Join the the IRC's Bangladesh country director at the site of a coronavirus isolation unit and treatment center the IRC is building in Cox's Bazar, where we will care for COVID-19 patients.

The world’s largest refugee camp—in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh—saw its first confirmed case of the coronavirus, exposing already extremely vulnerable Rohingya refugees and local Bangladeshis to the deadly virus.

Over 4 million Venezuelans seeking safety in other South American countries now face the added threat of COVID-19. IRC Voice and actor Morena Baccarin recently caught up with IRC country director Marianne Menjivar, who she met in 2019 during a visit to IRC programs in Colombia.

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 South African refugee and famed actress Noma Dumezweni.  Learn more about our campaign at Rescue.org/WorldRefugeeDay. 

Ammar is a refugee from Syria living in Greece. He spent 10 months living in a camp on the Greek islands before moving to Athens, where he now volunteers to keep people safe and fed during COVID-19. “Since this pandemic started, my first response was to help out,” he says.  Learn more about the essential contributions of refugees like Ammar during COVID-19 and beyond.  

Jean Marie Ishimwe is a 23-year-old youth advocate in Nairobi, Kenya. He is also a refugee from Rwanda. Today, he is using his coordination and motivational skills to mobilize young people to hand out food, masks and information about the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dr. Edna Patricia Gomez is a gynecologist who works for the International Rescue Committee in Cúcuta, Colombia. She left Venezuela in 2018 with her family as the country spiraled into a profound socio-economic crisis. Today, Dr. Edna helps other Venezuelans in Colombia with screening and treatment for the coronavirus, while also providing women's health services. "Medicine is the best," she says of her profession. "It’s hopeful.

Rania Abou is a 19-year-old refugee from Syria living in Roselle, New Jersey. An artist who dreams of becoming an engineer, she is currently working for the International Rescue Committee and World Central Kitchen in Elizabeth, New Jersey, helping give out food to people in need. “In the future, somebody will help me. It's like a circle.

Twenty-four-year-old Doha Ibrahim Ammouri, a refugee from Syria, lives in Azraq refugee camp in Jordan with her husband and children. She volunteers as a receptionist in the International Rescue Committee’s reproductive health clinic in the camp. Despite a national coronavirus lockdown in Jordan, Doha and her colleagues continue to provide essential medical care—safely.

Twenty-one-year-old Yasmin Ara is a Rohingya refugee from Myanmar living in Cox’s Bazar, in Bangladesh, the world’s largest refugee camp. As a community volunteer for the International Rescue Committee, she goes door-to-door to raise awareness about protection from the coronavirus. “Rohingya people help others as much as possible,” she says. Learn more about the essential contributions of refugees like Yasmin—during COVID-19 and beyond.