'It was like a dream,' says Syrian refugee of coming to Saskatchewan

A Syrian refugee who now lives in Saskatoon, is trying to bring her family members to safety in Canada. 

Doha Kharsa and her five children arrived in Canada as refugees in November 2014. Back home, they endured extreme hardships, including having family members killed by bombings and two others kidnapped and never heard from again. 

"It was like a dream for us (coming to Canada) because we were going to a safe place. We had the opportunity to live normally again," Kharsa said. 

Escaped from Syria

The family made the decision to flee from their home city of Aleppo in 2012, after a bomb exploded next to a school Kharsa's children attended. 

"It was so scary. I didn't believe when I saw my kids came back and they were still alive," she said. 

Kharsa and her five children took refuge in Malaysia for the next two years, while waiting for Canadian officials to process their refugee application. 

Since landing in Canada, her children have been able to attend school and live without fear of bombs, shootings and kidnappings. But they still have nightmares about the warfare they witnessed in Syria. 

"When they are sleeping, they just wake up suddenly and they scream."

The Mennonite Central Committee is working with Kharsa on the documentation process of refugee sponsorship for her husband and their youngest child. 

In the meantime, Kharsa, like many Syrians throughout Canada, can only hope their family members can survive the wait.