How one family’s loss led to a Syrian family’s home in Cape Breton

Before he died, a Baddeck man decided he wanted his house to become home to a Syrian refugee family

By Wendy Martin, CBC News Posted: Feb 18, 2018

Bill Fraser of Baddeck, N.S., passed away last month, but his empty house will now become a home for a Syrian family of six. (Submitted by Lorna Fraser)

 

Shortly before he entered a care facility a few months ago, Bill Fraser of Baddeck, N.S., was thinking of what might happen to his empty house.

“He said to me, ‘Lorna, what do you think of this family of Syrian refugees? Could that be a nice use of my home?'” recalled his sister, Lorna Fraser.

Bill Fraser thought he would eventually recover from ill health and return to Baddeck. But he died last month.

Now, his sister has arranged to lease his house and has donated most of its furnishings to a Syrian family of six who will arrive in the Cape Breton village later this spring.

 

The Esmaeels will soon arrive in Baddeck, N.S., from Jordan. (Submitted by Syria to Baddeck Committee)

 

“Out of sadness comes good things, sometimes,” said Jennifer MacDonald, a member of the Syria to Baddeck steering committee.

She said the committee had been looking for months for a suitable house, but there was little available in the community of 800.

Fraser’s house is ideal, she said, adding that it has three bedrooms and is within walking distance of the school and grocery store.

“It’s also avoided us having to do any sort of major furniture drive,” said MacDonald, “because the house is essentially move-in ready.”

 

Big relief to have living arrangements

The Syria to Baddeck committee began raising money in November 2015 to bring a family to the island. To date, the group has raised close to $40,000.

MacDonald said there have been a number of delays, due largely to a backlog in the private sponsorship refugee program.

 

Lorna Fraser says her brother Bill Fraser, pictured here, would be pleased that the Syrian family will be moving into his former home. (Submitted by Lorna Fraser)

 

• Frustration in Cape Breton village as backlog delays arrival of Syrian refugees

• Families who came to Cape Breton as refugees adapting to new home

The committee now expects the family, which includes four children between the ages of four and 14, to arrive in March or April.

MacDonald said it’s a big relief to know their living arrangements are in place.

A man ‘supportive of community’

Lorna Fraser said she believes her brother would be pleased with the outcome.

“He was very much supportive of community, and what community could do for you, and would really want to be helping this family.”

Article from:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/baddeck-home-syrian-family-bill-fraser-1.4539430

Victims of War – Syrian Children

Published on Feb 4, 2017

From 2011 to 2016
15,948 Syrian Children were killed
312,001 – 437,363 Syrian were killed

Rest in Peace

Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR)

ISIS-Finding Ground Zero

Published on Jan 6, 2016

The video is a dispatch report by ANA Press crew from Aleppo, it consists of a documented trip from central Aleppo to the northern outskirts to where Syrian rebel groups are stationed in opposition to ISIS.

This video is hereby translated under full responsibility of ANA PRESS

For more information please feel free to send your inquiries to: info@anapress.net

The Ahmad Project – Give our little brother arms!

9 year old Ahmad lost his grandparents, siblings, uncle, and both his arms due to bombing by Assad in Syria.

Click here to donate:
https://givingtuesday.razoo.com/story/The-Ahmad-Project

Ahmad, a young Syrian refugee, has no arms. Let us show him how much we care about his medical treatment today and future tomorrow!

Organized & coordinated by Nuday Syria and the Malcolm X Community Servants Corps

Imagine being seven years old and watching your world literally crumble to pieces right before your eyes. Imagine yourself in this situation, and ask yourself what you would do in that situation? What kind of person would you become after going through such a tragedy and what would your attitude be following the destruction of your life as you knew it?

These are big questions and we met a boy with the answers.

Ahmad, now nine years old, is a survivor of the worst tragedy you can imagine. However, from the moment he walked into our lives, he has brought nothing but smiles and laughter, and we are in pure awe of his cheerful and exuberant demeanour. Especially considering his story.

Young Ahmad lost three of his seven beloved siblings as well as his cousin and uncle – all in one instant as a bomb struck his tent in the refugee camp he was staying at inside Syria. In addition to losing five of his family members, Ahmad almost lost his life. He survived – but got both arms amputated.

Ahmad is full of life, light and faith, as you can see from his beautiful face, despite experiences that would rob some of us of our Din (Faith).

You see, Ahmad lost both of his arms, along with his three siblings when their house was bombed. However, he did not lose his humanity. What did he do upon landing at Logan Airport in Boston with his father? He went directly from the airport to the masjid, prayed twenty rakats with the Imam, and asked if they could pray more until Fajr [morning]!

Pray for him and his father and allow yourself to be inspired by his courage, faith and goodness. May Allah bless us to do more to end the madness that has befallen far too many of our lands.

-Imam Zaid Shakir

We want to raise funds to help Ahmad with his immediate medical expenses as well as for long-term care as he grows and needs new prosthetics and other services. We also want to ensure Ahmad has a bright future ahead of him so we also want to set up an education fund for him. This kid deserves a chance!

In the few short months Ahmad has been with us in our community here in the Boston area, he has completely captured the hearts of us all. Ahmad has done more for us than we could ever do for him in return. The way he handles his situation with such grace and strength is more than any of us could ever do. The way his smile brightens our day – every day – is priceless and a lesson for us all for life.

We hope to be able to repay him for all the lessons he has taught us, and continues to do, by providing him with the tools necessary so he can continue to share his story of how – even in the worst of times – a smile makes the difference so he can benefit his generation and other communities in the future.

