Syrian refugee families get support from B.C. Muslim Association

ShawkatHasan's journey to Canadabegan asa young boyin a refugee camp in the West Bank in the1950s, when he found a little surprise in the pocket of a donated article of clothing.

"I got a piece of paper in one of the clothes they distribute, of someone saying, 'If you receive this paper, write me back,'" said Hasan, now the vice-president of social services with the B.C. Muslim Association.

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"So I did and that person came fromAbbotsford, from the Mennonite Church.Iwrote back, and a few months later he came to visit me in the Middle East, in the refugee camp."

Hasansays that person supported him personally and financially, throughout his first few years in North America.

Bringing in refugee families

Now,Hasan is inviting members of the B.C.'sMuslim community to come together to sponsor at least 15 refugee families from Syria.

"We have asked every centre for our organization to sponsor a family," said Hasan, who is coordinating centres in places likeAbbotsford, Prince George, Victoria, and Vancouver.

"That support lasts one year. For the first year we are responsible for every effort."

The association applied to become a Sponsorship Agreement Holder two months ago, according to Hasan.

Hasansaid it would cost$450,000 to sponsor 15 families, based on an estimate of $30,000 to support a family of four.

Some of the things for which each centreis responsible include picking up families from the airport, furnishing a rented apartment, stocking fridges with food, and registering with government services.

"If the family is Muslim... they need Halal food. They need to know where to buy it," said Hasan.

"If there is an issue, trauma, with the kids or family ... we try to accommodate them and have somebody speak the same language."

Hasan saidtheassociation raised close to $1 million in the past for natural disaster relief efforts around the world.

About 2,500 Syrian refugees are expected to arrive in the province in the coming months, with several hundred arriving by the end of the year.