Pandemic Challenges Refugees in US

In a recent article, WaPo explores the hardships facing refugees in the United States during the COVID pandemic. Recently resettled refugees have been hit hard by the pandemic-induced economic downturn. They are struggling to find or keep work. Many struggle with food insecurity. And unlike Americans with an established tax record, they don’t qualify for stimulus payments.

Professor Michaela Hynie (York University) notes that the problems facing refugees extend beyond the economic. Traditionally, case workers help refugees get used to their new lives stateside. Yet these workers, like so many, have halted in-person meetings. “How do you explain to somebody how to use the transportation system, for example, or a toilet, when you can’t show them?” Hynie told WaPo.

I wonder if this would be a good classroom exercise — thinking of something that a refugee would need to know about the United States and working to explain it. Off the top of my head:

• How to access public transportation
• How to open & use a checking account
• How to obtain a driver’s license
• How to use a microwave/dishwasher/fridge/washer/dryer

-KitJ