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Syrian Family Learns their Way Around their New Hometown in British Columbia
7-11-2017
Zain Nadir, his wife and four kids immigrated to Canada in January, 2017. The Nadirs are among hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees that had to flee the civil war in their country and take temporary shelter in neighboring Jordan. They didn’t live in a refugee camp but their living condition was barely any better.
Thanks to the Canadian government, the Nadirs were flown into Vancouver and assigned permanent resident status. With no friends or family around, Zain and his wife really felt alone in the first few weeks of being here. When the Muslim Food Bank caseworker Kareem Siddiqui took up the Nadirs’ case, the first thing he did was take them to the local mosque so they could get acquainted with fellow Arabic-speaking men and women.
“The biggest trauma this family has suffered is separation from their loved ones,” Kareem asserts. Kareem knew Zain not being fluent in English would not be able to find a job so quickly after moving to Canada so he found him a preoccupation. He took Zain and his entire family to the Surrey Recreation Centre and helped them register for access to the gym and the swimming pool.
As part of the sponsorship program, the Nadirs were assigned a fixed monthly income. Kareem met with Zain and his wife and broke down their expenses by needs and wants. He then wrote down a monthly budget to help them manage their money.
Kareem is not shy about setting boundaries with his new clients on what he is willing to help them with. “Within the first meeting itself, I let my clients know that I am here to show them how to do things on their own,” Kareem says. He has never had an issue with Zain in this regard though. “Whenever I give him new information, he implements it. If I give him an address to a place, he doesn’t ask me for a ride. He goes on his own,” Kareem says.
Kareem believes that it’s better to be consistent in providing support to clients than to do a lot at first at the cost of burning oneself out. “A lot of times people help new immigrants but then disappear after some time. That’s when clients lose their trust,” Kareem adds.
As new refugees that arrived in the cold of winter, the Nadirs were given flu shots to ensure they don’t fall sick. Unfortunately, there was a complication when the flu shot was being administered to Zain which led to a small blood clot and a great deal of pain. He was made to believe by some of his acquaintances that his arm would never be functional again. Kareem reassured Zain that just because he is having medicines for his problem, it doesn’t mean there is something majorly wrong with his arm.
“Zain and his wife’s biggest challenge is lack of emotional support,” Kareem says.
A few weeks later, Zain had to rush his wife to the hospital because she miscarried her baby. Due to language barrier, they were not able to understand what the doctor was saying to them.
“I was really pleased that he called me when he needed help because no one else was there for them,” Kareem recalls. “Of all the people they knew, they called me.”
After interpreting their conversation with the doctor, Kareem spoke to Zain’s wife and comforted her. She was so moved by his support that she called him afterwards to thank him.
“That to me is priceless,” Kareem stresses. Kareem says he doesn’t need them to thank him but is glad that they appreciate his efforts.
Though the Nadirs had a rocky start on their new journey in Canada, they are slowly learning their way around and starting to feel more like home.
These are real stories where our volunteers have an impact on members of our community helping them progress in their lives. InshaAllah next week we will bring you another story. Please join us to have a purpose in your life to make a difference in the lives of your brothers and sisters by coming to our events and registering as a volunteer or donating to your organization, the Muslim Food Bank and Community Services Society (usually referred to as Muslim Food Bank) at www.muslimfoodbank.com/donate. Our email is contact@muslimfoodbank.com and telephone number is 1-866-824-2525.
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