Sponsoring Refugees

A programme on CBC got me going on the topic. The concept of international law makes it illegal to interfere in the affairs of a sovereign nation as say the US did in Iraq. The moral issue of what is our responsibility to people forced to flee persecution by their own government or neighbours is quite another matter. Uprooting populations from their homes and cultures and transporting them to a different climate, a foreign language and customs will always be a second-best solution.

First there is the terror of fleeing and life in a temporary refugee/resettlement camp—Israeli Arabs have lived like this for up to 5 generations. The minimum wait for government sponsorship is one year and as much as 3. Refugee sponsors may welcome their guests with all the best of intentions and good will but nothing can prepare someone who has lived in a tropical climate for snow and cold. A language unknown to them and customs and mores they don't understand. This comes down to matters as simple as never having encountered indoor plumbing and the need to flush a toilet. Being gifted with clothes but having no concept of the fact that one doesn't send children to school clad in pyjamas. Dealing with the ridicule that results.

How do you prepare food when you've never seen an electric stove, refrigerator, a can opener, a water tap and the food stuffs are all foreign and you know not how to prepare them and have no appreciation for the flavours involved.

How do you deal with post-traumatic stress when you don't even have the same language as a potential counselor?

How do you find work and a means of self-support? A lawyer or doctor faces many barriers before they can practice in this country and driving a cab is demeaning.