MINNEAPOLIS — One Minnesota-based organization joins everyone in taking precautions to protect the most vulnerable in our community.
Only for Alight – formerly the American Refugee Committee – the most vulnerable communities include those living well beyond our borders.
“This vulnerable population is particularly vulnerable to a pandemic like this. You have people who are already living in very cramped accommodations. Now you have families sitting in one room. And then they’re all gathered together in these incredibly crowded settlements and camps,” said Daniel Wordsworth, CEO of Alight, about the conditions in refugee settlements that contribute to the coronavirus risk.
“They don’t have running water. They don’t have access to showers or bathing facilities. They have to leave their houses. They have to walk to water points... and there they have to line up,” Wordsworth described, adding that many refugees are also dealing with chronic health conditions related to their plight.
Alight’s Response
Every day, Alight works to help some of the nearly 71 million forcibly displaced people throughout the world by providing health care, clean water, shelter, protection and economic opportunities. But today, their efforts also include fighting the virus.
“We’re gearing up around the world. And we’re doing three things: we have to protect people, we have to identify folks, and we have to provide care,” Wordsworth told KARE 11 via FaceTime on Thursday.
Alight staff on the ground in refugee settlements are helping to monitor temperatures and symptoms, Wordsworth said. They’re identifying those especially at risk, including those with pre-existing conditions, the elderly and those suffering from HIV. And they’re teaching basic hand-washing techniques.
“I mean hand sanitizer is like gold. It doesn’t really exist. But we’re talking about the deserts of Darfur or plains of Uganda. But yes, we have to go door-to-door, and we’re handing out soap to every household, to every place where we find human beings. They need to have soap and they need to know how to use it,” Wordsworth said.
Alight notes that so far, they do not have any documented cases of the coronavirus reaching the refugee settlements served by the organization. But they believe once the virus arrives, conditions will allow it to quickly spread. That’s why they’re actively preparing medical staff within the refugee communities.
“We have to pre-supply drugs and supplies that are ready to go. We have to have more doctors and nurses ready and on standby,” he said, adding, “And then lastly, we have to already create quarantine facilities within these crowded refugee camps, so that when these cases come in we can put them somewhere to help halt the infection.”
RELATED: Minnesota at the border: Alight makes Catholic connection in response to humanitarian crisis
Overcoming challenges – how YOU can help
Meantime, the Alight staff is working to overcome challenges they’ve never encountered before.
“We’re placed with the challenge of gearing up, and being able to protect literally hundreds of thousands of people from a pandemic and a virus that scares us. And here we are in Minneapolis,” Wordworth said.
But he also noted we’re all engaged in an effort to protect the most vulnerable in our community; Alight just seeks to help the most vulnerable living beyond our borders.
“This is just an extension of that. We’re talking about other human beings who are particularly vulnerable. There’s an organization based here in the Twin Cities that’s working around the world, trying to provide the same peace of mind we want for ourselves, for our families, our grandparents. We just want to give that to them. And we’re their last line of defense,” he said.
To learn more about how you can help Alight help others during this critical time, just go to: wearealight.org
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The state of Minnesota has set up a hotline for general questions about coronavirus at 651-201-3920 or 1-800-657-3903, available 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
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