Syrian refugees expected to arrive soon in Cape Breton

Syrian refugee families will soon be arriving in Cape Breton thanks to sponsorship efforts by three community groups.

Significant progress has been made in the work to bring 22 Syrians to the island, according to Amanda MacDougall of Lifeline Syria Cape Breton, including an extended family of 10 sponsored by a group led by the Rotary Club in the North Sydney area.

She can't specify when they will arrive, but in speaking with various sponsorship groups across the country, she concludes it shouldn't take too long.

"Some groups will say 'we're matched with our family and then it was a matter of weeks,'" she said. "And some will say we were matched with a family and it was three days later that we found out the families will be arriving."

Two rural communities, Marion Bridge and Port Hood, have made arrangements to each settle a family of six, MacDougall said.

The group in Port Hood, she adds, has done this kind of thing before. Many years ago it sponsored a number of Vietnamese boat people, and more recently assisted a family from Iraq to settle in Cape Breton.

'They are beautiful people'

A member of the Rotary Club in North Sydney, Elizabeth Cusack, has been talking with members of the extended Syrian family coming to the Northside.

"They are beautiful people," she said.

The family is made up of five adults and five children who are currently living in Jordan in what Cusack said appears to be a "very crowded apartment."

As for when they will arrive, Cusack said "we're still waiting, the paperwork is almost complete." The family requires exit visas to allow them to leave Jordan.

The children are between three and eight years old. Some will attend school at Jubilee Elementary in Sydney Mines.

Cusack said housing has been arranged and donations have poured in, such as furniture, housewares and money.

Financial donations have been "generous," she said, and there is enough money to meet the family's needs for the next seven or eight months.

Orientation and jobs

MacDougall of Lifeline Syria said it has been gratifying to see offers come in from doctors and psychologists willing to help the new arrivals, many of whom may need professional help as a result of the ordeal they've been through.

Orientation to a new society will also be a huge consideration for Lifeline Syria as it helps refugees adjust to Western life.

As for job opportunities, she said there are local businesses that offer skills development and mentorship programs, which are especially helpful for those who already have experience in a particular field.

At the same time MacDougall points out refugees will also need to touch base with others of similar cultural background, and she said the Saudi Club of Sydney has offered to organize cultural events to make the transition to a new life as smooth as possible.