Meet the refugees helping us through the COVID-19 pandemic

This article was originally published by Tent Partnership for Refugees.

From doctors and nurses on the front lines of the pandemic, to delivery drivers, food manufacturers, and retail professionals who are showing up day after day as essential workers - meet some of the refugees who are keeping our communities nourished, safe, and healthy during these challenging times.

Atlanta-based couple, Dr. Heval and Dr. Kazeen, have a lot in common: they're both Kurdish refugees, as well as respected cardiologists. And now, they're both determined to contribute to the novel coronavirus response in the U.S.

Heval, who is originally from Syria, was forced to flee home due to political oppression against the Kurds; and Kazeen, who is originally from Iraq, left home as a result of the ongoing unrest while the country was under the reign of Saddam Hussein. Now, they're leveraging their medical skills and the experience they gained living through conflict in their home countries to fight COVID-19 in their community.

"Our experience as refugees gave us resilience... I came Ito this country] after 9/11 and [my wife) came at a time where a lot of people didn't even know who refugees were, so there were biases towards refugees. But we had Americans who welcomed us and gave us hope to be in this country, and now is our time to give back to them. So it's kind of like turning the circle - they welcomed us, and now we as physicians are there for them," said Heval.

Continue reading this article here.