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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHuron Expositor, 2016-03-02, Page 7Wednesday, March 2, 2016 • Huron Expositor 7 Second wave of Ethiopians are headed to Seaforth After both Ethiopian families are settled, Syrians are next on Melady's list Shaun Gregory Huron Expositor The official date for a second Ethiopian family to avoid 'per- secution' in their motherland has been confirmed and if the transition is smooth, Seaforth may also see some Syrians to add to the mix of refugees. A highly anticipated email sent from the Mennonite Cen- tral Committee last Wednesday to the Melady-Powers Seaforth Refugee Family Sponsorship Group informed them that they would need to have a van pre- pared yet again. The motive being that the second wave of refugees is expected to land at the Toronto Pearson Interna- tional Airport on March 9. Part- nered with this latest Ethiopian buzz is the news that's breaking in Seaforth and the rest of the county that this privately sup- ported venture is to be part- nered with the Clinton Chris- tian Reformed Church. "They've been really respon- sive, not only to the fact that they are helping a family relo- cate to another town, but they are very responsive in helping our first family as well," explained the founder of the Melady-Powers Seaforth Refu- gee Sponsorship Group, Brian Melady. "They are providing two of the biggest things, one they need finances. The second thing is the church. That is why the sponsorships work so well because they already have a community of caring people that share something in common:' The church, located less than 15 km from the address that Ambiya and her four children Ahmed, Yusuf, Fatuma and Sayida call home on Seaforth's main boulevard, is reasonably familiar with international indi- viduals such as this Ethiopian family. Approximately 100-200 meters from the church's prop- erty resides a family from Colombia that was sponsored about five years ago. Back then All numbers are from reports by the Government of Canada: • 28,194 is the total num- bers of refugees who have already arrived in Canada or their application has been finalized but have not yet taken the voyage to Canada • 24,092 Syrian refu- the CCRC were more than'will- ing to step up to the plate' in assisting in the humanitarian efforts and Melady said their dedication to the world-wide refugee crisis continues to this day. In 2016, they are still actively committed to assist Melady and his significant other Vicki Powers in the day- to-day errands required which can at times be routine. One such task for the church's vol- unteers is to drive Ambiya to school in Stratford where she's learning English as a second language. To sharpen her Eng- lish communication skills, Ambiya is also enrolled within walling distance of her home at the Centre for Employment & Learning in Seaforth where she attends classes twice a week. "Having someone that can speak some English is a huge advantage and that's one thing that we've learned (from) for- mer immigrants that we've dealt with," said Melady who also revealed the father of the second Ethiopian family to arrive speaks `some' English. Melady did not corroborate on the child or mother's status, however he mentioned that the father comes prepared with 12 years of formal education. Unlike Ambiya and her chil- dren who were stationed in one of the 20 refugee camps the country offers and were subject to the hottest of temperatures before arriving in Canada, the Ethiopian threesome is cur- rently stationed in a Kenyan ref- ugee camp. Seaforth's second soon-to-be family made this decision to avoid from falling victim to the hunger that impacts tens of millions of their fellow citizens. "That's what many people don't understand (about) peo- ple from different refugee camps. As a refugee you have to get out of your own country to be called a refugee," Melady said on February 26. For the time being, Melady is waiting for his second wave of Ethiopians to join Huron gees have arrived in Canada since November 4, 2015 • 61,391 text messages sent by the UNHCR to possible can- didates to see if they are inter- ested in coming to Canada • 12,412 resettlement applications in progress • 4,102 refugee applica- tions have been finalized County's rural population, which is expected in less than two weeks. That's not the end of it; Melady has his eyes on another project -Syrian refugees Melady is a go-getter when it comes to transforming the lives of refugees to escape the impoverished lifestyles that they're accustomed to. After a few months of talking back and forth to the Kktchener-Waterloo resettlement agencies the Syri- ans may be following in the footsteps of the Ethiopians. As reported by many media outlets as well as Melady, there are presently hundreds of gov- ernment funded Syrian refu- gees who are having problems finding a place to live and as a result most are living in hotels in the Kitchener -Waterloo area. In some instances, according to Melady, they are so frustrated by their living arrangements that they are requesting to go back to their homeland. The explanation that makes the most sense to Melady is for these people to venture to the neighbouring rural communi- ties where housing is more affordable and available. "The number one thing when it comes to being in a new country, you want to be safe, you don't want to be fearful. So this idea of convincing them to leave the big city where there (are) hundreds of Syrians to come out to a small town where rent might be half the price, but (on the other hand) there are no Syrians," he said. "People like Ambiya have done it and they are loving it. We need to con- vince them to break away from that pack mentality." "I'm hopeful to say one of these times some of Shaun Gregory Brian Melady and Vicki Powers stand in front of the home in Seaforth that was donated rent-free until the Ethiopian refugee family are settled and can take care of themselves. On March 9, a second Ethiopian family is expected to land in Seaforth. these families that are with the resettlement agencies in Kitch- ener takes us up on our offer. We've been complaining for many years that we are losing the population, losing high schools, problems with hospi- tals. We need to attract these people to come here (Huron East):' Now is the time for YOU to Advertise YOUR Available Off -Campus Student Housing (for Students Studying at REACH HURON in Clinton, Ontario) • The University of Guelph's Ridgetown Campus plans to deliver the Performance Horse Handler Certificate program in Clinton, ON at the Regional Equine and Agricultural Centre of Huron and we are looking to update and expand our housing listing options. .VELE}H IUDG'ETOWN CAMPUS • Students studying at REACH HURON in Clinton will be looking for off -campus options including: o Apartments to Rent o Houses to Rent o Rooms to Rent o Room and Board Renting - AND - o May also be looking for options to board their horse or bring their pets HOW DO I LIST MY OFF -CAMPUS HOUSING OPPORTUNITY? Two easy options! 1. Post your housing option on-line at the Ridgetown Campus website at: www.ridgetownc.com/services/rental_index.cfm 2. Call us directly at Administration, Off -Campus Housing, at 519-674-1500 ext. 63517 NOTE: Landlord and tenant agreements are strictly between the renter and the student. TO LEARN MORE ABOUT RIDGETOWN CAMPUS www.ridgetownc.uoguelph.ca