Refugee Committee Update

Over the past few months, the refugee committee has accepted generous donations of furniture and furnishings in support of newcomers.  Donations exceeded the committee’s expectations and we now have a 2000 square feet space filled with sofas, loveseats, bookcases, tables chairs, chests of drawers, mattresses and box springs, lamps, artwork and kitchen items.

In our message requesting donations, we highlighted Mahmoud and his family, a Syrian family that had arrived from Jordan.  They are settled in their home in Shelburne.  The triplets began school and the twins have enjoyed being three.  Although the committee has not welcomed a new family yet, the abundance of donations has enabled the committee to respond to the needs of newcomers sponsored by other groups within the Diocese.

Efrem and his family were referred to the committee through AURA.  The sponsoring group supporting them had raised the minimum to support their resettlement in Canada.  They had gathered together some furniture and sadly the donated sofa had bedbugs.

I picked up Efrem at his apartment to take him to the storage facility to view what we had available to offer.  It is not always the case that we can offer such a wide range of choices but given the abundance of donations, it was a blessing to be able to do so.  It is something that we have learned through our various sponsorships – the importance of giving newcomers choice and agency over decisions about their new lives, even something as seemingly small as the colour of sofa or a chest of drawers. While living in exile, awaiting the opportunity to resettle, refugees have little control over their lives and meager means.  Being able to say you can choose whichever sofa you like is a meaningful act.

Efrem examined the possibilities carefully, taking photographs so that he could show them to his wife later and discuss which ones they selected.  They chose a blue sofa and loveseat.  Nastenet liked blue more than brown.  They chose other items to make their apartment a more livable home including bookshelves, a dresser and a chest of drawers.

During the visit, I asked if they had a television.  Efrem replied yes, but a very old and small one.  I showed him the ones that had been donated – much larger with flat screens.  With three sons ages 13, 11 and 7, video games, Youtube videos and other such activities required a better TV.  He couldn’t believe it when I said that we could take it to his home that night as it would easily fit in the back of my vehicle.  It was a pleasant surprise for his sons and wife upon his return.

Efrem was not working yet and could only afford $100 to pay for movers as he did not know anyone with a truck or van.  As you might guess, $100 wasn’t nearly enough within the current market in Toronto to have these items picked up and delivered.  Private donors offered to cover the costs so that this family could have furniture to make life more comfortable for them.

The committee also provided assistance to an Afghan woman and her son who were sponsored by an Anglican group in Toronto.  We had agreed to offer storage space for collected items to this group as we had just enough space and it was for a short period of time.  When that group came to the facility to show her what they had to offer, she spied a bright red, three-cushion sofa.  It was a recent donation that the St. James committee had received.  She loved that sofa and asked if she could have that one rather than the dark brown, leather loveseats that the other sponsoring group had received.  How could we refuse?  It made her happy and she had been given a choice.  The loveseats are now available to the St. James committee for future arrivals.

This woman is from the Hazara minority (a sect of Shi’a Islam) and fled religious and minority.  The Hazara are among the most persecuted minority groups in Afghanistan.  Her son is 9 and eager to begin school.  He started to learn English before his arrival in Toronto by watching Youtube videos.

In both situations, small acts of kindness mattered and the refugee committee is grateful for the support and generosity of donors.

Thank you,
Refugee Committee