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?
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””
Newcomer kids in Saskatoon are finding lots to do during the pandemic. Continue reading “What are they up to?”
Two sisters and their families waited more than three years to be reunited in Saskatoon. But the wait finally ended on February 25, when Noor tearfully greeted her sister Sura and and nephew Namer at the airport. Nest sponsored Noor and her son Yazan in 2015 through the Canadian government’s Blended Visa Office Referred (BVOR) Program. They were Iraqi refugees in Kuwait. Nest applied to … Continue reading Sisters and their families reunited
How is it that two refugee families from Colombia and Syria have found a “second home” at Shotokan Karate YXE?
One might expect that soccer would be the sport of choice for children from Syria or Colombia. But for two refugee families living in Saskatoon, it is all about karate.
The kids passion for karate is due in large part to the commitment, passion and generosity of Sensei Brad and his staff at Shotokan Karate YXE.
Continue reading “The Karate Kids”
Four of the original members of Nest received the 2019 Global Citizen Award at a ceremony in Saskatoon on February 9. The award was presented to Thelma Howard, Faith Rohrbough, Heather Kleiner and Margareth Peterson by the Saskatchewan Council for International Co-operation. The annual award recognizes Saskatchewan people who are making outstanding contributions to global co-operation, peace and justice. Thelma, Faith, Heather and Margareth have contributed … Continue reading Nest receives Global Citizens Award
The children at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church put their artistic talents to work and came up with “an illustrated guide” to winter for recent arrival Saw Eh Klu. Saw, a refugee from Myanmar, was sponsored through the Canadian government’s Blended Visa Office Referral Program. He arrived in Saskatoon on November 8, after spending the last 10 years in a refugee camp in Thailand. He carried … Continue reading Children offer advice to newcomer
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