AFGHAN RESPONSE
At Centre for Newcomers, we are dedicated to helping immigrants and refugees of all nationalities in Calgary and we invite you to be a part of this.
As you may know, the Taliban have regained control of Afghanistan with girls and women facing violence and intimidation. This has forced thousands of its citizens to flee their homes and country, fearing for their lives. In response to this, the Federal Government has announced the resettlement of 40,000 Afghan refugees to Canada.
As Canada welcomes vulnerable Afghan refugees, we at the Centre for Newcomers ask for your help in support of their resettlement to Calgary.
At Centre for Newcomers, we are dedicated to helping immigrants and refugees of all nationalities in Calgary and we invite you to be a part of this.
Enhancing the Success of
Sponsoring Refugees
Filling out the forms for privately sponsored refugees may seem like a daunting task. It can be, especially if it is your first time answering the many questions needed in the application process.
What leads to application success? How can you complete the application process without undue stress? In this Centre for Newcomers workshop, participants will better understand the process of filling out refugee sponsorship forms and how to avoid common mistakes. The workshop will use a holistic approach to the application process, rather than merely giving instructions on which forms and fields to fill.
Contact Director, LGBTQ+ & Vulnerable Population Services Boban Stojanovic at b.stojanovic@centrefornewcomers.ca for questions.
I am a Refugee
If you are a refugee inside Afghanistan, in another country, or in Canada and need help please email: vpreferrals@centrefornewcomers.ca
If you are in Calgary and need help with any of the following services, then we can help you get connected to the services and things you need to become established in Canada. These include:
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Information about a wide variety of services, the city, transportation etc.
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Information about English Language assessment and accessing English Language classes.
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Career and job preparation and training.
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Accessing school services for your children.
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Getting and keeping an apartment or house, including financial support to pay for rental deposits and/or rent and utilities.
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Culturally familiar foods and food hampers.
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Clothing (including winter clothing), furniture, and household items.
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Connection to the community.
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Any other question or services that may help you get set-up in the community
DARI:
PASHTO:
I want to help a Refugee
1. Monetary Donation
Please use the form available to make a donation to sponsor a coming refugee or help support a refugee that has already arrived.
To privately sponsor a refugee for the government of Canada’s minimum requirement of one year, it can take up to $20,000 to support a single person and more as family size increases. Often refugees that arrive have additional expenses and no way to pay for them, which if not supported well can place refugees at risk of additional issues and trauma after they arrive. Sponsorship of a refugee is a highly meaningful way to protect a person from persecution.
Canada Helps
Afghan Refugee Sponsorship & Response
LGBTQ+ Refugee Sponsorship in the Calgary Rainbow Railroad Station
2. Volunteer with the Calgary East Zone Newcomers Collaborative
Be part of creating a welcoming environment for newcomers to Canada by contributing your time and sharing your skills. To donate your time please call 403-569-3325 or email us at volunteer@centrefornewcomers.ca
3. Non-perishable food donations
Donate culturally comforting food to help our newcomers feel at home. The Culturally Comforting Food Hampers are customized food hampers based on an individual/ family’s dietary needs. They are customized depending on the number of individuals and their ethnicity. To make a donation contact outreach@centrefornewcomers.ca
4. Clothing and household Item donation
Donate new or like new household items and clothing: Women In Need Society
You can also store household goods in your home and register what you have with our volunteer coordinator at: volunteer@centrefornewcomers.ca
To get an idea of what each household needs, visit the following page: https://endoftherainbow.ca/donate-furniture/
5. I want to Support or Sponsor a Refugee
If you wish to help bring a refugee to Canada and/or form a group of 5 to sponsor a refugee and their family, then we can help. Residents in Canada can help to bring a refugee to Canada and out of harm’s way through the private sponsorship program.
Individual refugee volunteer. You can individually get involved by stepping forward to volunteer in a sponsorship. We need people to help through giving social and emotional support, coaching people to be settled in the city, offering language practice and teaching, giving financial support, donating items to establish a household, and/or many other roles.
Forming a Sponsorship Group of 5. You can also join with others as a formal group of 5 people to sponsor a refugee or a refugee family. A group of 5 must commit to helping to apply for the refugee or family, stick to waiting for the refugee or family to arrive, and once they arrive commit to a minimum of 12 months of having a close relationship to the newcomers(s). During this time, a formal group of 5 is responsible for the financial support of the newcomer(s), but can also access funds if co-sponsoring with a Community Sponsor, or by accessing partial or full government financial support if the refugee(s) arrive through the BVOR, RRAP, or JAS programs. A Community Sponsor is an organization, association or corporation who sponsors refugees to come to Canada. Like an individual volunteer, a group of five will be closely involved in giving social and emotional support, coaching people to be settled in the city, offering language practice and teaching, giving financial support, donating items to establish a household, and/or many other roles.
Adopt an Afghan Refugee Project. The Centre for Newcomers is committed to helping bring Afghan refugees to Canada. You may work with CFN to form a group of 5 or to individually volunteer as noted above to sponsor a refugee from Afghanistan or a transit country.
For any of the roles above, please register here to start the process.
Following the successes of the Calgary COVID Care Table operated by the Calgary East Zone Newcomers Collaborative where 50,000 vulnerable newcomers and racialized Calgarians served, CENC will use the same model to assist in the resettlement of Afghani refugees.
Please see www.centrefornewcomers.ca/eastzone for more information.