World Refugee Day: Through the Eyes of One Refugee Helping Others
It’s been over a year since the conflict in Sudan began, and now, it is one of the largest displacement crises in the world. On World Refugee Day, we look at this crisis through the eyes of one USAID humanitarian working to provide lifesaving aid to those most in need — and who, himself, is a refugee. USAID is proud to be the largest provider of emergency food assistance to refugees around the world, as well as to the countries and communities that host them.
Behzad Roohi was 11 years old when his family fled Iran.
It was 1979 and the country was in the grips of a revolution. Roohi was first sent to India with his sister, joined later by his mother and brother. Five years later, they were on the move again. On January 31, 1984, he arrived in New York City. He still remembers the airport door opening and frigid air hitting his face for the first time. All their belongings fit into a few suitcases. The family had $300.
That is how Roohi’s refugee story started.
“You are entering an unknown,” he explained. “What will happen to you? Will you survive? You are trying to figure it all out. It is a difficult time for anyone and unless you’ve been through it, you can’t understand it fully.”
Today, Roohi is leading the team of USAID experts responsible for responding to the ongoing crisis in Sudan — one of the largest displacement crises in the world, where more than nine million Sudanese have fled their homes since fighting erupted in April 2023.
While many are seeking safety in other parts of Sudan, more than 1.8 million have been forced to flee their home country as asylum-seekers and refugees. Most have fled to neighboring countries, such as in Chad.
Now, as Roohi leads the Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) for one of USAID’s biggest responses, he carries his past with him and uses it to drive him, especially on the hard days.
“I do this work because of that experience. Being a refugee, it is very difficult–” his voice breaks. There is a long pause.
“Sorry, it’s a very difficult topic.”
“I still get a bit emotional,” he says. “It was a very difficult time. But it also gives me energy. It is where my passion comes from.”
Roohi has worked for USAID on and off since 2009. He has served on responses across the globe, including for Niger, Syria and Iraq. He has deep experience working on complex and devastating crises, yet the response in Sudan stands out to him.
It is not hard to see why. The numbers are staggering: Half of the country’s population — 25 million people — are in need of assistance. This includes 14 million children. Yet, even as humanitarian needs have grown and the displacement has skyrocketed, the crisis in Sudan has gone largely unnoticed by much of the world.
“Why aren’t more people paying attention?” Roohi asks. “It is not on the news and not on social media. People should be talking about it and asking the question ‘why are these people suffering?’”
On a daily basis, more than 500 Sudanese cross into Chad on average, arriving via the Adre crossing to escape growing food insecurity and violence. This constant uncertainty not only affects refugees themselves, but also puts pressure on host communities.
The majority of refugees have cited a lack of access to food as their primary reason for relocating. Not only is there a Risk of Famine — a technical term applied by the Famine Early Warning Systems Network in May — but where food is available, prices have skyrocketed.
To support the millions of Sudanese refugees and internally displaced persons, USAID’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance has worked with partners for years to help provide urgently needed humanitarian assistance to vulnerable communities. For 70 years, USAID has supported refugees by providing emergency food assistance to help them to survive, feed their families, and restore stability and dignity. Globally, USAID is the largest supplier of food assistance to refugees around the world, reaching tens of millions of people in 32 countries last year alone.
The mammoth effort to respond to the food needs of Sudanese refugees is being led by Roohi and his team on the DART.
“Everybody who is working on this response is an amazing individual, who is putting their heart and soul in this work,” he said. Despite the immense challenges of this response, that is what keeps him hopeful, he explained.
“The individuals and groups inside Sudan putting their lives on the line helping their neighbors, our implementing partners, local partners with their staff who are providing assistance, the local Sudanese journalists on the ground trying to get the word out, people risking their lives to help each other,” he said. “That is where the hope comes from.”
This is the story that Roohi wants the world to know. And, to him, more can and should be done for the Sudanese people.
“Wherever I can, I need to tell the story, I need to put the word out there,” he said.
Roohi’s own humanitarian story began as a refugee himself, and on World Refugee Day, he remains dedicated to serving those displaced by conflict in Sudan and ensuring that their stories are not forgotten.
