June 18, 2020 —  This World Refugee Day the International Rescue Committee (IRC) is calling for the public and policy makers to recognise refugees as the essential workers they are in tackling the Coronavirus crisis and rebuilding for the future. 

As communities face enormous challenges in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic we’ve seen heroic stories of essential workers on the front line. Among them are refugees. Whether volunteers, food distributors, mask makers or doctors and nurses, refugees are fighting to keep communities safe, make our society stronger and rebuild our world after the virus - and beyond.

To mark World Refugee Day, the IRC has launched an integrated media and online campaign fronted by actor and refugee Noma Dumezweni with the simple message that “refugees are essential.”

The campaign recognises the impact refugee essential workers have had to address COVID-19 the world over. At its heart lies a film that showcases the stories of three refugees working hard to keep their communities safe: Ammar, a Syrian refugee who is making face masks in Greece; Dr Edna, an IRC doctor providing medical care to people in Colombia, and Yasmin Ara who is volunteering in Cox’s Bazar refugee camp to keep her community safe.

In the UK the IRC campaign will spotlight refugees here, like Md Mominul Hamid, who is delivering food parcels to local people in Newcastle, refugee doctor Anxhela Gradeci who works on a Covid ward at an NHS hospital in London, and Jehad Haji Rechad who is making scrubs for NHS workers in Lancashire.

Olivier award winner Noma Dumezweni, who narrates the campaign film, said:

“In the fight against COVID-19, refugees are on the frontlines. And those who have taken incredible risks to protect their communities must be celebrated. Their stories show us what human resilience looks like and remind us of the power of hope. 

“No one is safe from COVID-19 until everyone is safe, and refugees like Ammar, Dr Edna and Yasmin have shown that when all you have to keep going is enduring hope, you help people discover their own. I am proud to join the International Rescue Committee to share the stories of those who are shaping our world for the better. I hope others join me in showing gratitude for those who are putting their lives on the line to rebuild our world.”

To read their stories and watch the film, visit www.rescue-uk.org/worldrefugeeday

Notes to editors:

The International Rescue Committee is proud to work with Noma Dumezweni, a South African refugee and famed actress renowned for her work in the original West End and Broadway’s Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, and the films The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind, Mary Poppins Returns, and the upcoming HBO thriller The Undoing, for this year’s World Refugee Day anthem video. Noma has lent her talents and compassion to the IRC over the years, and we are thrilled to recognize Noma’s voice as we work to elevate all refugee voices this World Refugee Day.