The fight against the COVID-19 virus has become a war uniting the global population. To limit the spread of disease, all of us do our part to stay at home and practice social distancing. Many of us fulfill our duty by shifting our work and school schedules indoors. But a great number within us are the soldiers on the front line.
They are the health workers, treating the affected. They are the cleaners, disinfecting Covid wards. They are the cooks, feeding health workers and the vulnerable individuals. They are the food delivery workers, supermarket cashiers, and the aid workers.
And many of them are refugees and migrants.
In a time, where we are left to dwell on bad news, I would like to shine a spotlight on all the generous individuals dedicating their time to fight the pandemic. I would especially like to thank and share 10 stories of refugees and migrants in this group of heroes. Many migrants and refugees are doing tireless work to support their communities through their crisis. After all,
“Coronavirus has no borders, but neither does love.”
Hassan Akkad, UK
Hassan Akkad, Personal twitter @hassan_akkad
Meet Hassan Akkad. He moved from Syria to London in 2015, documenting his difficult journey in an Bafta award winning BBC film - ‘Exodus: Our journey to Europe.’ After training for two weeks, he has joined other NHS volunteers in cleaning disinfecting Covid wards at his local hospital. He shared the news in a now viral tweet, which were filled with responses of love and admiration for this generous hero.
“London has been my home since Syria and the least I can do is making sure my neighbors and the amazing NHS staff are safe and sound,” Akkad added in his tweet. From his experience working at the hospital, many of his colleagues share the same story, being “from everywhere, the Caribbean, Chad, the Philippines, Spain, Poland.” However, that has not stopped them from showing their compassion to their new home and community.
Gimba, UK
Hassan Akkad @HassanAkkad, Personal instagram
Meet Gimba. She works, alongside Hassan Akkad in their local hospital, as a ward host during this pandemic and for the past 10 years. Everyday, she prepares food for the Covid patients in our word, making them feel love and compassion through her cooking in a difficult time.
A few days ago, she received some bad news that her mother fell ill and was taken to a hospital in Nigeria. She was not able to fly back home to see her due to the pandemic flight restrictions, filling her with heartbreak. That has not stopped her from continuing to care for the patients her ward.
Nothing is stopping her from carrying on doing her job for Covid patients in the UK. Not where she came from. Not her own personal struggle. Her big heart transcends all of this and ensures that the Covid patients in her ward are well cared for.
Ilya Charity, Iran
Ilya Charity @IliaCharity_Official, Official instagram
A group of Afghan refugee women in Iran are dedicating their time and sewing skills to ease the shortage of protective equipment for healthcare workers. They are making hospital gowns for the doctors and nurses working tirelessly to treat Iranian covid patients. So far, with great thanks to all the refugee women in the charity, 5000 protective suits have been donated to more than ten nearby hospitals in the province of Gilan, Golestan and Tehran.
Mera Kitchen, USA
Baltimore Magazine
The Mera Kitchen in Baltimore, USA is a catering company owned and employing refugee and migrant workers in the country. Before the Covid-19 crisis, Mera Kitchen would host large community events with their delicious foods and would offer catering to those that are hosting one. Eager to help out the vulnerable in the community amidst lock down procedures, they are now cooking free meals for Baltimore residents and health care workers. Donations from all around the world has supported them to employ the workers and keep the meals free for those in need. They have served more than 7,800 meals to date to grateful Baltimore residents.
Za’atari refugee camp, Jordan
UNHCR
In the Za’atiari refugee camp, refugee women including Um Omar, are working together to make soap for the refugees in the camp. At the start of the crisis, they began learning from UNHCR how to make soap, using natural ingredients and then adding wonderful colours and scents, to support themselves and promote hygiene in their communities. Now, they are producing soap to share in the refugee camp as it is an effective preventative measure to prevent the spread of disease among the .
