Lena Headey learns how refugees are coping with the coronavirus crisis

Lena Headey learns how refugees are coping with the coronavirus crisis

In the battle against COVID-19 and beyond, refugees are essential to keeping communities safe, making society stronger and rebuilding our world. This World Refugee Day—and every day—we are proud to celebrate their contributions. Watch our video voiced by acclaimed actress Noma Dumezweni, a refugee herself.

Rubijan, Nur Kiyas and Hasina have been applying senahar paste, a traditional make-up, since they were little in Myanmar. Now having fled to Bangladesh, they're keeping the tradition alive whilst facing the challenges that come with living in the world's biggest refugee camp, Cox's Bazar.  This video was funded by the European Union. 

The first case of the coronavirus has reached the world's biggest refugee camp in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, home to nearly 1 million Rohingya refugees. The IRC's 24/7 clinic operates day and night and is ready to respond if the virus spreads.  This video was funded by the European Union. 

The IRC’s president and CEO David Miliband on the IRC’s emergency response, the challenges Syrian refugees in the country are facing, and the need for action from the global community. The International Rescue Committee helps people whose lives and livelihoods are shattered by conflict and disaster to survive, recover and gain control of their future.

Along with hundreds of other refugees, Audrey, Baimba and Hassan have received mental health support from the IRC whilst living in Greece’s overcrowded camps. They’ve confronted the traumas of the past whilst living in conditions that no one should have to endure. The pandemic has only made things tougher for refugees living in camps with lockdowns trapping people in intolerable conditions.

In northeastern Nigeria, conflict and instability has left three out of 10 women and girls with experiences of violence. Through the Programmatic Partnership with the European Union, the IRC is running safe spaces where girls like Hauwa learn mindfulness techniques, helping them to manage stress and deal with negative thoughts.

Refugees bring more than they carry. When forced to flee, refugees can only carry so much.

Chadia and her daughter Nour fled Syria years ago. Now, for World Refugee Day, they’re opening up about how the experience shaped them—and how they’re now in turn helping shape their new home for the better. When asked her favourite thing about her mom Chadia Bchir, 15-year-old Nour Alsaleh says without hesitation, it’s her smile.