Meet and greet Syrian refugees in Windsor

Meet and greet dinner for Syrian refugees at Caboto Club.

 

Syrian refugees new to Windsor were treated to a meet and greet dinner at Welcome Home to Windsor held Feb. 20 at the Caboto Club.

The event was organized by local non-profit organizations Syrian Canadian Council and World Water Operator Training Centre. The purpose of this event was to welcome refugees from Syria and introduce them to Windsor and Canada.

About 800 people attended the event, including Ward 5 Coun. Ed Sleiman, along with representatives of many organizations, sponsors and event volunteers.

Sleiman said Windsor has welcomed Syrian refugees with an open heart.

“I would like to welcome you all. You are home now,” said Sleiman in a speech to the crowd during the event. “You should feel now that you belong to this community, belong to this city and belong to this country.”

Fifty-five-year-old Abdul Essa fled Syria along with his wife and three children after their house was bombed and destroyed. He attended the event with his family and said that he appreciates all the effort made by the Canadian government in helping refugees.

“I really would like to thank you for all this hospitality and the warm welcome,” he said through an interpreter. “We felt ourselves at home.”

Essa, who is a plumber by profession, is hopeful that his skills will help him find a respectable job in the near future.

Maram Kayali, a volunteer for the event, said refugees are at a high risk for mental health issues because they have gone through so much in their past.

“Welcome Home to Windsor event is meant to show newcomers that the city is happy to have them here,” said Kayali. “We thought it would be nice to bring them here, have dinner with them and get to know them so that we can have a direct link with them.”

The evening began with a private reception and dinner for the Syrian families, sponsors and event volunteers, followed by a program of events open to the public. Local school children presented patriotic songs to welcome the guests.

Many attendees mingled and interacted with the refugee families.
“Our aim is to have them feel at home, help them start new lives in a healthy manner, and accommodate their immediate and critical needs,” said Cooper. “Most importantly, we are striving to help them maintain the identity and culture of their children within a new environment.”
Another Syrian refugee who attended the event, Barkel Ahmed, said it’s more than enough to see their kids smiling and laughing. He thanked the government of Canada and its people who opened their doors for them.

“They forgot how to smile and to be happy. They have seen their house bombed, their own friends being killed in front of them. They have seen human blood all around them,” said Ahmed with tears in his eyes.

The Syrian refugees who were transported to the venue by the volunteers and other community members looked very happy and relaxed to be in Canada.

“The people at the event are going to see that these are just people, they’re going to get a real sense of what they’ve been through, things that we couldn’t imagine, so the compassion and solidarity will be displayed in spades,” said Sleiman.