Samuel, Ecuador
UNHCR
Meet Samuel, who is a Venezuelan refugee living in Esmeralda, Ecuador. He is a doctor, working in his community to providing testing and care to Covid-19 patients. With the help of UNHCR, Samuel also helps educate the community about hygiene and social distancing preventative measures to stop the spread of the virus in his community.
Shadi, Switzerland'
UNHCR
Shadi is a Syrian refugee, who lived for five years in Versoix, Switzerland. To contribute help in this crisis, Shadi is delivering groceries, medicines and post to self-isolating elderly members of the community. He spends his day going to the supermarket to purchase the groceries or to the local pharmacy to fetch some medicine and then drops it off in front of the elderly’s homes in order to prevent social contact. Shadi mobilized a group of volunteers across Swiss towns to help him do this in a larger scale.
“I believe solidarity is a human responsibility,” he says in a UN video. Through his work, he hopes to help his community, as a way of giving back for the welcome he received when he entered in years ago.
Moheyman, Iran
UNHCR/Hassam Dezfouli
Meet Moheyman. He is a 24 year old Iraqi refugee, who was born in Iran alongside his three siblings. He studied nursing at university with the UNHCR DAFI scholarship and graduated a year and a half ago. Ever since he graduated, he has been working at the Taleghani Hospital in Abadan as a nurse. In the time of the pandemic, he is working at the quarantine unit at his local hospital to test and care for patients in need of Covid treatment.
Mohammed, France
Mohammed is a Libyan refugee, who fled to France in 2016. In Libya, he worked as a doctor and was training to become a surgeon before the erupting violence in his home country forced him to leave. When he arrived in France, he began preparing for the French language exams required to register as a doctor because he says "My dream is to work as a doctor. It's my life. It's my oxygen." He has recently passed these exams and completed internships with senior doctors in hospitals in Rouen and Limoges. When the Covid-19 crisis began in France, as part of his dream, he immediately registered on the Ministry of Heath emergency roster to support the medical staff in hospital. He is keen to provide any help he could give for the French medical staff in an emergency room, as an assistant nurse, to give information to the public or any position needed in a hospital.
Mohammed says his experience in the Libyan war has instilled him with an ability to remain calm and rational in emergency situations. He says, "An epidemic can be stressful but it's nothing compared to war. I am not scared. I am ready to go anywhere in France to help."
Yasin, France
UNHCR
Meet Yasin. He fled Somalia three years ago to France, after studying medicine and qualifying as a doctor. He arrived in France hoping to continue his medical career to help people in the country, however found difficulty in finding a job, despite his qualifications and hence spent time living on the streets of Paris.
Yet, this did not stop his passion for helping other. He founded an NGO, Network of Exiles in France, to make a difference for refugee and asylum seekers in his new home country. They participate in language exchanges and volunteer to translate documents particularly for the asylum process - around 10 a week. In the midst of the Covid-19 crisis, Yasin along with his colleagues in the Network of Exiles is offering their language skills to translate documents that provide information and advice on the lockdown in France. They have translate over 220 documents so far to help people in France, regardless of where they are from, understand precautionary measures.
We hope these actions of compassion from refugee and migrant workers to help the world will inspire us all to reciprocate this help for the refugee crisis in the present and future.
Don’t forget them when they give us help.
Don’t forget them when they need our help.
Alisha Bakrie
Sources:
Stories
@Refugees on Instagram for the stories of Hassan, Mera Kitchen, Za’atari Refugee Camp, Samuel, Shadi and Moheyman
'Bafta-winning film-maker becomes hospital cleaner,' Guardian
'Refugees offer medical experience to help tackle coronavirus in France,' UNHCR UK Website
'Meet Moheyman, the refugee nurse fighting coronavirus in Iran,' Ansa, Info Migrants
Photos
UNHCR
Mera Kitchen Collective gives refugees and immigrants platform to cook, Baltimore Magazine
Hassan Akkad @Hassan_Akkad, Twitter
Hassan Akkad @HassanAkkad, Instagram
Ilya Charity Official @iliacharity_official, Instagram