{"id":67873,"date":"2020-07-15T16:04:23","date_gmt":"2020-07-15T20:04:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsroom.carleton.ca\/?post_type=cu_story&p=67873"},"modified":"2025-10-17T18:20:20","modified_gmt":"2025-10-17T22:20:20","slug":"fighting-misinformation-refugee-pandemic","status":"publish","type":"cu_story","link":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/story\/fighting-misinformation-refugee-pandemic\/","title":{"rendered":"Fighting Misinformation and Helping the Front Lines: Partners in Refugee Research Network Respond to Pandemic"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\n Fighting Misinformation and Helping the Front Lines: Partners in Refugee Research Network Respond to Pandemic\n <\/h1>\n \n <\/header>\n <\/div>\n\n \n <\/path>\n <\/path>\n <\/svg>\n <\/div>\n\n \n\n <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n

COVID-19 closed planet Earth, bringing an era of unprecedented international mobility to a sudden halt. Borders were shut, fleets of aircraft were parked, and entire cities stood still.  Everyone was impacted, some more acutely than others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cInternational humanitarian organizations are now faced with limited mobility. They can\u2019t reach refugee populations because of shelter-in-place orders,\u201d says James Milner, an associate professor of Political Science and project director of LERRN: The Local Engagement Refugee Research Network<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Prof.
Prof. James Milner<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn the Kakuma and Dadaab refugee camps in northern Kenya, there is fear and uncertainty. There is a lack of information, and programming has been shut down. Legal protection services, education, health services, and even food distribution have been compromised. There is a dual concern about the virus taking root, and of the impact of policy responses to stop the spread of the virus. Those policy responses are further contributing to the vulnerability of refugees.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But even as the pandemic prevents humanitarian workers from reaching people in need, refugee-led initiatives<\/a> are stepping up to provide key services. When lockdowns were announced, refugee-led initiatives were able to quickly identify emerging needs. They have pivoted their operations to fill these needs, and have helped LERRN identify new sub-projects that will have an impact in the challenging times ahead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cClearly, there is a need for urgent action for<\/em><\/strong> refugees,\u201d Milner wrote in a recent post that was co-authored with a number of refugee leaders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBut equally important is the need to recognize, support and amplify the action already being undertaken by <\/em><\/strong>refugees.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Education Initiative Fights Misinformation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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One refugee who is already taking action is Pascal Zigashane, executive director of Urise Initiative for Africa<\/a> and a LERRN partner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Urise equips young people with the skills that they will need to find employment \u2013 and help rebuild their countries of origin. It teaches courses in information and communications technology, entrepreneurship and peace building.  During the pandemic, it has pivoted to combating misinformation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Pascal
Pascal Zigashane<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMany people from humanitarian organizations have gone home to isolate themselves and be with their families,\u201d says Zigashane.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPeople here have created WhatsApp groups, and they are sharing information, but much of that information is not valid. It has not been fact-checked.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Government of Kenya gives a daily update on COVID-19 and the measures that it is taking to combat its spread, but refugees in northern Kenya have limited access to communications technology. They also have limited access to water and soap, and with more than 200,000 people living in Kakuma\u2019s UNHCR refugee camp, physical distancing is impossible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s an environment that is ripe for rumours, but Zigashane is fighting misinformation by providing twice-weekly updates of fact-checked COVID-19 information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn camp, people are exposed to many other people every day. We want to make sure that people have information that they can trust,\u201d says ZIgashane.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe provide an update on the measures that the government is taking, like the 7 p.m. curfew and the lockdown of the camp. We verify information with authorities \u2013 within the country and outside the country.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Fighting
A refugee camp in Dadaab, Kenya (Photo: journalturk)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Zigashane is just one example of a LERRN partner who has been able to adapt their work to respond to COVID-19. Since LERRN\u2019s focus is on refugee-led initiatives, many of its projects and partners are well-positioned to meet emerging local needs.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\u201cIt demonstrates the importance of local actors. Their capacity to understand the local environment, to navigate it, and to respond within it,\u201d says Milner.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

\u201cNo two contexts are exactly the same, and who is better to understand the nuance and the specificity of each context than the people who live and work there?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

\"Fighting<\/figure>\n\n\n

Refugee-Led Group Connects Companies and Workers<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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In Canada, a refugee-led employment organization and LERRN partner has used remote technologies to adapt to the pandemic while continuing essential work. With offices in Calgary, Toronto and Vancouver, Jumpstart \u2013 Refugee Talent<\/a> focuses on the economic empowerment of refugees and refugee claimants in Canada.  It aims to address under-employment by helping them find jobs aligned with their skill sets, and its Welcome to Canada mentorship program helps refugees understand and navigate their new home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m a refugee and many of our staff are too,\u201d says Mustafo Alio, managing director of Jumpstart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Mustafo
Mustafo Alio<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOne of the characteristics of being a refugee is that we are able to adapt. This is not new to us. We switched to virtual platforms. We started doing a lot of phone calls.  It wasn’t easy. How can you shift all our programs all of a sudden?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jumpstart\u2019s employment support services are particularly important for refugee claimants. As non-citizens, they aren\u2019t eligible for emergency assistance programs like the Canada Emergency Response Benefit. To help bridge the gap, Jumpstart is creating Hire Me, an online platform that will connect its clients with employers searching for workers during the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\u201cWe will be uploading profiles and resumes, and giving access to companies looking to hire workers,\u201d says Alio.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

\u201cJumpstart\u2019s focus is on meaningful employment, but right now, any employment is meaningful. Many types of jobs are desperately needed \u2013 like warehouse workers and grocery store clerks. We started asking people if this was something that they would be open to, and they said yes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alio anticipates the new platform to be up and running soon, and there are plans to keep Hire Me operational, even after the pandemic has passed.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\u201cWe will return to tackling refugee underemployment,\u201d says Alio.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe platform will connect employers with refugee talent, and refugees with opportunities that offer a career path and space for advancement.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n

\"Fighting<\/figure>\n\n\n

—
\nMore Stories<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

COVID-19 closed planet Earth, bringing an era of unprecedented international mobility to a sudden halt. Borders were shut, fleets of aircraft were parked, and entire cities stood still.  Everyone was impacted, some more acutely than others. \u201cInternational humanitarian organizations are now faced with limited mobility. They can\u2019t reach refugee populations because of shelter-in-place orders,\u201d says […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":410,"featured_media":67881,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"cu_story_type":[28,13],"cu_story_tag":[1921,1926],"class_list":["post-67873","cu_story","type-cu_story","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","cu_story_type-community-partnerships","cu_story_type-research-discovery","cu_story_tag-faculty-of-public-and-global-affairs","cu_story_tag-international"],"acf":{"cu_post_thumbnail":"blueprint"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_story\/67873","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_story"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/cu_story"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/410"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_story\/67873\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":98525,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_story\/67873\/revisions\/98525"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/67881"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=67873"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"cu_story_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_story_type?post=67873"},{"taxonomy":"cu_story_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_story_tag?post=67873"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}