The fifth family of Syrian refugees to settle in Greater Sudbury received quite the welcome as they arrived at the city's airport on a snowy Wednesday morning.
A small crowd of about 50 people — some holding hand-drawn signs — gathered at the airport's arrivals lounge Dec. 7 to greet the Alyousef family. Sudbury.com even spotted some of the Syrian refugees who came here a year ago.
Speaking through a translator, Ahmad Alyousef said he and his family of eight are very happy to be here.
“He wants to thank each and every one of you, and he's so happy to be in this place called Canada,” the translator said on behalf of Alyousef.
The Alyousef family — which includes Ahmad, his wife Fadia and their six kids, ranging in age from three to 18 — is sponsored by the St. Peter's United Church Sponsorship Committee.
The St. Peter's group raised funds to support the family for six months (the government is providing a further six months of support), and have set them up in a three-bedroom townhouse in New Sudbury.
“They'll be snug in there, but they'll all fit,” said Kevin Reed, a spokesperson for St. Peter's.
“There's three girls, three boys, so they each have their bedrooms with bunk beds installed, and a bedroom for the parents.”
The Alyousef family has been living in Amman, Jordan. Unlike some Syrian families, they've been fortunate enough not to live in a refugee camp, and the children have been attending school.
Ahmad has worked in the past as an electrician and tile-layer, and Fadia is a housewife.
Now they're in Canada, two of the children will be attending Churchill Public School and another two Lasalle Secondary School.
It's yet to be determined whether the oldest girl will be attending high school or post-secondary school. The youngest child, also a girl, is just three, and not yet old enough for school.
“It'll be very new for them, as well as for us, in trying to assist them,” Reed said.
“But our main goal is hospitality, and to provide them with a safe, secure space where the kids can go to school and the parents can get jobs and they can get on with their lives.
“They've been through very trying times for a long period of time.”
The Alyousefs spoke briefly to reporters through a translator upon their arrival at the Sudbury Airport.
Ahmad said he and his family are happy to be safe in Canada — it's the most important thing to them. When asked what he thinks about the snow on the ground, Ahmad said he was “very happy and surprised to see the white stuff.”
Fadia said she wants her kids to achieve their dreams, and Canada is going to give them that.
“They are overwhelmed by the generosity and the kindness of the people of Sudbury,” a translator said on behalf of Fadia.
