The Immigrant Services Society of B.C. (ISS of B.C.) Welcome Centre has been providing a soft landing for refugees in Vancouver for a decade now.
Its leaders say that the work has paid incredible dividends, pointing to the growth exhibited by people like Ebrahim Al-Yousefi.
Al-Yousefi shared his story of escaping violence in Yemen with CityNews last year.
He has more than found his footing in the time since, winning scholarships worth $300,000.
“I was so fortunate, so fortunate. To be honoured with such a privilege means a lot. The acknowledgement, the first time in my life, I felt like everything that I went through actually meant something,” he said.
Al-Yousefi has since joined the ISS of B.C. team as part of his efforts to give back to the country that helped him start a new life.
“For me, it’s an opportunity to pay off the massive and payable debt that I feel I owe to this country, to the system, and to the people that help make us drive,” he added.
Dacious Richardson’s story started with the civil war in Liberia, but it has taken him to a similar place as Ebrahim.
He is giving back to the community that welcomed him with a non-profit he founded to help bring soccer to underprivileged kids.
“With the war that comes with trauma and anxiety and a lot of things. So, I don’t want any young person to go through a similar thing,” said Richardson, executive director of Rise Above Reality Expectation Community Services Society.
“I want to be that peer mentor who can be there, you can reach out to whenever, just to guide you and keep you on the right track.”
Saturday is World Refugee Day, and amid a rise in anti-immigrant rhetoric in recent years, Richardson has a simple message.
“Refugees are people who are also human, who also want to see the best for everyone.”
The Welcome Centre offers transitional housing to folks who have just arrived, as well as a wrap-around suite of services to help them get settled.
“On site, we have a health-care clinic, we have a trauma treatment centre,” said Chris Friesen, chief operating officer of ISS of B.C.
“Vancity helps facilitate opening bank accounts. English language classes, first language supports, employment supports.”
But with recent changes to Canada’s immigration policies and directives for departments to cut budgets, ISS of B.C. has been forced to curtail some of its programs.
It’s a trend that the non-profit hopes is reversed due to the contributions that refugees make to the country.
“That translates to our health-care system, construction, all aspects of Canadian society, even here as we celebrate as a host city for the FIFA World Cup,” Friesen added.
“Look at the Canadian team, who’s the captain? A former refugee from Liberia.”
For those helping refugees start over in Canada, success isn’t just about finding work. It’s about finding a place to belong.