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In London, Hadija Lomoyo has been surrounded by advocates from the Cross Cultural Learner Centre and has been counselled through a pilot project for refugee victims of torture and war run through the association canadienne francophone l\'Ontario.
1 b2 B: C; F" F5 F Her dramatic tale has broken the hearts of those who work with her and has left focus groups speechless, say Gaston Mabaya, head of the local francophone association, and Perpetue Nitunga, head of Services and Support for 2 K( b+ |8 j6 g' W; h3 ~
Survivors of Catastrophic Stress and/or War. 6 N w% p" t* p: |9 x$ l& M; @
But Hadija Lomoyo is not alone in her mental anguish, a clear case of post-traumatic stress disorder. ; u3 I) K* T$ v. ~6 f
Her trauma is obvious because of her physical scars, but the scars of many government-assisted refugees are not so obvious, say advocates.
u1 ^, m: @. H. ^( a/ ]$ \ The francophone association\'s project, about to wrap up its first year, aimed to attract between 30 and 60 clients. Already, the program is helping 65, Nitunga says. ' m1 @# a' u* x* G% T
Participants receive personal and group therapy.
# C4 b# E- a1 P; M0 ~ \"Some of them are living a good life, you think. It still surprises me when someone who seems established and integrated says, \'I\'ve been looking for someone to talk to,\' \" she says. . \. z) ]$ c+ W' R
\"Some say they might have (post-traumatic stress disorder) from seeing family members dying. It is always in their hearts or in their heads. Others are lonely.\"
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Through its Resettlement Assistance Program, Canada accepts more than 7,000 refugees in dire need of resettlement each year -- a $44.5-million humanitarian response to suffering refugees.
( j. _" ?7 K; C) J) M Because of this program, Canada is regarded internationally as being one of the more compassionate countries, says Susan McGrath, head of York University\'s Centre for Refugee Studies.
" [+ F0 ]5 ], U0 K4 D \"But in terms of providing humanitarian assistance on the ground, we are weak,\" she says. \"These people all need extended income support and housing assistance and the one-year time limit (two years for those considered to have special needs) just isn\'t adequate for people. ! g) K- G- R) s# S
\"Our support services on this end are not developed well enough to address these gaps and within a year (government-assisted refugees) are supposed to be independent, but they (often) end up on welfare. And our welfare funding is so inadequate that it is not a sustainable lifestyle. It is difficult.\" " R& y; J$ o# _8 {
Outreach programs for trauma survivors must be an essential part of any compassionate resettlement program geared at people who have been through war, according to the Canadian Centre for Torture Victims in Toronto, which sees 700 new clients each year. # z6 W; p Z* G1 v h6 S5 r) }* C* O
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London has the country\'s highest refugee rate per capita, but the only official trauma counselling program is the francophone association\'s pilot project for francophones. It\'s a start, but not enough, Williamson notes. % F0 v, k6 n7 K4 r' H
Recently, the Cross Cultural Learner Centre, along with partners, applied for funding for a project called Partners in Caring, a community response to refugee trauma. 4 } u3 n1 A. J( Q* x
Williamson has long been an advocate for newcomers and she says she hopes such a program would also help educate the public about effects of war and political trauma.
4 }- E2 R% c6 n7 @ Refugee advocates maintain that once the gaps are filled -- if government-assisted refugees receive true compassionate aid -- refugees will be able to thrive and the entire country will benefit. $ J2 r; F, {" N6 {2 q7 M
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Hadija Lomoyo doesn\'t want to be on assistance forever. She wants to give back, she insists, sitting in the cotton African dress she wears for pictures.
! |% ~1 \% s' q) k( \! [ \"I would like to be a nurse one day. I know a lot about clinical,\" she says. \"Once I get my English, I will continue to train and be a nurse.\"
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& \8 o0 J0 E* u, N. Y WHAT CANADA DOES
6 Y& a/ L+ R& ` - Through Citizenship and Immigration Canada, the federal government spends $44.5 million a year on its Resettlement Assistance Program, it\'s humanitarian response to the world\'s refugee crises. " d% g* S5 t* x: [) z
- Each year, Canada accepts between 7,300 and 7,500 government-assisted refugees, who receive settlement services and monthly financial support for one year after they arrive. * H8 U) P4 @3 E: g
- Before 2002, those with serious medical conditions were not eligible, but a change of legislation that year opened the program to the world\'s most vulnerable refugees. Those with high medical needs are often accepted through Ottawa\'s Joint Assistance Program, and generally receive two years of financial assistance while a private organization such as a church assists.
6 S$ c5 @! z0 ]+ X% b' }2 x! i - Canada also accepts about 4,500 privately sponsored refugees each year. 2 O' `, r3 c+ {5 Q4 Q* T
- London\'s Cross Cultural Learner Centre accepts and helps settle about 400 refugees a year. About 275 of them come through as government-assisted refugees. |
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