Yazidi refugee family finds happiness, hope in Winnipeg

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 15/07/2016 (3725 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Newly arrived Yazidi refugees are starting their lives off in Winnipeg on the right foot.

The first family of Yazidis sponsored by the local coalition Operation Ezra touched down on July 11 at the Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport where they were greeted by more than 100 supporters and family members.

Yazidis are an ethnic-religious minority primarily living in Iraq that are being persecuted and slaughtered by Islamic State. Many Yazidis have been languishing in refugee camps throughout Turkey, Iraq and Syria.

Speaking in Kurdish and translated by his niece Nafiya Naso, Khudher Naso, the family’s patriarch, said he feels hopeful since arriving in Winnipeg.

“I feel so happy and so excited for my family and it’s so nice to see so many wonderful people around,” Naso said jubilantly. “It’s a great place and I’m looking forward to the future.”

The family of eight had been stuck in a refugee camp in Midyat, Turkey for a number of years following a series of violent attacks in their home country of Iraq.

“The camp in Turkey, it was an experience that my family and I will never forget,” Naso said. “The best way to put it is that you’re comparing hell and heaven between the refugee camp and Winnipeg.”

Following their arrival, sponsors took the family around town to fill out paperwork, see a bit of Winnipeg, and stop by the local thrift store and Canadian Footwear downtown to pick up a pair of shoes.

The next steps for the family include settling into their new home in the River Heights area (provided by Operation Ezra and other partners), registering for school, and to begin living life again, Naso said.

“I came from a place where I always had fear inside of me and I was scared for my children. We were in our own country and were not accepted for who we were because of our religion and culture. And now being here in Canada, I am hoping for my kids to first go to school, learn the language, work and be good citizens and help others,” Naso said.

Wendy Erlanger, a Crescentwood resident and chair of Operation Ezra’s post-arrival committee, said the many hours of work to get the family to Winnipeg has been well worth the effort.

“What I believe is this world has a lot of problems, a lot of negativity, a lot of fear, and I feel like the more I can do to make a difference, it counterbalances in a very small way,” Erlanger said. “When I look in their eyes and see that pure joy, somehow it makes everything that’s out there not feel so overwhelming.”

There is still more work to do for Operation Ezra. There are six more families overseas that the coalition hopes to bring to Winnipeg and they will continue to lobby the federal government to increase support for Yazidis.

“There are lots of families scattered throughout Iraq in refugee camps, and some in Turkey and Syria, but we’re hoping that the government will step in and have a program like they did for the Syrians,” Nafiya Naso said.

For more information about Operation Ezra go to www.jewishwinnipeg.org

Facebook.com/TheSouwesterWPG
Twitter: @SouwesterWPG