Living the Canadian dream

Living the Canadian dream

By Claudine Nduwimana Douaa remembers her life as a refugee in Lebanon. She was working in a grocery store to help support her family, her dream of going to university put on hold. Now, less than three years later, Douaa is a first-year student at Carleton University...
Fatma says, thank you Canada!

Fatma says, thank you Canada!

By Claudine Nduwimana A little more than two years ago, Canada welcomed 25,000 Syrian refugees over the course of three months. Thousands of those refugees were children and teens who brought a new culture to our local schools. For many, it was the first opportunity...
Rebuilding dreams, rebuilding lives

Rebuilding dreams, rebuilding lives

Every morning Wael drops his wife off at English classes while he makes his way to his furniture shop. His young children are in school while his oldest son works part-time at a grocery store. It’s a typical Canadian life. Two years ago, though, life for the Aun...
Preaching the love of reading

Preaching the love of reading

Congratulations to Noor! The 19-year-old newcomer recently won a $1,000 grant from Awesome Ottawa for his idea called Newcomer Reads, a project to encourage young newcomers to read. Noor said the idea came to him when he realized there were many in the newcomer...
Just like sisters after 10 months

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...