YAZDA: Helping their community find their way

Many Yazidis in Lincoln are a bit lost right now.  They often don’t speak English and are floundering to grasp what is happening in the face of the pandemic.  They are worried about the well-being of families here, but also about loved ones back home in refugee camps in Iraq where a viral outbreak would be tragic.
 
“Our job is to untangle their confusion,” said Laila Khoudeida, a member of the community Yazda group – and an active participant in the Yazidi Cultural Center.
 
“First we must concentrate on making sure Yazidis understand the current crisis and how they should protect themselves and their families,” she explained. “Then we must help them find health and economic assistance, food stamps, unemployment assistance and other resources.  They need support in working out what is happening with school closure and online teaching.”  
 
The Lincoln COVID-19 Response funds will help the Cultural Center strengthen the communication network that guides families through these challenges and demands.  
 
“The financial support is amazing. It makes us feel like we are all trying to help each other. People are adrift, they need guidance through this crisis, they need to know someone is here to help them. And we are.”