Refugees thrilled to begin new lives
‘I’m so happy we’re safe here,’ says new Syrian arrival who was sponsored by sister
Excitement, relief and hope were the themes as two Greyhound buses filled with newly arrived refugees pulled up to the Armenian Community Centre in North York on Friday morning.
Refugees held Canadian flags as they came off the bus, and their sponsors and local community members greeted them with bou- quets of flowers.
“I’m so happy we’re safe here,” said Odesho Boko, 55, who came to Canada with three brothers, sponsored by their sister. “Everything was destroyed in Syria so we went to Lebanon to try to come here.”
Fatme Abdesameed, a mother of seven, told the Star that her family plans to go to Edmonton, where her brother-in-law has lived for 10 years. “I have high hopes that my boys will be able to find jobs and help support me and my husband,” she said.
Rita Odjaghian of Armenian Family Support Services said a Syrian brother and sister, both co-sponsored by her group, were picked up directly from the hotel by their sister.
“The mood is really so exciting. People are happy and at the same time tired, but once they see their family coming, it’s just like a sparkle,” Odjaghian told the Star in a telephone interview.
Odjaghian said many of the refugees she spoke to, especially young people, have said arriving in Canada is a chance to rebuild their lives.
Her group will help the refugees integrate into Canadian society with English-language courses and employment training, and teach them simple things such as how to open a bank account, she said.
“Their dream was shattered and now it’s an opportunity to rebuild their house and have another dream,” Odjaghian said.
“It’s a historical moment. Not (only) for us, but the overall Canada. We are getting these new additions to our society; it’s incredible.”
The Canadian National Railway has pledged $5 million to help resettle Syrian refugees coming to Canada and called on other Canadian businesses to make similar donations.
Other organizations have pledged to help the Syrian refugees:
Local singing group Choir! Choir! Choir! performed “Friday I’m in Love” by the Cure at the Toronto Christmas Market on Friday night. The Cure’s lead singer, Robert Smith, has agreed to donate the song’s licensing fees to sponsoring refugees.
Ikea is donating $180,000 in home furnishings to refugees, which they can receive by signing up online.
The head of Guelph home appliance manufacturer Danby, Jim Estill, is donating as much as $1.5 million to sponsor 50 Syrian families.
A second flight carrying refugees is set to arrive in Montreal on Saturday as part of the federal government’s pledge to welcome 25,000 refugees by the end of February.