Refugees Lend a Hand During COVID-19
Masks for Medical Workers
We have all heard about the many groups sewing masks for medical workers. Here in Westchester County, refugees are also participating as sewers, in the www.masksforny.org project led by Neighbors for Refugees. Six local refugees are sewing a variety of masks - some to be worn alone, others to cover the N-95s, all according to the specifications and requests of health care providers. They have already sewn and delivered hundreds of masks - including a batch of masks which are being distributed to the refugees and asylees in the Westchester Refugee Initiative network, many of whom work in essential services. Hearts & Homes for Refugees is proud to be supporting this project as well as www.sewforny.org and www.pelhamtogether.org.
Sharing Information
As part of the effort to keep connections in this time of isolation, our network Ambassador Reshad Ahmadi recently coordinated a refugee men’s meet-up via Zoom, in which questions and concerns were shared, as well as simply socializing! Some of you will also remember Abdi Iftin, author of Call Me American, who gave a book talk about his journey from Somalia to the United States in a presentation sponsored by Westchester Community College and Hearts & Homes for Refugees. When Hearts & Homes came across a translation request from a friend at the UK’s National Health Service, we connected Abdi - who also happens to be a professional translator! - who is providing the narration for the Somali version of a video about supporting neurodiverse children during self-isolation. (Click here for the video in English.)
Taking Care of their Home Communities
While volunteers help strengthen the social safety net for refugees, those in the U.S. are often part of the safety net for family back home. Many are sending from what little they have to family members and neighbors in their home country, where things like unemployment insurance don’t exist. One example of this is the GoFundMe that Zulfar Stanikzai started with her sister Hosa for impoverished families back in Kabul, Afghanistan who have lost all income due to the stay at home orders.
Taking Care of New Yorkers
Just as New York City was shutting down, three refugees joined volunteers from our network member St. John's Lutheran Church on the Midnight Run in Manhattan, helping hand out clothing, toiletries and food to the city's homeless. Streets were already desolate, but there were as many homeless as ever, many of whom expressed their deep appreciation for those who had come out to help during these tough times.