News
Programs help youth integrate
When young people go back to school, our youth program kicks into high gear. Although we offer youth programs all year round, the school year is a particularly busy time of the year for us. Community Connections Youth Program Coordinator Karen Molina answers a few...
Just like sisters after 10 months
Eleanor and Amira are sisters. But they only met 10 months ago. Eleanor, a volunteer with the Catholic Centre for Immigrants, met Amira through the Matching Program shortly after Amira moved to Ottawa from Damascus, Syria. In Damascus, she had been a director of...
Matching Program creates deep bonds
The determination Marwan shows in his efforts to adapt to Canadian life is something to behold. The 39-year-old Iraqi man has reason. His past suffering has led him to a deep sense of gratitude to Canada, and he wants to integrate into the culture of his adopted...
Dealing with a wave of refugees
Since July 1, 2017, more than 7,000 migrants have walked over the border from the US into Quebec in order to claim refugee status in Canada. The numbers crossing into Quebec jumped this summer. In July alone, the RCMP intercepted nearly 3,000 asylum...
Syrian family always giving thanks
Many of us will spend the Thanksgiving holiday with our family and loved ones. We’ll take a moment to appreciate the lives we enjoy and the everyday things we sometimes take for granted. For the Al Saraheen family, every day for the last year has felt like...
Circles help seniors connect
Theres an old saying that growing old is not for the meek. One of the many challenges some seniors will face as they grow older is isolation. For seniors who are immigrants and dont speak English very well, the isolation can be even more profound. Last year, the...
A successful transition for Inga
After seven years of living in Canada, Inga Bohnekamp is sounding more and more like a Canadian. “The winters are so long and the summers here are so humid!” Inga started her Canadian adventure when she studied psychology as an exchange student in...
Tennis a big hit for girls program
When Claudine Nduwimama, Facilitator of Catholic Centre for Immigrants' Girls on the Go, surveyed the program's 20 participants to find out what sports they wanted to try out, tennis was near the top of the list. So on a sunny mid-August afternoon, the...
We appreciate volunteers like Ria
Volunteers make up the backbone of the work we do. Last year, more than 1,300 volunteers and sponsors helped the Catholic Centre for Immigrants deliver programs and services to more than 6,500 newcomers to Ottawa. Volunteers help newcomers learn a language, access...
Become a monthly donor like Meiz
Monthly donations are crucial for an organization like the Catholic Centre for Immigrants. It's a predictable and stable source of funding. More importantly, it lets the families we are helping know they are not forgotten. It takes some time to adjust to a new...