“Ahmad is an exemplary child always caring, always wanting others to win. I remember once in Ramadan, he and another child were sparring in the masjid and he won. We all cheered for him. He immediately said without hesitation, “But we both won! We’ve been changed.”

-Hafiz Na’eel, ICNE Sharon assistant imam

The Ahmad Project was started by youth at ICNE Sharon who run the Malcolm X Community Servants Corps (MCSC). MCSC has teamed up with NuDay Syria is working closely with Ahmad and his father. Nuday the only authorized organization that can collect on behalf of this child. In the case of the fundraiser exceeding the minimum amount of $125,000 and after all medical and living expenses have been paid, an educational fund will be set up for Ahmad and each of his siblings. Any funds raised beyond these needs will go towards other Syrian refugee children with extreme medical needs.

Learn more about Ahmad and support him here: https://www.razoo.com/story/The-Ahmad…

The moment of the spirit out of the children of Syria

This video made me cry! Something for Assad regime to celebrate for:

Published on May 28, 2012
#childrenofsyria #syrianrefugees, #refugees #AssadCrimes #Assadwaronchildren, AssadWarCrimes #AssadGenocide #AssadMassacre

Syrian Refugees- We don’t wait for others to give us solutions

Message from Syrian Refugees to the World:
We are starved, tortured, bombed, gassed for almost 5 years!
We are going to walk to Europe, we don’t wait for others to give us solutions!

We Walk Together: a Syrian refugee family’s journey to the heart of Europe
Published on Sep 10, 2015

Thousands of refugees were sleeping rough at Budapest’s Keleti station, waiting for trains to take them to western Europe.

Then, they just got up and walked. Guardian journalist and filmmaker John Domokos went with them, every step of the way. This is the story of one Syrian family, and those who came out to help.

Angelina Jolie- Everyone must help Syrian refugees

UN Special Envoy Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt with Foreign Secretary William Hague at the Global Summit to End Sexual Violence in Conflict.

Angelina Jolie Pitt, one of the world’s best actresses and a humanitarian, is using her celebrity status for a good cause, and that is to urge everyone to help Syrian refugees. She is using her place, as a special envoy, at the United Nations’ refugee agency to influence people to help the displaced war victims.

In her heartfelt and emotional op-Ed in The Times UK written with Arminka Helic, a former refugee and now a member of the House of Lords, she pleaded to help families that are fleeing the war first, over economic migrants.

“At no time in recent history has there been a greater need for leadership to deal with the consequences and causes of the global refugee crisis,” the actress wrote in the piece last Monday.

Jolie Pitt has spent some time with a Syrian refugee family earlier this year during a humanitarian trip. She said that the war in Syria has made a lot of people suffer. “Syrians are fleeing barrel bombs, chemical weapons, rape and massacres. Their country has become a killing field,” the award-winning actress said.

The actress has worked with the UNHCR since early 2000s, and urged political leaders to take responsibility, even if it’s not part of their nation’s geography. Jolie Pitt said that it doesn’t matter what culture, ethnicity, or religion a person believes in, but what is important is humanity’s core values and rights.

The 40-year-old actress added that the “out of sight, out of mind” attitude is just unacceptable now, especially with what is happening in Syria. She asked other countries in the world, not just those in Europe, to take part in finally resolving the Syrian crisis. Jolie Pitt also encourages people not to stigmatize the refugees, especially those countries who have taken migrants in.

Finally, the actress also suggested that the United Nations Security Council should go and visit the region and come up with a long-term resolution to these conflicts.

Article from: http://www.christianpost.com/news/angelina-jolie-everyone-must-help-syrian-refugees-144933/

Another Day Another Child Bombed by Assad Regime

Whoever say: “Long Live Bashar al-Assad”, “Next barrel bomb is on schedule”  has no conscious!

Yasser Rajab, a child from Douma, suffers from severe burns by Assad regime’s aircraft rocket attack. His mother and 4-year-old brother were killed by the airstrike. Douma Eastern Ghouta 6 Sept 2015

Yasser cries daily in pain from a missile attack.

Yasser not exceeding two years.. His people has been quoted an air raid malevolent burned his beautiful features and took his mother and his brother who is two years older, having demolished their house consisting of three floors above their heads.

Poor Yasser.. When he got out of care will open his eyes looking for his mother and his brother and won’t see them near him!

Article: http://www.itv.com/news/2015-09-15/toddler-left-badly-burned-by-airstrike-which-destroyed-his-home-in-syria-continuing-to-recover-in-makeshift-hospital/

One of the countless victims of Bashar al-Assad Barrel Bombs

A government that hurt his own helpless children aided by Russia, China and Iran

The massacre of Douma by Assad regime on Aug 16-2015 part II

It is believed by SOHR (The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights) and others that war planes fired missiles into a heavily-populated market then another when people were trying to attend to the wounded.

Activist Mazen al-Shami told The Associated Press that ‘the regime is targeting civilians to avenge’ a recent capture of a local army base by dissidents.

Since 2011, the US has repeatedly asked President Assad to step down and there are around 10m people from Syria in need of humanitarian assistance, the UN estimates.

Assad has been in power since 2000, succeeding his father who had ruled for 30 years.

Article from: http://metro.co.uk/2015/08/17/an-official-massacre-in-syria-shows-yet-another-reason-why-people-flee-to-the-uk-5346819/