NS Welcomes Syrian Refugees
Donation protected
We are a group of friends in the HRM volunteering to help 15 government-sponsored Syrian refugee families by furnishing their new homes and providing them with warm clothing and other essentials. We urgently need your help to make this happen!
As government-sponsored refugees, the families we are working with receive some limited financial support, but not much beyond basic living expenses to cover rent and food. This means that many of them are living in small, bare apartments, with little more than a mattress to sleep on. It also means that many of them are going to school in the same clothes every day, with sandals on their feet in the middle of winter.
Their needs are vast, and they are URGENT.
Our story: Several weeks ago, we were introduced to four refugee families in the Dartmouth area, and helped to furnish their apartments and provide them with clothing and other household essentials. These four families had 28 children among them.
We had tremendous response to our campaign, and were fortunate to have additional clothing and supplies which we shared with a group of 15 families in the Spryfield area. It was an absolutely heartbreaking sight to watch men, women and children (very politely) digging through the boxes we brought, trying to scrape up a few items to take back to their empty apartments. What we brought didn't come close to being enough, and many of them even showed up without sufficient coats.
To put this in context, imagine fleeing your home and having to set up in a new country... and then think about doing that with no resources, several children, in a foreign language, and in a country with totally different customs. We would like to do everything we can to make things easier for them and to give them a true Nova Scotian welcome.
Here's where you come in:
We are asking for your financial support in order to purchase household necessities including furniture, food, and basic toiletries.
Maybe you can do a furniture or kitchen items drive with your own family and friends? Maybe you belong to a group where you could reach out (church, work, bowling, Girl Guides, etc)? We would be happy to advise in any way that we can.
All financial contributions are welcome, as are donations of furniture, clothing, and household necessities, so please get in touch if you would like to make a non-financial donation. We will be compiling a spreadsheet over the next few days with a detailed list of needs.
This is a very special time to be a Canadian.
You have the ability to make a HUGE difference in the lives of our newest residents who have already spent time in a refugee camp, faced unthinkable fear and escaped the unimaginable terror of war.
Their children range in age from very young to late teens, including some with special needs. We were told by the families that they have visited local donation centres, but that there was very little left by the time they arrived. Our donations for the first four families have been very well received, and we look forward to helping the others as much as we can.
The new families need people who are willing to step up and make a difference. You don't have to fill their houses, you don't have to commit long-term. ANYTHING would be appreciated.
Trust us when we say that this is an experience you will never forget.
Notes:
This effort has been spearheaded by several parents whose children go to school with the newcomer families in Darmouth, and a member of our group is Arabic-speaking which has allowed us to connect more personally with each family and meet their specific needs. We have connected with translators from Dalhousie University who will also be volunteering their time with this project.
All financial donations will be used to directly support government sponsored refugees in Nova Scotia. If you would like your donation to be used for a specific purpose (ie: warm boots, a bed, food, etc), please contact us and we would be happy to make this happen.
More on our group's efforts can be found here:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/programs/mainstreetns/worries-some-syrian-refugees-are-falling-through-the-cracks-1.3482041
Further information can be found at the following gofundme site used for the first four families:
https://www.gofundme.com/syrianrefugeesns
As we expect to have further media coverage, we have created this current account which is searchable by our representative's name (Cherryl Oake). All funds will be used to directly support Syrian Refugees in Nova Scotia and so far have been used to purchase items like bunk beds, a clothes washer, food, and household cleaning products.
As government-sponsored refugees, the families we are working with receive some limited financial support, but not much beyond basic living expenses to cover rent and food. This means that many of them are living in small, bare apartments, with little more than a mattress to sleep on. It also means that many of them are going to school in the same clothes every day, with sandals on their feet in the middle of winter.
Their needs are vast, and they are URGENT.
Our story: Several weeks ago, we were introduced to four refugee families in the Dartmouth area, and helped to furnish their apartments and provide them with clothing and other household essentials. These four families had 28 children among them.
We had tremendous response to our campaign, and were fortunate to have additional clothing and supplies which we shared with a group of 15 families in the Spryfield area. It was an absolutely heartbreaking sight to watch men, women and children (very politely) digging through the boxes we brought, trying to scrape up a few items to take back to their empty apartments. What we brought didn't come close to being enough, and many of them even showed up without sufficient coats.
To put this in context, imagine fleeing your home and having to set up in a new country... and then think about doing that with no resources, several children, in a foreign language, and in a country with totally different customs. We would like to do everything we can to make things easier for them and to give them a true Nova Scotian welcome.
Here's where you come in:
We are asking for your financial support in order to purchase household necessities including furniture, food, and basic toiletries.
Maybe you can do a furniture or kitchen items drive with your own family and friends? Maybe you belong to a group where you could reach out (church, work, bowling, Girl Guides, etc)? We would be happy to advise in any way that we can.
All financial contributions are welcome, as are donations of furniture, clothing, and household necessities, so please get in touch if you would like to make a non-financial donation. We will be compiling a spreadsheet over the next few days with a detailed list of needs.
This is a very special time to be a Canadian.
You have the ability to make a HUGE difference in the lives of our newest residents who have already spent time in a refugee camp, faced unthinkable fear and escaped the unimaginable terror of war.
Their children range in age from very young to late teens, including some with special needs. We were told by the families that they have visited local donation centres, but that there was very little left by the time they arrived. Our donations for the first four families have been very well received, and we look forward to helping the others as much as we can.
The new families need people who are willing to step up and make a difference. You don't have to fill their houses, you don't have to commit long-term. ANYTHING would be appreciated.
Trust us when we say that this is an experience you will never forget.
Notes:
This effort has been spearheaded by several parents whose children go to school with the newcomer families in Darmouth, and a member of our group is Arabic-speaking which has allowed us to connect more personally with each family and meet their specific needs. We have connected with translators from Dalhousie University who will also be volunteering their time with this project.
All financial donations will be used to directly support government sponsored refugees in Nova Scotia. If you would like your donation to be used for a specific purpose (ie: warm boots, a bed, food, etc), please contact us and we would be happy to make this happen.
More on our group's efforts can be found here:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/programs/mainstreetns/worries-some-syrian-refugees-are-falling-through-the-cracks-1.3482041
Further information can be found at the following gofundme site used for the first four families:
https://www.gofundme.com/syrianrefugeesns
As we expect to have further media coverage, we have created this current account which is searchable by our representative's name (Cherryl Oake). All funds will be used to directly support Syrian Refugees in Nova Scotia and so far have been used to purchase items like bunk beds, a clothes washer, food, and household cleaning products.
Organizer
Cherryl Hicks Oake
Organizer
