Two local agencies get $37,000 for initiatives to help Syrian families resettling in region

Plans for tailor-made women’s and men’s health programs

WATERLOO REGION — Two local agencies have received grants to help support Syrian newcomers.

The K-W Multicultural Centre and SHORE Centre together received nearly $37,000 from the Immigration Partnership Fund for Syrian Newcomers.

The goal is to create tailored programs to facilitate the settlement of the more than 1,275 Syrian refugees who have come to Waterloo Region since late last fall.

“The programming needs are huge,” said Tara Bedard, manager of Immigration Partnership.

The multicultural centre received almost $15,000 that’s earmarked to help settlement agencies and others working with refugees prevent domestic violence and educate Syrian refugees about how to identify and help women at risk of abuse.

SHORE Centre received just over $22,000 to provide sexual health programs for Syrian newcomer women and to develop a pilot program for Syrian men.

They’re the newest grants from the fund set supported by community donations and matched up to $400,000 by the Kitchener and Waterloo Community Foundation. The Cambridge & North Dumfries Community Foundation has also been collecting donations.

Nearly $695,000, including matched funding, has been raised and so far grants totalling almost $446,000 have been handed out.

“The generosity of the community has been very incredible and I know agencies in the community have been so grateful for the support they’ve been receiving,” Bedard said.

Grant applications continue to be accepted from agencies and private sponsors, primarily to cover extensive dental care needs for individuals that were not anticipated before their arrival. The next deadline is Sept. 7.

“There are barriers to people accessing regular programming in the community,” said Bedard, adding that the goal is to eliminate those barriers with tailored programs that take in language and cultural considerations.

That’s the plan at SHORE Centre, formerly known as Planned Parenthood of Waterloo Region. They’ve been offering a newcomer women’s health program since 2009 that covers topics such as covered anatomy, reproduction, and talking to children about sexual health.

The grant will allow them to offer a program specifically for Syrian newcomers that’s culturally relevant and useful, adding two extra weeks to the usual six to cover topics such as healthy eating and parenting.

“A lot of the newcomers do have young children,” said executive director Lyndsey Butcher.

A popular topic for the women is always how to talk to their children about sex. “They have a lot of questions,” she said.

SHORE is also using the grant money to develop a pilot program for Syrian men, which community partners said would be helpful.

“We’ve never had a men’s program,” Butcher said. “Only addressing the women, it makes the onus on her.”

Both men and women will learn about what to expect when they go to a doctor, including preparing them for an examination. Butcher said they may not have been exposed to public education campaigns about the importance of screening for cervical and prostate cancer.

The first women’s group starts in September, and includes interpreters, bus tickets and child care. Butcher said it’s important for the women to focus on their own health.

“Often their sexual health takes a backburner,” she said. “They’re just trying to get through all the settlement processes.”