Your care and compassion is helping Zapour and Meghety find a new community of support in Canada
When Meghety first came to Canada, she found it hard to find a place to belong.
If you met Meghety today, all you would see is her wonderful smile. She would tell you how much she loves visiting her favorite place in the world, at our Sunnydale Community Centre.
But it wasn’t that long ago that Meghety found each day a struggle after leaving her home country of Syria behind.
“It took a while for Meghety to get used to her new home,” said her mother, Zapour. “I worried about her and wanted more for her.”
Meghety, now 29, lives with some developmental challenges. And while she is fluent in Armenian and Arabic, she is still learning English, making it more challenging to make friends in her new country. In her first nine years here, Meghety often stayed at home with her family, afraid to venture out her doors.
But when Meghety discovered Sunnydale Community Centre, her life was transformed.
Nazmi, one of our incredible team members, saw Meghety’s potential and signed her up as a volunteer. Ever since, Sunnydale has become Meghety’s home away from home and a bright spot in her day.
I love everything about Sunnydale. I like to help, I love Marwa, Nazmi and Ola – they are all my friends here. – Meghety
Every day, families like Meghety’s come through our doors because they have nowhere else to go. For some, it’s about finding a place to belong and grow. For others, it’s about receiving the basic support they need to survive. In each case, it’s a lifeline.
Your faithful support of Neighbourhoods programs is ensuring people like Meghety, and their families, get the help they need when they need it.
Meghety comes every Thursday morning to help hand out food to other families in the neighbourhood. She organizes the canned food that arrives early in the morning, breaks down boxes for recycling, and visits with other volunteers. When community members arrive, Meghety is there with her bright smile, greeting them and providing the food they need to get through the week.
Meghety takes pride in her volunteer work. She knows she is making a difference. And after a hard day’s work, Meghety can take some of her favourite food home, another source of pride for her.
The life that Meghety and her family live today is in stark contrast to the journey they endured to get here. Twelve years ago, they fled war-torn Syria, hoping for a better life.
Back in Syria, Meghety represented her country in Egypt at the Special Olympics, winning a bronze medal in swimming. She had a happy life in her home country.
But when the war started, the peaceful life they once knew was gone forever.
“We lived in Syria for one year without electricity of heat,” said Zapour. “It was very cold in the winter. We only left our home when we had to. It wasn’t safe.”
There are so many families like Meghety’s leaving behind the world they once knew. They have to start over. But how can they begin again without help? Without hope?
Today, Meghety and her family are adjusting to life in Canada, grateful for the opportunities living here gives them. They all live together, as one big family – all with Zapour’s mother-in-law and sister’s family.
Together, Zapour and her sister run a home daycare.
“It brings us so much joy to work with the children,” said Zapour. “And Meghety also helps us with the daycare and the kids love her.”
Thank you for making new beginnings possible for family’s like Meghety’s. Your support of Neighbourhoods programs is ensuring that community members in need have a safe place to start over.
