Covid 19 in refugees camps

I live in the refugee camps for Sahrawis, in Algeria. We live in the desert, in tents and houses of clay. My people have lived in confinement for 45 years.  We didn’t have any cases yet, but the Sahrawi government took immediate preventative measures, and we respect the restrictions. More than 70 percent of all woman have spent their lives at home, but now, we all stay in. It would be a disaster if the virus reaches us. We don’t have proper healthcare or the needed materials for treatment. 

The greatest risk now is people dying of hunger. Resources are dwindling and people ae losing whatever they could earn through small businesses. Prices have gone up and it’s affecting the most vulnerable. 

Living in the shadow of this virus, we discovered that no one can help us. Everyone is busy helping themselves. Through news and social media sites, I saw a lot of people complaining and being sad about the lockdowns. Some of them are trying to change their way of living and working to cope with the crisis, but that is not the most important. What must come first is safety. Our safety and the safety of others. 

Everyone is responsible for the safety, not just that of him or herself, but that of everyone. 

We live in different countries and might have different cultures, but we live in one world. 

We live in a refugee camp, but the Coronavirus has proved that the world can’t event protect itself.  

Life in asylum teaches you patience, steadfastness and solution-orientation. 

The coronavirus has taught me that we live for each other. I must protect you in order to protect myself.