There wasn’t a familiar face in the crowd welcoming them to Canada in the international arrivals at YVR Monday, but Samer Alragheb and his wife, Amna knew who Justin Trudeau was.
“I don’t know how they knew who the Canadian prime minister was, but they said he was a good man,” said Subrata Chakrabarti, who coordinated Richmond’s Peace Mennonite Church’s sponsorship of the Syrian couple and their 18-month-old son.
They are the first refugees from the war-torn region to find a new home in the Lower Mainland, as part of Canada’s recent efforts to provide sanctuary for thousands who have been displaced.
Chakrabarti said Samer, 30, and Amna, 20, are originally from the city of Edlib which is 60 miles south of the Alleppo, Syria’s largest city. They fled their home and for the last two years have been in a refugee camp in Lebanon — their son was born in Tripoli.
Now they are here, thanks in part to funds raised by members of the church, Chakrabarti said the couple is anxious to start new lives in Canada. They will begin with a general orientation that will require Arabic translators.
“Our intention for them is to integrate as soon as possible, and that includes enrolling them in ESL classes,” said Chakrabarti. “But for the next short while, we want them to become comfortable and familiar with their surroundings in a central Richmond apartment that has been provided for them.”
To help with the longer term transition, a large group of church volunteers and other members of the Syrian community in the Lower Mainland will be helping get the family to and from appointments with a variety of government agencies — from setting up health care coverage to getting a driver’s licence.
“They are very happy to be here. I cannot imagine what they have been through for the past two years. They lost their home, had to live in a refugee camp, but still remain very friendly,” Chakrabarti said.
The process for the church members to bring the family here began just over two months ago. In that time, more than $30,000 — the figure private sponsors are expected to raise for a family’s living expenses for a year in the Lower Mainland — was raised.
“It all happened very quickly,” Chakrabarti said, adding much of the paperwork was handled by the Mennonite Church’s Central Committee, which has more than 70 years of experience responding to refugee and disaster relief situations.
“That assistance with the process was very helpful. And the generosity of the church members was outstanding. I am totally blown away with what has been accomplished so far.”
Buoyed by the response, the church may be able to sponsor a second family, as the federal government has pledged to bring in around 25,000 Syrian refugees by next February.
According to the Immigrant Services Society of B.C., high rents in Richmond have been a barrier to locating refugee families here. Earlier reports had B.C.’s share of the total accepted from Syria at around 3,000. The bulk was expected to initially take up residency in Surrey (900), Coquitlam and Burnaby (600 each), Vancouver (300) and New Westminster (120).
