Kincardine Refugee Committee seeks community support to sponsor second family
By: Joye Hunt
January 16, 2018
The steering committee of the Kincardine Refugee Committee met recently to discuss the possibility of sponsoring another family.
The group discussed the huge community support shown to the first family, the Elahis. After a very long journey, they arrived at a safe harbour where they are able to make friends, and learn about their new country, and with the help of the English As A Second Language team, a new language. The Elahis are very grateful to the people of this area; they will never forget them.
They are now on the second chapter of their new life in Canada. In order to be successful, they are pursuing further education.
Since there is generous community support, the committee is delighted to announce that it will be submitting an application for a new family of refugees.
This new sponsorship application will be different than the first one. It will be a ‘named’ sponsorship. In the Blended Visa Program, the Government of Canada subsidized some of the costs for a period of six months. With a ‘named’ family application, the committee would carry total financial responsibility for the entire year. This will indeed need the continuing support of the community as a whole. This ‘named’ family is of Syria - a mother, father, and four children.
Rev. Kathy Fraser of Knox Presbyterian Church, Kincardine, contacted Rob Shropshire, the refugee sponsorship co-ordinator for Presbyterian World Services and Development (PWS&D), who reported that in 2017, there were requests from congregations to sponsor 176 people. The government gave PWS&D spots for 77 people. So PWS&D was able to sponsor 40 per cent of the people for which it had requests. The Kincardine Refugee Committee is very thankful to have Shropshire’s support once again.
While the committee is very excited at the prospect of helping this particular family, it is aware that the road ahead will be a difficult one, with no guarantee of success. If not, then the committee would proceed with an application for an unnamed family. A longer wait is anticipated with this second sponsorship. The 'named' family would also have to pass all requirements set forward by the government.
The major concern now is finding volunteers willing to take on a leadership role needed in the following areas: clothing, housing, household, finance, driving, and fund-raising.
Also needed are volunteers who will be working directly with the family, with shopping, correspondence, and bookkeeping.
Fund-raising will be very important and the committee hopes the corporate sponsors will be on board for this second sponsorship.
Sponsorship reaps many rewards and gives many challenges. For the first family, the community came together as a whole, and was very generous with financial support, warmth, physical support and friendship. The Kincardine Refugee Committee is hoping that the amazing communities in this area will do the same for this second family.
Please help the committee continue to make a difference!
If you would like to volunteer to be on any of the committees, contact Judy Watt at judybrianwatt@gmail.com.
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