Podcast: International Students Share Struggles They Face During Covid-19
In this week’s episode of Huddle “Home Office” podcast, Moncton reporter Inda Intiar talks with Mark Leger about international students facing difficulties during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Many have lost jobs and can’t get benefits, forced to ride out a tough period until they return to school. A former international student herself, Inda has written a series of stories on the challenges the students face. In the podcast, she shares their stories and talks about supporting people so critical to the growth of the province’s economy.
“They’re stuck in Canada, unable to gain employment, with no revenue, and they still have bills to pay for rent and groceries,” Husoni Raymond, a student from Jamaica, tells Inda.
“When you’re being recruited it’s like Canada is really inclusive everyone is nice and all these great things. But when there’s an emergency, a global pandemic and we’re in need we’ve been excluded from accessing support through the federal government, which I think is very disappointing and problematic.”
Mark and Inda play audio clips of her conversations with Husoni and other students facing similar difficulties and talk about the supports they need to succeed here. They also talk about Inda’s own journey to Canada.
Born in Indonesia, she studied journalism at St. Thomas University before moving to Moncton and then joining Huddle. In addition to work as a reporter, Inda has helped start a non-profit organization that promotes diversity and inclusion and she sees Moncton and the rest of the province make great strides, even though there are obviously still issues to be addressed.
“In the last five years, I’ve seen Moncton become so much more diverse, just Main Street when all of the people are out in the summer or the restaurants, I’ve definitely seen the change,” says Inda.
The Huddle “Home Office” podcast, available on Spotify, Google Play and Apple podcast platforms, features conversations with New Brunswick and Nova Scotia community leaders, entrepreneurs and Huddle reporters about the issues and events that accelerate and enrich the growth of the region’s economy and culture.
Listen to the conversation between Inda and Mark, and read series of stories too:
- N.B. ‘Open’ To Considering Financial Support For International Students
- International Students Cash-Strapped And Trapped Amidst Covid-19 Crisis
- Losing International Students Would Have A Huge Impact On N.B. Campuses