The Guardian PE
Friday October 13, 2017
By Maureen Coulter
Muna Nuur, left, Hodan Nuur and Ubah Ali, are three siblings in the Nuur family who were privately sponsored to immigrate to Canada in recent years. A fundraising event was recently held by the St. Dunstan’s Basilica refugee committee to raise money for the last sibling, Ruan, and her children. ©THE GUARDIAN/Maureen Coulter
Ubah Ali of Somalia can’t wait for her family to be together again.
In 2009, Ali came to P.E.I., along with her seven children, as privately sponsored refugees through the First Baptist Church in Charlottetown.
“I feel very lucky,” Ali said on immigrating to Canada. “I’m really thankful every Thanksgiving Day for what I have and how I got here.”
As she went about rebuilding her life in Charlottetown, she couldn’t forget the siblings she left behind.
Ali fled her homeland to find safety at the Kakuma Refugee Camp in Kenya following the execution of her father by rebel troops outside the family home in Somalia.
At first, her remaining family members didn’t flee the country like Ali.
“I told them Somalia is not going to be our home in the war,” said Ali. “We can’t be without government and without rules.”
As rebel troops continued to terrorize the country, the surviving family members eventually fled to Kakuma Refugee Camp after Ali arrived in Canada.
In 2012, she appealed to the St. Dunstan’s Basilica Parish refugee committee, which agreed to sponsor the remaining members of the Nuur family to immigrate to Canada.
“They are part of my family. They are more than just a group or organization,” said Ali. “I’m very grateful to them, everybody has supported and stood with me to get my family reunited again.”
So far, 10 family members have come to P.E.I., with the last sibling, Ruan, 27, and her two children, Hodan, 2, and Mohamed, 1, still to arrive.
A fundraising show was held recently at Murphy’s Community Centre on in support of the Nuur family with all of the funds going towards the reunification of the remaining family members.
The evening was hosted by the St. Dunstan’s Basilica Parish refugee committee and consisted of storytelling and music by Island artists.
Tanya LeClair of Winsloe was in attendance with her friend, Estelle Hennessey, and was eager to see storytellers Gary Evans, Dennis King and Alan Buchanan.
LeClair said she is happy to hear the money raised at the event was going towards a worthy cause for a family that has gone through so much.
“I think it’s amazing,” said LeClair. “It was nice to see some of the family here.”
Dan Doran, chairman of the refugee committee, said they hope to have enough money raised by Christmas for Ruan, Hodan and Mohamed.
When the family arrives, everything will be provided for one year including rent, clothes and food.
“It’s emotional to say the least,” said Doran. “You start this process and then the waiting is just the hardest part.”
In the meantime, the refugee committee is sending money to ensure Ruan and her children have adequate food and some basic English Language Services (ELS) training at the refugee camp.