By Charlene Tebbutt

Open house seeks to raise awareness about refugees in Prince Albert

Jun 18, 2018 | 10:00 AM

For many newcomers to Canada, learning to live in a new country isn’t the hardest thing they’ve had to do. Many have already faced tougher challenges when they were forced to flee their homes to escape war or political unrest. 

Maria Mapendo did just that, leaving her home in the Congo for shelter in a refugee camp in Uganda. Soldiers attacked her family, forcing her father to make an unfathomable choice. Married just six months and pregnant at the time, Maria fled with her brother and sister but not her father, who died to save his family. Mapendo spent the next six years in a refugee camp in Uganda before coming to Canada and it was two years before she saw her husband again; he was taken by the soldiers to work as a cook.

“It’s difficult to talk about because my daddy died like that and I don’t want to remember that,” Mapendo said.

With World Refugee Day taking place June 20, the YWCA’s Settlement Services Program is aiming to raise awareness about the plight of refugees in Canada. Organizers are planning an open house Wednesday to give the public a chance to learn more about some of the newcomers to Prince Albert and the cultures and traditions they bring with them.

“It’s celebrated across the world and it’s celebrating the courage and perseverance and the strength of millions of refugees who have had to leave their home country to resettle in a new place,” said Carolyn Hobden, with YWCA Settlement Services.

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Hobden said the open house will give the newcomers an opportunity to display their cultures, and will help the community learn more about them.

“If you can put a face to it and you can actually see a family who has gone through this, it helps our community to be more understanding of some of our clients that have come and what they’ve had to go through to get here,” she said.

War has also affected Ahmed Jrad’s family in Syria. He too was forced to flee his home with his family, taking his wife and four children to a refugee camp in Lebanon in 2013. After more than two years in Lebanon, the family was cleared to come to Canada. 

“I left my country because my country has too much fighting and it was dangerous for my family and for my children,” Jrad said.

Jrad and his family arrived in Toronto in 2016. He said he can still remember the date, February 16, and the cold that shocked the family when they stepped outside. After he arrived in Prince Albert, some everyday tasks were difficult for Jrad, who spoke very little English.

He told paNOW about the first time his wife sent him to the store for three items, including bread. The family does not have a car, so Jrad set out on foot for the groceries, only to have difficulty reading the store signs written in English. After about 20 minutes of searching the store for bread, Jrad said he returned home, feeling frustrated.

Jrad said he is still adjusting to life in Canada. Once a farmer, Jrad is now working as a cleaner and will start a second job this week. He is looking for a third job to better be able to support his family. While he has struggled, Jrad said his children are quick learners and he is happy they are doing well in school. He wants to learn as well and works with a tutor to study English. 

“My kids read and write very good,” he said. “It’s very, very hard for me.”

Both Mapendo and Jrad got help from the YWCA Settlement Services Program when they arrived in Prince Albert. The program provides a range of services to refugees to help them find work, get to know the community, enroll their children in school, and learn English. Hobden said one of the program’s biggest challenges is helping the local community understand their work. Wednesday’s open house will start at 4 p.m. at the YWCA Settlement Services Program’s new location downtown at the former Wesley United Church. The program’s volunteer coordinator will also be on hand for anyone interested in learning how they can help refugees in Prince Albert. 

Hobden said organizers are hoping the open house can become an annual event. 

“It’s always good for our clients to also meet other people from the community and build some connections,” she said. “It’s always nice to make a friend in Canada who can help you along the way.” 

Charlene.tebbutt@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @CharleneTebbutt