A family of four Syrian refugees has been approved for immigration to the Sunshine Coast, and volunteer efforts are underway to prepare for their arrival.
Pastor Jaz Ghag made the announcement on Jan. 22 at the Gibsons Christian Life Assembly (CLA) Syrian refugee project meeting, where the first photograph of the family was shown publicly to a little over 40 people in attendance.
“This is the family of four: two young girls, a mom and a dad. The family fled Syria when ISIS invaded, and they’re waiting in Jordan to come to Canada,” Ghag said. “This is the family we’re helping directly, and we look forward to seeing them here. The family has been approved by Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC).”
The mother and father are relatively young-looking parents and, Ghag said, come from a “Christian background.”
Their girls are around the age of 10, although many details are not yet known. Ghag asked that no one replicate or publish the photo of the family for the sake of their privacy once they arrive.
“It could be three months, it could be five or six months, but we’re planning that it will be three months,” Ghag said. “So we want to be ready in three months to be able to receive this family and welcome this family and help this family get established here on the Sunshine Coast.”
The family is currently in Jordan awaiting relocation. Ghag said they are not living in a refugee camp – he ascertained they are staying with a Jordanian family, but hasn’t been able to confirm any details.
CLA is working in partnership with Crossroads Community Church to bring the family to the Sunshine Coast. Unlike many of the recent refugees who are coming into Canada through government sponsorship, this family has been privately sponsored through the CIC Sponsorship Agreement in place with the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada International head office in Mississauga, Ont.
Sponsorship basically means that the two groups are responsible to care for the well-being of the family for the first year they are settling in Canada. Citizenship and Immigration Canada must approve all immigration applications, which they did for this family on Jan. 15.
One of the stipulations for bringing these Syrian refugees here is that the sponsor has to raise $25,000 for the family’s first year of settlement. Crossroads – as co-sponsor – has taken responsibility for half that amount, and Christian Life Assembly is the official sponsor – or constituent group – for the family.
“Our hope is that we will be able to bring an additional family to the Coast if this goes well. In that case, Crossroads would be the sponsorship holder,” Crossroads Pastor Joel Defries said.
So far only about $5,000 has been raised, but Defries said they aren’t concerned about raising the rest.
“We’re anticipating that the community is going to be really supportive and get involved,” Defries said. “We’ve got a number of ideas and people asking how they can either contribute or help get the funds raised.”
Ghag said he has had some limited communication with the family through email, and found that the English language would likely be a barrier for them when they arrive.
“We have a few people in our community who will be able to help with that and we have other connections nationally that can help with that as well,” Ghag said. “But English is going to be a big component for this family coming into Canada.”
Maria Giltrow, settlement and outreach worker at Sunshine Coast Community Services (SCCS), was at the meeting. She said that SCCS has a program – in partnership with Capilano University – that helps new immigrants overcome English language barriers.
“One of the services we provide is English language support, and it’s free,” Giltrow said. “We don’t have waiting lists. We offer a couple of English language conversation groups – one in Sechelt and one in Gibsons – and we also offer one-on-one support with volunteer tutors.”
Attendees of the meeting were asked to volunteer to help the family establish themselves on the Coast, and Ghag said many people at the meeting signed up for various volunteer roles.
Ghag asked that people refrain from clothing donations until more is known about the size of clothes the family wears.
Crossroads and the CLA are planning a series of fundraising events. The first one coming up is a Valentine’s Dance on Feb. 13 in the CLA building. For more information, see www.clagibsons.com
