Canada has pledged to resettle as many Afghan refugees as possible-and compare this to its 2015 plan to welcome 25,000 Syrian refugees.
Starting in November 2015, with the help of the government and private sponsors, thousands of refugees arrived in Canada within 100 days.
Emad Alqitta and his family came to Edmonton from Syria as refugees in 2017.
“I am here because it is safe for me and my family,” he said. “We can’t have any life in Syria. I tried very hard to find myself here.”
Alqitta once owned a shop in Damascus, Syria, selling roasted nuts. When his wife, four children and him fled the war-torn country for Jordan, he had to leave them behind. The desire for similar success in Edmonton prompted him to open a small business just 18 months after his arrival.
“I am very proud of myself… and Canada. I am very happy to be here,” he said.
“I find it difficult. Different languages, cultures, everything. But, I told myself I must do something here because Canada supports us in coming here.”
Meghan Klein of ENCM said that getting people to settle in their new homes is an integral part of the process.
“This may be opening a bank account, enrolling the child in school, all the way to the employment transition plan,” she said.
“The process from the arrival of Syrian refugees to the arrival of Afghan refugees now… From our point of view, it is very similar. This is just one person.”
Klein said ENCM hopes to play a role in helping people settle down this time, but she is not sure how many refugees are expected to arrive in Edmonton or when.
“Our goal is to make the settlement process as smooth and painless as possible. We just want them to start a new life,” she said. “When Syrian refugees came to Canada, it was a big event. We just celebrated our fifth anniversary.”
Alqitta said he was happy to hear that there are plans to bring Afghan refugees to Canada, but emphasized that a country is once again caught in the bigger problem of Taliban rule.
“We have heard about Afghanistan since 2000. Some things have been cured. Some have not,” he said.
“We feel very sad for everyone [facing war], Not just in Afghanistan. For the Palestinian people, for the Yemeni people, for the Iraqi people. Every country in the Middle East. “
In a few years, Alqitta hopes he can hear the success story of Edmonton Afghan refugees.
“When I came to Canada-four years ago-now, I got everything.”
Documents from Julia Wong, Global News
© 2021 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
