students, which provide full tuition, housing, and living assistance to scholarship recipients pursuing undergraduate or graduate degrees. Write to your local higher education institutions and encourage them to create a scholarship for refugees!
4. Join and support a community sponsorship program or refugee support group.
Groups such as the Refugee Centre in Canada, Sponsor Refugees UK and Miry’s List provide support for refugee families resettling in their neighborhoods. Research and support a local organization supporting refugees in your community.
5. Sign a petition to keep borders open!
Finally, for refugees to reach safety and protection, borders and pathways need to be kept open and available at all times. Stand up for refugees and add your name to this petition to keep borders and pathways to resettlement open.
#EveryActionCounts
