With so many global crises ranging from discriminations to civil wars, many people around the globe are familiar with the term refugee. Nevertheless, the term refugee, according to UNHCR website, refers to someone who has been forced to flee his or her country because of persecution, war, or violence. A refugee has a well-founded fear of persecution for reasons of race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or membership in a particular social group. Most likely, they can not return home or are afraid to do so.

There are a lot of challenges and threats to refugees’ lives that most people are not aware of. Apart from the fear of being persecuted, when they are displaced, many refugees face the challenges of getting access to good food, shelters, and clean water. They moved to new places, so they must start everything from scratch. They do not have better means of transportations or electricity. Besides, they lack better education to improve their lives. They also do not have better hospitals. Furthermore, most of them live in fear and trauma of their past. This is most common in children that were displaced and got separated from their family members. Unfortunately, they also face prejudice and discrimination from host communities. Sadly, with the presence of the pandemic, it is hard for them to cope with the challenges and struggles that come with it as well as following and maintaining the safety guidelines. In response to these challenges, the United Nation is working tirelessly to provide a better living and means to cope with the global pandemic. Nevertheless, more needs to be done.

Living in the camp had enabled me to develop lots of survival tactics to face any hardship that comes with life. Apart from all negativities and challenges, I learnt the virtue of tolerance and patience. During my stay in the camp, I taught as an incentive teacher. Having been an incentive teacher allowed me to interact with students and teachers from different cultural diversities, irrespective of their races, genders, religions, and social norms. This created a very diverse cultural orientation where people had the chance to appreciate, learn and celebrate different cultures hence creating harmony, unity, and peace among the refugee. Personally, it gave me a new perspective of approaching and accepting people from all walks of life without discriminating against them. Teaching also provided me with an opportunity to interact well with my learners since I understood clearly what they were going through. This gave me a reason to wake up every morning to teach them and remind them that “No condition is permanent”.

As we celebrate this day, we should remember that refugee is a global crisis that should be dealt with collectively. We should show care, provide opportunities, and help them. Remember that the refugee status is not a permanent thing. It should not be used to discriminate or judged them. Refugees are people like you and me. I believe nothing is permanent; hence these refugees have a bright future just like everyone. They have dreams and goals. They have skills and knowledge just like everyone else. Refugees should be provided with the necessary resources and opportunities to help them develop their skills and talents, not forgetting education. HAPPY WORLD REFUGEE DAY!

Jacob Chol Aleer

Civil Engineering Technology

Ivany Campus

Sudan