PORT HAWKESBURY: A family that spent many years in refugee camps during the Civil War in Syria is setting in the Strait area.
After spending a decade in refugee camps in Lebanon, members of the Al Awad family moved to Port Hawkesbury on Nov. 26, Claire MacNeil, chair of the Syrian Family Reunification Project confirmed. She said they include Maysaa Al Award, her husband Issa and their five children, Chirine, Darine, Mohammad, Douaa, and Yasmine.
Maysaa’s brother Akram Al Awad, his wife, and their six children are also living in Port Hawkesbury after years in Lebanese refugee camps for Syrians, MacNeil said.
“A group got them here from Margaree,” she noted. “Dec. 10, 2016 is when they arrived.”
MacNeil said Maysaa’s sister Waad Al Awad, her husband and their five (soon to be six) children, arrived on May 16, 2016 in Inverness County.
In the meantime, MacNeil said they are trying to get Maysaa’s other brother Meshal Al Awad into Inverness County from a refugee camp in Jordan.
“The mom died Nov. 17, 2019 and so we’ve been trying to get him here,” she noted. “He has an interview on Jan. 24 in Jordan so we are very hopeful. He has a number for Canada, Canada has approved him, and we’re just waiting for Jordan to do their interviewing and etc. to come to Canada.”
As well, MacNeil stated that Maysaa, Waad and Akram have a sister living in California, who is awaiting brothers from a refugee camp in Jordan.
“She is getting their three brothers there,” she stated. “There’s 11 in the family, eight are going to be living in North America.”
In Syria, MacNeil said the Al Awad family had jobs and within a year of the start of the war, they were in a refugee camp without even basic amenities.
“They were flourishing in Syria,” she noted. “The fathers worked, and they brought home the money, they lived in a lovely house. All of a sudden, in 2012 (it started in 2011, the civil war in Syria) they had to run, a lot of them had to go in the middle of the night. Their place was bombed. They were only able to take very little, except a bag with them, if that. This family actually took a taxi over to Lebanon, and were put in a camp in Lebanon. They basically had nothing.”
MacNeil said thousands of Syrian refugee children have been prevented from attending school because of policies in Lebanon that require certified educational records, legal residency, and other official documents that many Syrians cannot obtain.
“Most of the children have not received an education,” MacNeil noted. “Once you get to a certain level, you are no longer able to go to school. Right now, the family that just came on Nov. 26, 2021, the only one going to school in September, to my knowledge, is Yasmine and she is eight years old. Douaa, because she was in Grade 5, she wasn’t allowed to go to school any longer, I don’t believe, and neither were the older children. Coming to Canada, and having an education is very important for the families.”
Currently the younger Al Awads are attending school online through SAERC and Tamarac Education Centre, MacNeil said, noting that they were provided with Chromebooks and other materials for home schooling.
While the children do speak some English, the parents do not speak much English, MacNeil said.
“The little ones can understand some things, but mainly they’re not speaking English. They have done tremendous work, since they came, in English. They can write their names, and sign their signatures. They’re amazing learners, they learn very quickly,” she said. “They are very eager to want to learn about the Canadian culture and the language, in order for them to better themselves and to get jobs.”
MacNeil said she, Rita O’Keefe, and Pam Marchand are helping the family learn English all at the same time. To help with this, she said the project purchased a SmartTV to help them develop their language skills through YouTube and other internet channels. And she said they’ve established an education plan for the family over the next six months.
“We have set them up on a home program. So far, they are able to sign their names in English. They’re able to read and write their address, have their telephone number. They’re making amazing progress,” said MacNeil. “The parents and the children, right now, that’s who we’re educating.”
The long-term plan is to get jobs in the area for the adults, MacNeil stated.
“There are companies in the Port Hawkesbury area already supporting (Meshal) with a job,” she stated. “We are very fortunate to be in a small community that has so much support.”
The Al Awad family has a three bedroom house in Port Hawkesbury, according to MacNeil.
“It’s a lovely house there,” she noted. “They’ve got a new washer-dryer, new fridge, new stove, all new appliances, and all the furniture… We’re working on continuing with whatever their needs are, if they need something, we’re looking at providing that for them.”
MacNeil said Maysaa, Issa and their children are enjoying the fact they have the basic comforts that most people take for granted, like running water.
“They have amazing resilience,” noted MacNeil. “They’re happy with just about everything. They’re very happy to have a bathroom, they’re thrilled. They’re happy to have lights, they’re happy to have heat, they’re happy to have constant internet. They are just happy with everything that we have to offer them.”
The new home in Port Hawkesbury is constantly stocked with food, MacNeil stated, and local grocery stores have been very cooperative.
“I purchase food here and in Halifax, and also the other Syrians in Port Hawkesbury donated food. They had, certainly, enough food for a month or so, in the house. They are able to go shopping,” she pointed out. “The stores in Port Hawkesbury are quite amazing, they actually carry products specifically for the families. Superstore and Sobeys have Halal foods there.”
Noting that the project is affiliated with Stella Maris Parish in Creignish, MacNeil said the sponsorship agreement holder for the Syrian Family Reunification Project is Syria Antigonish Families Embrace (SAFE) in Antigonish. She said the Inverness County group would not be able to sponsor the Al Awad family or others without the support and expertise of SAFE.
To donate to the project, MacNeil said those interested can mail a cheque to Syrian Family Reunification Project, 3086 Highway 19, Craigmore, Nova Scotia, Canada, B9A 1A5, or etransfer to: syrianfamilyreunification@gmail.com. For more information, she requested the public call: 902-227-7528 or email: syrianfamilyreunification@gmail.com.
“They have to pay for everything when they come to Canada, and that includes their air fare which costs $10,000 to get them here. Besides that, we have to support them for one year,” she explained. “That includes food, clothing, helping them with their transportation, and just living in an area.”
In addition to members and supporters of the project, MacNeil added that Port Hawkesbury Mayor Brenda Chisholm, and Trina Samson with YReach have been instrumental in welcoming and helping newcomers settle.
“Our funds are very minimal but we’ve had donations which are gratefully received. We are very lucky to live in the community, such as Port Hawkesbury and Inverness County, to help these individuals come from a place such as a camp without the basic facilities that we enjoy in our country,” she added. “It’s been absolutely amazing; it’s wonderful to have that support.”