Some notes regarding the refugee family; from West Hill United and Gretta Vosper:
(edited original email message to shorten and for clarity)
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S and his family arrived safely in Toronto on June 7th after three and a half years in hiding!
They were met at the airport by Raihan Abir, and Mike and Jan Garvey, leaders of Team Fearless, the group overseeing the family’s resettlement here in Canada. They were exhausted and relieved, and the children were wired after their day long journey!
Our priority was to find them housing and we had them installed in their new three bedroom house within a week. Team Fearless has also managed to fill the home with furniture and household items – some from church donors, some from Habitat ReStore, some from Kijiji. A patio set is on the deck with a full umbrella. Dishes and pots galore.
The kids were enrolled in public school within days of arriving and attended the last nine days of the year. Both the boys are doing so well in English! The kids are also now enrolled in swimming lessons and loving them. Hoping that the family can get memberships and use the centre regularly. There is a public library there, a fitness gym, and an outdoor splash pad which the kids have enjoyed many times. Wife S has learned how to use the oven and the dishwasher. Everything is so new. The kids and S have bicycles and the eldest boy is enjoying a scooter, as well.
We have worked with S and ordered a new Mac computer. The hope is that he can begin building a graphic design business while acclimatizing to Canada. (He is amazing, actually. If you know of anyone who needs something, S is your guy.) Wife S has been invited to work at the school over the lunch hour next year as a way to improve her English and make some money.
Both S and Wife S hope to enroll in community college courses as soon as possible.
Neither have ever driven. We are getting them their driving handbooks and will get them started on that asap.