Calgary support agencies are preparing Afghan refugees Displaced Taliban The conflict in Afghanistan.
In the past few weeks, Canada has evacuated 3,700 Afghans threatened by the Taliban. The country initially promised to evacuate 20,000 people, but ended those efforts on Thursday.
According to Anila Lee Yuen of the New Immigration Center, most of the 3,700 refugees are currently in eastern Canada.
“So it’s mainly the people who came out. They were sent to Toronto and asked if they had family or friends,” Li Yuan said.
Lee Yuen said that most people will stay in Toronto, but Calgary is preparing for hundreds or even thousands of people.
“So now we are just, you know, we are planning thousands of people. If we get a few hundred people, it doesn’t matter, because we (already) have a lot of needs in Calgary,” Lee Yuen said.
After the explosion in Kabul killed more than 100 people, countries scrambled to airlift Afghans
Heide Hassan of the Calgary Immigration Service Center told Global News that some refugees have arrived.
“We got signs that some refugees might arrive this week. For privacy and security reasons, we cannot disclose the amount. Currently, we will help some refugees next week,” Hassan said.
Lee Yuen said that many people arriving from Afghanistan need support, especially after leaving such a painful environment.
“Of course, a lot of shelling, a lot of trauma, a lot of fear of family, relatives, relatives, and friends, leaving a lot of grief, we all feel sorry for the destruction of this country,” she said.
She was also thinking about those who were left behind.
“This is very destructive, and seeing that we can’t get the number of people we want to evacuate is actually very scary, especially for vulnerable groups.”
One of the many left is a language assistant who has worked in Afghanistan with veterans Mike and Daphne Tekuler.
The language assistant known as “John” used an alias for fear of retaliation. After they tried to get him out, he kept in touch with ter Kuiles.
“He was worried about being killed and walked out of the house. If anyone knew him, he would have to hide and then hide, and move to a new place. He had to go to a place where no one knew who he was,” Captain (retired) Mike. Said Mike ter Kuile.
ter Kuiles believes that the Canadian government has failed to evacuate as many people as possible from Afghanistan.
“They should have the opportunity to make this choice to come here, long before this happened, or no, this is a large-scale panic, we all know that Afghanistan, we will not continue forever.”
They keep in touch with John and hope to see him again.
For refugees who do arrive in Canada, agencies have begun to collect supplies and set up systems to ensure a smooth transition.
“Our commitment now is…every time we have to recommend the right customers to the right institutions, which means that no refugees will be left behind,” Hassan said.
They requested that used furniture and clothing, regardless of age and gender, be donated to women’s associations in need. Culturally comforting foods that are not perishable can also be donated to the Immigrant Education Association.
Hassan said: “This is something you know you will never be able to prepare.”
© 2021 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
