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First of seven Yazidi refugee families arrives in Canada
[RUDAW.NET] Operation Ezra, a project launched by a Canadian Jewish group to bring seven Yazidi refugee families to Canada welcomed its first family at the Winnipeg airport Monday night. A crowd gathered in the airport of the central Canadian city to greet the tired but happy family of eight with cheers. Canada’s refugee sponsorship system has made global headlines as the country welcomed 28,755 Syrian refugees in the eight months from early November 2015 to early July 2016. Of that total, 10,212 were privately sponsored, according to the most recent statistics from the Ministry of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship. In a private sponsorship, individual Canadians or private organizations commit to provide financially for the sponsored refugees for one year and to ease their transition into Canadian life. Operation Ezra describes itself as "the only comprehensive Yazidi refugee relief project in Canada and indeed the world," in a statement published on its website. "This is an unprecedented community-wide undertaking involving dedicated community members from all walks of life." The sponsorship was conceived by the Jewish group Winnipeg Friends of Israel but it grew to become a multi-faith partnership with local groups of a variety of faiths. Local businesses have donated basic necessities the families will need and volunteering youth groups have been busy delivering furniture and collecting donated items. "The Jewish Community undertook Operation Ezra (the Hebrew word for help) because it was the right thing to do," they state on their website. Posted by: Fred 2016-07-14 |
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