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ACT reaches out to welcome Syrian refugee family by Julia Le Oakville Beaver Staff 5 | Friday, October 23, 2015 | OAKVILLE BEAVER | www.insideHALTON.com Furniture has been collected, clothes have been donated and short-term living arrangements have been made. Now Abraham's Children Together (ACT) waits while Canada's Immigration department reviews its application and determines whether a Syrian family can call Oakville home. The ACT group, comprised of the interfaith community across Oakville and Mississauga, has been working since April to sponsor a Syrian family of seven fleeing the civil war in their country. ACT members have been pulling together to work on sponsorship paperwork, fundraising the minimum $35,000 required to help settle the family in their first year, and organizing others to collect furniture, food and clothes, arrange English language classes/tutors, find family doctors and dentists and possible rental properties, among other tasks. The Syrian family, which has relatives in Mississauga, includes a mother, father, two adult boys aged 19 and 20, fraternal twins aged 14, and a 12-year-old boy. They are sharing an apartment with another family in Jordan as they wait to hear whether they can settle in Canada. They're among 12 million Syrians who are homeless, including seven million displaced within Syria and another four million living as Abraham's Children Together is working to sponsor a Syrian refugee family of seven to a move to Oakville. From left, members Abdul Qayyum Mufti, Katy Joaquim, Sandra Onufryk, Dr. Moar Murray-Hayes, Rabbi Stephen Wise, and Imran Tariq sit on a donated couch that will be going to the family. | photo by Cole Burston ­ Toronto Star refugees in neighbouring countries, according to Lifeline Syria. Oakville resident Sandra Onufryk, one of the Maple Grove Church members who have been spearheading the project, said, "We're ready to accept them." However, ACT is unsure when it will receive the government approval needed to help the family settle in the community. Canada's Immigration department has told ACT it could take anywhere from three to 17 months, said Onufryk. The wide-ranging timeline reflects an initial estimate of 10-17 months ACT was first given and a more recent estimate of three to six months. ACT has done all it can to ensure the application is successful, said Onufryk, who has taken training in refugee settlement. The local group drew from the past experience of Maple Grove United Church when it brought two other families to Canada -- a Vietnamese boat family in the 1970s and a Serbian family from Bosnia in the 1990s. It also had its lengthy application vetted by Khwaka Kukubo, the refugee program officer with the United Church of Canada, who is an expert on successfully sponsoring refugee families. This current application was submitted three months ago. Onufryk noted her group is anxiously waiting to learn when the family will be called for an interview. Once that proceeds, the family members will be asked to go through health, security and criminal background checks before they are allowed to come to Canada. In the meantime, ACT members are making sure the Syrian family has everything it needs during its first year here and that the transition of integrating the family into the community goes smoothly. Although only required to raise about $35,000, the group believes the family will need close to $42,000 based on the cost of living in Oakville. see Rally on p.7 A STEP BEYOND IN CARE Salima Kassam Reg. Chiropodist · Foot/Arch Pain? · Ingrown Toenails? · Diabetes? · Swollen Ankles? · Corns, Calluses? Do you have: Thank you Oakville! For voting us Call for an appointment 905-632-1414 728 Burloak Drive www.footandhealthclinic.com n ow o f f e r i n g P h ys i ot h e r a P y o s t eo Pat h y at h l e t i c t h e r a P y Best Financial Planner Best Investment Company DIAMOND & oakvillesportsmedicinecentre.ca 220 Randall Street Downtown Oakville 905-842-2100 Winner of 12 Reader's Selection Awards for Best Financial Planner. Helping you make smart decisions about your money since 1991. 905 337 8455