Power of Partnership - THIS is how refugee resettlement is done!

Six months ago, we were approached by Mennonite Central Committee Ontario to produce a short documentary following a private sponsorship group who were preparing to welcome a Syrian family to Waterloo Region.

We said yes without really knowing how we would do this - logistically, everything was still up in the air. Housing, furnishings, how many family members - and the timeline was nebulous. But the sponsoring group, led by Dan Herman, was resourceful and resilient and by the time they got the call to pick up their family on January 1st, the apartment was secured, furnished, and everything was in place.

On that day, and on every occasion since then, the Salkini family have been gracious, generous, and lovely people. I can't imagine the stress and anxiety they must have been feeling coming to a new country that is both geographically and culturally a world away from their home in Syria. Combining that with the open hearts of the sponsoring group have created a nourishing environment that will set up the Salkini family for success in their new home in Canada.

While this story of this particular group of people may seem like a best-case scenario (which it is!), from the stories we've heard from other sponsor groups, this is not a unique story. Time and again, we've heard from sponsors whose lives have been impacted powerfully and new relationships created.

Despite the sensationalized negativity in the media and especially in the comment sections on refugee-related media, seeing this story unfold gives us hope that Canadians are compassionate, generous people who are willing to step up to help those in need.