Looking out for each other in uncertain times

Lessons we can learn from the refugee experience. [UNHCR - The UN Refugee Agency]( LIVING WITH UNCERTAINTY: FIVE OF FIVE Lessons we can learn from the refugee experience Dear {NAME},It may well be that the best thing we can do to help ourselves, is to reach out and help someone else. Is there anyone, anywhere in the world who is not under strain at the moment? From the richest countries to the poorest, none of us is unaffected. I can imagine you are in lockdown right now, like so many of us right around the world. Perhaps separated from many of the people who are dearest to you. That’s why I want to say to you what I am saying to the refugees I work with. ‘You are the hero. Because by staying put you’re going to save my life. And by me staying put, I’m going to save your life’. In other words, it’s by looking out for each other that we’re going to get through this. And actually, looking out for others can be the greatest reward of all. In our last email, Maya talked about how she turned her life around after fleeing the conflict in Syria and arriving in the UK. She taught herself a new language and got herself into a school. But it was when she started helping a charity, that she really turned the corner. "That was my turning point. I felt I could make a difference and make a change. Now I try and do that for other people." Reaching out to help and support others has become a cornerstone of Maya’s life. "Whether it’s women or refugees or anyone who feels any less of themselves. I want them to feel that all their hard work is going to pay off – the way mine has." Right now in Niger, the refugee communities I work with are also finding that the best way to support themselves is to support each other. They are at risk from coronavirus, just as you and I are. Perhaps even more so, as many of them are living in crowded camps with little or no medical provision. But together with me and my team, they have decided to give back to the country of Niger. We have decided to transform ourselves into soap makers. The soap we make together will provide a vital line of defence against the virus that is undoubtedly coming. A defence we can share throughout our community. And that’s just the start. We’re also going to make bricks. When some of our refugees fall sick and need a safe place to self-isolate, our bricks will build it. This solidarity and kindness in the refugees I work with is both humbling and inspiring. These are people who have lost everything and endured the most unimaginable suffering, -often seeing their villages burned to the ground by armed and masked men. Now, like the rest of us, they’re facing a new threat. The threat of coronavirus. And yet all their focus is on helping each other. On protecting their neighbours and rebuilding their community. These are dark times indeed. But as Maya has shown us, and as the thousands of refugees here in Niger show me every day, there is a way through. "Here I am, little me with my basic English, studying Aviation Engineering and aiming to become the first ever female Syrian refugee pilot. Now I want to share it with people. Because everyone can do what I am doing and do it better. You can move mountains if you want to." So look around. Is there somebody you might be able to help right now? After all, there are certainly some mountains that need moving in the world today. So let’s stick together. Let’s look out for one another. And let’s get it done. Yours in solidarity, Alessandra Morelli UNHCR Representative, Niger You can find out about our work protecting refugees during the coronavirus crisis [here](. [UNHCR The UN refugee Agency]( [Donate now]( Stay connected [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Youtube]( [Instagram]( This email was sent by: UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) CH-1211 Genève 2 Dépôt Geneva, Case Postale, 2500, Switzerland [Unsubscribe]( | [Update Profile]( | [Privacy Policy]( | [View this email in your browser]( [Unsubscribe]( | [Update Profile]( [Privacy Policy]( | [View this email in your browser](