It was not safe to live in their homes - violence, war, famine.
They had to pack up their lives, all that their little selves knew, and left, without knowing their destination.
Maybe they walked, maybe they got a ride on an overloaded bus to a camp in another country. Maybe the camp had 300 people in it. Maybe it had 100 000.
I'm sure many of the students went from having a safe home, reliable food and employed parents, to living in a dusty tent, surviving on food rations, sitting idle or playing soccer, waiting to see what would happen the next day.
There are 3 "future - options" for refugees:
1. Return to their home country once war has ended
2. Integrate into the country in which the refugee camp is located
3. Relocate to a Western Country to completely start over
Only 1% of refugees get a chance at that third option.
In geography class on Friday, the lesson was on "Quality of Life"in Canada. The students had to come up with categories that describe the quality of life, and points under each category. Categories included government, education, healthcare, employment, human rights, shelter. The things that these kids added to the discussion about Canada blew my mind away, knowing where they came from.
"In Canada the government upholds the laws, and the laws are the same for every people. Women and children are important and taken care of."
"In Canada houses have electricity, toilets and roofs. There is lots of good food."
"In Canada every person has a right to have an education."
"In Canada, if you get hurt, someone will always come to help you."
These were new concepts. These were concepts that I have come to expect and depend on. My heart was both broken and humbled at this point of the day.
I've been trying to imagine what would happen after landing in Canada as a child, knowing nothing of life here.
What do I wear to stay warm enough?
What kind of food do I eat here? How do I get it?
What language is this, how do I communicate?
Where do I sleep? Is it safe to?
Are my parents safe in this new country?
Is there always electricity?
Will there always be food? Should I hoard it?
Are there other people with my religion?
Who can I trust?
Who should I be afraid of?
How do I learn English?
Can I play? Where?
Do I get to go to school?
Why don't people dress like me?
How can I keep my culture and live in this new one?
I miss my home. I miss my family there. I wonder if they're ok?
I've heard, experienced, and probably considered the stereotypes about refugees and immigrants to Canada. People wonder why they come to fill Canada's cities, take jobs, take over culture. There's a lot of frustration about this.
This group of amazing grade 7/8 students helped me realized this: It simply does not matter where a person is from. If they are in need, hurting, hopeless, hungry and afraid, we need to help. This is a simple law of humanity.
