It took three attempts, but a Syrian refugee family in Lebanon finally arrived in Saskatoon on April 12. The family is now in quarantine for two weeks. Mohamad, his wife Rasha and their four children were contacted in January by the International Office of Migration (IOM) and told they would travel to Canada in February. They were overjoyed. It was news they had waited years … Continue reading Third attempt: Lift-off!
When it comes to hosting refugees, Lebanon stands the tallest. This assessment is based on a report by the Norwegian Refugee Council. The council looked at which countries hosted the most refugees (per capita) between 2010 to 2019. As the Council notes, most of the countries on the top ten list have done so despite facing enormous challenges of their own, including civil wars, Ebola … Continue reading Which countries stand tallest?
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Nest has sold more than 100 tickets to this weekend’s Mother’s Day Lunch! Our Nest chefs are getting ready for the big event: running laps around the church hall, lifting pounds of frozen chicken breasts and getting in shape for the main attraction: lunch! The majority of refugee families Nest has sponsored to Saskatoon over the last 23 years are single-parent women and their children. … Continue reading The Nest Mother’s Day Lunch
Thanks to everyone who supported our Nest Equinox Supper on March 20, the first day of spring! Tickets to the supper, which featured cuisine from the Middle East and North Africa, sold out in 8 days. A special thanks to the six Nest chefs who created the wonderful meal: Noor Obada, her sister Sura Abdulrazzaq and Marwah Almufti (pictured wrapping grape leaves) Along with … Continue reading Nest cooks!
Nest is waiting to welcome more than 10 refugee families to the city. Your donation will help us reach our fundraising goals to support these families during their first year in Saskatoon.
Here is the current list of Nest sponsorships: Continue reading “Nest family sponsorships”
Nest and other refugee settlement groups heaved a sigh of relief this week when Ottawa announced it will cover the cost of mandatory hotel quarantine and Covid tests for arriving refugees. The mandatory quarantine rules, which went into effect February 22, require people flying into Canada to quarantine in an authorized hotel for three nights, while they await negative test results for Covid 19. Originally, … Continue reading Ottawa picks up the tab for quarantine
Nest welcomed two refugee families earlier this year: a family of four from Syria and a single parent and her son from Iraq. That was February. Then the pandemic hit and refugee resettlement stopped. Instead of welcoming 32,000 asylum seekers in 2020, Canada has admitted about 6,000 refugees this year. Now, eight months after the application process was stopped, refugee resettlement to Canada has resumed, albeit … Continue reading Speed-up process, groups say
Flights have stopped, embassy interviews cancelled and sponsorship applications are on hold as Canada and the world grapple with the Covid-19 pandemic. The crisis has impacted many of Nest’s sponsorships. Here are a few: Continue reading “Refugee settlement “on hold””
Syrian refugees Akram and Layana love their new country of residence. Since their arrival in Saskatoon in February, they have put together a new wardrobe, just one of many things that has kept them busy during the pandemic. Here they showcase their new shades, hats and t-shirt! Once they learn English, they will be ready to offer fashion advice to Nest supporters. Continue reading New Canadians!
Newcomer kids in Saskatoon are finding lots to do during the pandemic. Continue reading “What are they up to?”
