CAiRN welcomes second refugee family to Pictou
“Thank you” is the only English phrase Pictou County’s newest Syrian refugee family can speak, but they used the words often as they were greeted at the airport by representatives of Communities Assisting Refugees Now in the early morning hours Thursday.
“They’re really, really happy,” said CAiRN co-chairperson Stephen MacKenzie. “They’re really pleased with Canada. They can’t say enough.”
The Albarri/AlaaEddin family are related to Lema Casim, who came to Pictou with her husband and two children more than a year ago. Included in the new arrivals are her sister Nada and husband Yasser, their children Ghazal, 6, and Nagham, 8, and an adult cousin, Shadi.
Yasser is trained as an auto body mechanic and Shadi is a computer technician.
Despite a glitch that held them up in Algeria for a day, MacKenzie said the trip went well. The reunion at the Halifax Stanfield International Airport was the first time in about four or five years the families have been able to meet face-to-face, although they’ve been able to communicate electronically in the meantime.
MacKenzie said it’s nice the new family coming in has people they know who can help with the transition of learning the language and local customs, including such things as properly sorting the recycling.
“They’re going to settle in quite quickly,” he said.
Thanks to community donations the family has a completely furnished house to move into.
“Pretty near everything was donated through the community of Pictou County itself,” MacKenzie said. “The generosity was over and beyond what was needed.”
CAiRN is helping to bring a third family to Pictou County, possibly in October or November, so some duplicate donations have been set aside in storage.
Once the Albarri/AlaaEddin family has had a chance to settle, MacKenzie said CAiRN will hold a welcome event for others in the community to meet them.