Woman hopes to bring Syrian refugee to Canada
Debbie Ebanks wants to make a difference and help a Syrian refugee come to Ontario.
Ebanks lives in Mulmur with her husband and four children and is enrolled in a Master of Fine Arts program with the California College of the Arts.
In June 2014, she and three fellow students won an award and $10,000 to develop a social entrepreneurship project aimed at helping Syrian refugees living in Turkey.
The project, called To Lemon Hill, partnered with a local school in Izmir, Turkey and provides support for 40 students between the ages of seven and 14.
The program started in October and will run until June. It aims to teach the students Turkish, English and other subjects.
While spending time in Izmir last June and July, Debbie met a 29-year-old Syrian refugee woman named Anahita Osman through one of their art and play workshops.
Conditions in Izmir are challenging for the refugees, particularly since their community is scheduled for destruction and redevelopment, which will leave many of them homeless in the near future.
Osman told Ebanks that she was so desperate to get out of Turkey that she wanted to swim across the Mediterranean to Greece.
Ebanks suggested that she try immigrating to Canada.
Ebanks offered to help and is laying the foundations to bring Osman to Canada.
The Unitarian Church of Canada has agreed to be the organizational sponsor, but as part of the immigration process, Ebanks needs to find additional support in her community to bring Anahita here. She needs $12,000 to accompany Osman’s application by the end of this year and a group of three or four people who will commit to supporting Osman’s arrival.
These people will need to help find her a place to live, provide clothing, furniture and help in general with her transition to life in Ontario.
Ebanks plans to do some fundraising over the next two months to pay for the application fee and generate interest in bringing Osman to Canada.
Osman grew up in Syria and was studying translation in her final year of university when war broke out in Syria and she was forced to leave in July 2014.
She has worked for a number of relief and aid agencies and is also an actor and an artist who first taught herself English by watching movies.
If you or someone you know might be interested in helping sponsor Osman in the immigration process, please contact Ebanks at 705-896-6800 or debbie.ebanks@gmail.com or Lorna May Lowe at 705-352-2759 or lowe201@rogers.com.
Visit the project’s blog at cargocollective.com/tolemonhill.
