The R word

A friend who attends Gateway is new to this city and to Canada for that matter.

 

She fled with the children she could bring with her, because the violence done to her in East Africa was to much to bear. Her husband was shot and killed before her own eyes. Some of her children died also, and she has a number of wounds from the bullets she took, all because she was different.

 

She was moved to this country by our government in an attempt to help her and her family find a place to thrive and live.

 

It has not been easy for her. She's trying to learn English. Then she needs to go to another city to upgrade her nursing skills, (she was a nurse in Africa). She's caring for her children here and grieving for an 11 year old daughter she was forced to leave behind in Africa, because she wasn't able to find her before they left for Canada.

 

She is trying to learn the ways of this new place, but it's so hard when you don't know the culture and language. You and your children begin to fall through the cracks.

 

She fled because she is different, to come to a place she hoped would be different.

 

I try to make sure there is a person from our Congregation with her when she see's her social worker or a government official. It's interesting (read:sad) how much more help we can get if there is a Caucasian person along with her. I don't tell her why we do that, but I suspect she knows already.

 

The other day I got a phone call. A group of young men/boys had beaten up her son on their front lawn. She stepped in to break it up. She got beat up too. They ran away, and came back a while later and continued the beating. All because she is different.

 

I've got some bad news S,  Canada isn't always a place where differences are tolerated, either.

 

Welcome to your new home.