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With support from the Ontario Trillium Foundation ONE CARE - Huron & Perth Counties' local community health care provide 12 Lucknow Sentinel • Wednesday, October 19, 2016 Celebrating five years of helping immigrants, refugees resettle in Huron Darryl Coote Editor Sitting at a table in the Tim Hortons on Highway 21 in Goderich was Gezahgn Wordofa, founder of the Mul- ticultural Association Perth - Huron, with a muffin he bought from the coffee shop in his hands that had a birth- day candle for a child turning five jammed in its centre. "This is my office," he told the Signal Star on Oct. 5. "A lot of coffee. A lot of coffee. A lot of muffins. Even today, the birthday [of the Multicultural Association Perth -Huron] we didn't order a special cake. We are eating muffins." It was a special day, he said. It was the fifth anniver- sary since he founded the Multicultural Association Perth -Huron in 2011. And since its founding, his organization has helped over 1,600 new immigrants to Can- ada, the majority of them refu- gees, resettle in Huron -Perth. "We are helping and also running newcomer settle- ment services. That means if the newcomer needs a pass- port or citizenship, we fill it out. We help them through our local services," he said. Wordofa said he and his volunteers, two of whom joined him at the Tim Hor- tons for the festivities, help the new immigrants in any- way they can. They drive them to places, bring them groceries, introduce them to others like themselves, help them with paperwork, register their children for school and countless other things that most Canadian - born citizens have little trou- ble with. It is very difficult for new- comers to resettle in Canada, Wordofa said, and an immi- grant himself he realized the difficulties they face and wanted to help others. "I saw how difficult it was for newcomers. As an immigrant, I used to go to Kitchener for paper work, I used to go to London for small amounts of paperwork. That's what was difficult for me. And that's why I started this;" he said. While driving to these places might seem a nuisance but surmountable for those who have lived here a long time, the issue of having to fill out paperwork for a refugee is more than daunting, he said. What most people might not understand, he said, is that people relocating here from Afghanistan or Syria are coming directly from a refugee camp to Toronto Pearson International Air- port with a final destination of Clinton, Goderich or any other small town in Huron. To them, he said, Goder- ich seems like the capital of Canada. "Most of them say, 'Oh my god! I can't believe I'm living in the big city," Wordofa said. This is just evidence of how large the transition is for them and how little they necessarily understand their new surroundings. It's incredibly difficult for new immigrants to resettle in rural towns, Wordofa said, especially compared to big cities where there are cul- tural communities that help with integration. When Wordofa moved to Huron with his Canadian wife, he was the only Ethio- pian in the area, he said. "Of course they are strug- gling," he said, adding socially there are many obstacle, but his foundation tries to support them through offering coffee get togethers, dinners and spe- cial cultural outings. He said what surprises ref- ugees who relocate here the most is when he hands them a key to their new home or car. They are just besides themselves, he said, by aspects of life that are basic to most of us. "They don't' believe us," he said. "Sometimes they are very shocked. Sometimes when you go through garage, they think, 'oh this is my bed.' And they start putting [their stuff in the garage]. When they go inside, this is a totally different life. I'm dancing to see how very happy they are." He told The Signal Star that right now all expenses come out of his pocket and the pockets of his volunteers. They don't receive a dime of funding, he said. When the organization started, he was given some funds from the Trillium Fund through United Way. In 2015, United Way cut funding. The organization's main office space in Stratford is being donated by local folk singer Laura Mckinnon. He is hoping to get fund- ing in the future. Right now he relies on the kindness of volunteers, churches and the community for support. Wordofa said he is grateful to his volunteers because it is them who allow him to help new immigrants to Canada. And because of their efforts the organization is growing, which to Wordofa translates to helping more people. And that is his goal for the organization, to help more and more people. He also wants to have more immigrants who have resettled here as volunteers. Like himself, they under- stand trials newcomers to Canada must go through. Those from war torn coun- tries have trauma, he said. Those who have been there before might be better suited to help. He also has hopes of opening a satellite office somewhere in Huron. To offer them more ser- vices, he said, they need an office, not a coffee shop. Wordofa added that they do meet immigrants at other places, such as churches but not everyone feels safe there. "That's why our cafes are for everybody," he said. Huron County, he said, has been very welcoming to newcomers and he is proud of that. 4 t I yulhculNrel ,,a dawaclayo,l y Peritr-Fi stop, Darryl Coote/Editor From left, Gezahgn Wordofa, founder of the Multicultural Association Perth -Huron, and volunteers Jama Botun and Chris Fournier hold up a sign for the non-profit during an event celebrating its fifth anniversary. tbi "I saw how difficult it was for newcomers. As an immigrant, I used to go to Kitchener for paper work, I used to go to London for small amounts of paperwork. That's what was difficult for me. And that's why I started this," said Gezahgn Wordofa, founder of the Multicultural Association Perth -Huron. "We are lucky, very blessed to live is a wonderful country, very nice communities.... The community is welcom- ing. For me, I'm very proud of these communities;" he said. When asked why this day, this anniversary, is important to him, Wordofa said it just shows how fortunate we are to live in a country like Canada. "We are lucky that we have existed this long. We serve them. We give them this ser- vice. We give them this opportunity. Our new com- ers, they go to school, they work, they are driving, they have a nice life. They are integrated into the commu- nities," he said. Five years ago he started his organization in a cafe similar to the one he was sit- ting in during the interview, he said. But now he has helped over 1,600 immi- grants and refugees relocate to Huron -Perth. "I'm very proud," he said. Helping new immigrants, refugees resettle in Huron Darryl Coote/Editor Gezahgn Wordofa, left, founder of the Multicultural Association Perth -Huron, with volunteers Jama Botun and Chris Fournier celebrate the non-profit organization's fifth anniversary of helping new immigrants and refugees relocate to Huron-Perth.v Wordofa organized the party at a local Goderich Tim Hortons in recognition that most of the work he does with newcomers to Canada is conducted in cafes throughout the county. For more on the anniversary and organization, turn to page 18.