Hajar is one of FIRM’s Community Health Workers (CHWs) with the COVID-19 Equity Project (CEP). Like all of our CHWs, Hajar brings a unique set of skills and life experiences to her role as a CHW. Hajar was born in Iraq, lived in Syria, and then migrated to Fresno with her family in the early 2000’s. Since moving to Fresno, Hajar has noticed an increase of Iraqi and Syrian refugees and immigrants in Fresno.
“When we first came here there were very few Iraqis and Syrians. Most of the Middle Eastern countries are considered Arab countries because they all speak one language – Arabic. But the population of Arabs has grown every year since I’ve been in Fresno, especially after the war in Syria. We saw a lot of Syrian refugees in Fresno because of that war. My family and I volunteered with FIRM to help the Arab refugees and immigrants acclimate to life in Fresno.”
In fact, Hajar’s older sister was a client with Paula Cha, who was a caseworker with FIRM back then and is now FIRM’s CEP Program Manager. Eventually Hajar found herself volunteering with FIRM because there was a huge need for Arabic speakers and tutors. While Iraqis and Syrians both speak Arabic, they speak different dialects.
“It’s not like Argentinian Spanish and Mexican Spanish. It’s the same idea but a little more complex. We can speak the same language, a standard Arabic, but if you want to communicate to Iraqis or Syrians on an interpersonal and cultural level, it’s a much different type of Arabic. I am Iraqi but I also grew up in Syria, so I was able to communicate with both Iraqis and Syrians and help them with their schoolwork and connect with them on both personal and cultural levels.”
This led to Hajar being hired on as FIRM’s Youth Mentorship Program Coordinator for Arabic speaking communities. And it also helped Hajar transition into her role as a CHW as she continues her advocacy work with Fresno Arabic speaking communities. Hajar spends time doing outreach in mosques, international supermarkets, and other predominantly Arab gathering places. For each location, there’s a unique approach to doing outreach. For example at a mosque, Hajar asks the imam to provide an announcement towards the end of the service that encourages the community to get free COVID-19 testing at FIRM and other places. Hajar has also shifted her COVID-19 education outreach strategies depending on the age group.
“Arab people that are a little older are a lot more careful when it comes to COVID-19, even if they don’t “believe” in the virus itself. They are a lot more careful in taking COVID-19 precautions than the younger generation. The younger people tend to politicize COVID-19 and refuse to wear their masks and maintain a 6 feet social distance. This isn’t everybody of course, and I’m generalizing, but I notice that the younger folks’ opinions come from ignorance. That’s where I come in. I hear them out, let them speak and share their opinions, and connect with them on a personal and cultural level. Then, I provide them with credible COVID-19 information and my own perspectives and encourage them to at a minimum, wear their masks, wash their hands, stay at least 6 feet apart and stay at home.”
In addition to ignorance, Hajar has also noticed that there is a strong sense of shame and stigma within the Arab community when you test positive for COVID-19. This has caused a lot of families to remain silent because they don’t want to feel judged by others. Therefore, a big part of her role also includes building a sense of trust between those who test positive for COVID-19, especially if they’re Arab, and FIRM. At the end of the day, Hajar wants to make sure that people are connected to the resources and support they need in order to survive this pandemic.
While it has been a difficult job to shift misconceptions about COVID-19 within Arab communities, people are willing to change when they connect with her and Hajar is able to connect them to critical resources like free COVID-19 testing sites at places like FIRM. Hajar believes that a lot of people are scared of COVID-19 and what they don’t understand. Our hope lies in CHWs like Hajar, who have an insider’s perspective, and Syrian and Iraqi culturally-specific relationship building skills, who are able to rationalize peoples’ COVID-19 fears with credible information and critical COVID-19 resources.
FIRM provides free COVID-19 testing every Monday from 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM or until testing supplies last on a first-come, first-serve basis. If you have questions, please contact FIRM at (559) 487-1500 or visit www.fresno.ucsf.edu/cep/
Written by CEP Staff Jeremiah Sataraka
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