Khushhali is a 20-year-old woman from Jodhpur, the second-largest city in the Indian state of Rajasthan. Her parents work as professors at the local university. Khushhali came to Georgia to pursue medical studies at the Caucasus International University. She has not yet chosen her specialization and at this point is focused on getting the best education possible and successfully passing all her exams.

To get into the right university abroad, Khushhali had to pass difficult exams. She took on this challenge with great determination. Khushhali later consulted with an agency that supports students to study abroad to find out which countries had the best universities in the medical field. The agency gave her a list of countries with high literacy rate and good education systems, but they also provided her with the information regarding the safest countries in Europe. After much thought, Khushhali chose to come to Georgia.

Today Khushhali has many Georgian friends who are always ready to help her out. She likes the education system in Georgia because students here obtain both practical and theoretical knowledge. She finds all her university subjects interesting but also time-consuming. Khushhali has found online studying challenging, especially as online classes limit practical aspects of learning.

Khushhali’s hobby is dancing. However, because her day is so busy with classes and homework, she does not have much time for extracurricular activities. After classes Khushhali and her friends, Mili and Muskan, usually work on their assignments and presentations for the next day.

Mili is from Rajasthan, India. Her father is a lawyer and her mother manages the household. The family is also active politically and run an NGO in India which helps provide access to free medical checkups for people in need. Like Khushkali, Mili enjoys her life in Tbilisi. She chose to come to Georgia because of affordable quality education and low crime rates. Mili even managed to learn some Georgian and always uses an opportunity to practice it with the locals. During COVID-19 she is spending more time with her friends. They like to reminisce and make plans – for example, their friend Muskan, also a medical student from Delhi, India, plans to volunteer in the fight against COVID-19. Muskan’s dream is to become a cardio-surgeon, following in her grandfather’s footsteps. As a medical student, she is especially sensitive to the importance of people wearing face masks, gloves, and taking all necessary measures to protect themselves from the virus. 

During COVID-19 Khushhali and her friends received assistance from the Embassy of India, which included face masks, gloves, and other hygienic items to protect against the spread of virus. If the pandemic were to end soon, the girls would prefer to stay in Georgia because they feel safer here. The situation in India does not look promising. However, if COVID-19 were to last longer with high infection rates everywhere, Khushhali, Mili and Muskan would rather return to India and be close to their families.

The COVID-19 pandemic is first and foremost a health crisis. The virus remains a threat - not people, not migrants, and not stranded, or displaced persons. The pandemic is borderless; people are affected regardless of their nationality, ethnicity, religion or status.

And yet, the pandemic is having an unprecedented and devastating impact on migration, human mobility, and displacement, both in terms of regimes for border and migration management, and the situation of all people on the move.

Migrants are not inherently more vulnerable to, or at heightened risk of, contracting infectious diseases. Rather, it is the conditions in which they migrate, live or work that influence or compound health risks, including access to health services.

Facing disruption to travel plans, a loss of income, reduced access to support services, and illness as a result of the crisis, or visa challenges, many migrants have been pushed into vulnerable or exploitative situations. Families have been separated, others have been detained. Women and girls are at a disproportionate risk to sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), abuse and exploitation.

Migrants provide an immense contribution to societies, and will be essential for the recovery process. If migrants are left behind, however, the health impact of COVID-19, as well as its social and economic consequences for both countries of origin and destination may be more severe and protracted.

This pandemic has revealed how none will be safe until all are safe.  And this requires a shared and collective interest in the safety and well-being of all.
 

Interview by Green Caucasus

Photos by Eric Gourlan 

SDG 4 - Quality Education
SDG 10 - Reduced Inequalities
 

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