"We are as safe as the most vulnerable people in our community". As an Afghan woman who came to Britain at the age of 11, Zarlasht Halaimzai, knows firsthand the refugee experience. It motivated her to set up Refugee Trauma Initiative of which she is Executive Director. Zarlasht is also an Obama Fellow and was one of the speakers in the third webinar in the series, A (K)new World Reimagined on the topic, Displacement – Lockdown When You Have No Home.
Zarlasht pointed out that although the virus may have peaked in some countries, for the 70 million displaced people and 420 million children growing up in conflict zones, COVID-19 is affecting vulnerable communities at a time when they could not be under more pressure.
Dr Faisal Garba Muhammed, Lecturer and Co-Convenor of the Global Studies Program at the University of Cape Town, said: "We cannot think of this moment in isolation." He called for a different idea of "belonging", a different idea of "citizenship" in a post-COVID-19 world.
Rhodes Scholar Emilie McDonnell, said this crisis had taught us that "the notions of home, of rights, need to be rethought".
The series is open to Atlantic Fellows, Rhodes Scholars and Obama Fellows and you can hear more the discussion here.