I am concerned about the present refugee crisis that is rooted primarily in Syria.
The UN states that the number of refugees fleeing their homes this year is unprecedented, up to 60 million people worldwide.
A broad-based community committee is being formed in Castlegar now, in the hopes of bringing a refugee family to live here.
There are two or three ways to apply for a refugee family.
If a government sponsored procedure is followed, the committee must sustain the family for the first month, then, the government provides funds for the next six months while the committee takes care of the remaining months of the year.
Either way the committee decides, during the first year, the family will need social and emotional support as well as financial.
The plan is that the family will be self-sufficient by the end of their first year in Canada.
This letter is an appeal to anyone interested in serving on the committee to phone 250-365-2271.
We will be busy for the first couple of months then we will have a lull while waiting for the application to be processed.
For more information, refer to the above contact information.
Rosemary Manarin
Castlegar
