COMIC: Looking For A 'Helper' In The Age Of Coronavirus

By Malaka Gharib

Published April 18, 2020 at 6:01 AM CDT

Mister Rogers said "look for the helpers" in times of crisis. Here's the story of Shah Dedar, an aid worker with the group HelpAge in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh. He's 32, he's a Tom Hanks fan — and he works to protect the most vulnerable in the largest set of refugee camps in the world.

Special thanks toDr. Paul Spiegelof Johns Hopkins University for connecting NPR toHelpAge.

Malaka Gharib is an NPR editor and the author and illustrator ofI Was Their American Dream: A Graphic Memoir, about being first-generation Filipino Egyptian American.

Malaka Gharib

Malaka Gharib is the deputy editor and digital strategist on NPR's global health and development team. She covers topics such as the refugee crisis, gender equality and women's health. Her work as part of NPR's reporting teams has been recognized with two Gracie Awards: in 2019 for How To Raise A Human, a series on global parenting, and in 2015 for #15Girls, a series that profiled teen girls around the world.

See stories by Malaka Gharib