Afghan families begin to arrive in Sherbrooke

Claiming to want to participate in the humanitarian effort, Quebec announced the reception of a cohort of 300 Afghans who were to arrive in the wake of the evacuations of thousands of refugees since the capture of Kabul by the Taliban on August 15. This welcome has now started when two Afghan families have just packed their bags in Sherbrooke. The duty met one of them.

At the stroke of noon, it is dead calm in front of the Motel La Marquise, undoubtedly far from the chaotic climate that reigns in Kabul. Sitting at a picnic table, four adults and three older children discuss what we perceive – with a certain margin of error – to be Dari, one of the languages ​​spoken in Afghanistan. After a few timid glances exchanged and brief greetings in English, a chair is immediately added to the end of the table.

“We left a day before the Taliban took power,” says Zaki, who does not give his real name because he still has family in the country.

Aged 20, the young man with slanted eyes tells with few words but in good English how the life of his family turned upside down on August 3. He and his mother worked for the Canadian Embassy and Canadian diplomats, seeing that the Taliban was rapidly gaining ground, offered to take some effects. Escorted in an armed forces convoy, they were then transferred to Zohak Village, a guarded area adjacent to the airport. About ten days later, on August 14, this family of two adults and three children was suddenly evacuated to Kuwait in a military plane, a day before the capture of Kabul. “I knew this might be the last time I saw my country,” Zaki dropped, looking at his mother staring into space.

“If I may, it’s hard to think we’re going to go back. You can’t even survive there. After 40 years of war, we have lost hope, ”intervened Amir, an Afghan who arrived in Sherbrooke a year and a half ago, who kept his name for the same security reasons. “Here, we are free and safe,” insisted this man who, after 4 years of separation, is relieved by his reunion with this family with whom he and his wife are related.

The installation challenge

The integration challenge for this new family of two adults and three children is no less great. For these newcomers who are starting from scratch, everything is to be done, explains Mercedes Orellana, director of the Assistance Service for New Canadians. And since they stay at the hotel, accommodation is among the most pressing needs right now. It is also necessary that the owners are open to rent without a credit investigation or guarantor. “We know owners with whom we do business and who have good experiences with immigrants,” says Ms. Orellana. “They will have last resort financial assistance [et des allocations familiales des deux paliers de gouvernements] but they are not rich people. A 5 and a half at $ 1,200 is overpriced. “

While waiting for them to settle into their own accommodation, living expenses, such as hotel, food, and transportation to the host organization are paid for through a budget from the Ministry ofimmigration, Francization and Integration (MIFI). Drawn from the roughly $ 650 million that the federal government gives to the Quebec government under the Canada-Quebec Accord, this budget is also used to purchase basic furniture and other expenses necessary for an installation.

Hard at work, the Assistance Service for New Canadians has for the moment mainly contented itself with welcoming them and helping them fill out a few important forms. “It’s the human contact that counts,” says Orellana.

Attractive, Quebec?

Two weeks ago, the Quebec government announced that it was ready to receive some 300 Afghan refugees – among the thousands who were evacuated – who were finishing their quarantine in Toronto. The MIFI did not want to specify their destination, simply stating that “six of the 14 host cities for refugees taken in by the State have been designated”.

Home to the second largest Afghan community, Sherbrooke is certainly a destination of choice, where some 75 people (10-12 families) were originally due to arrive, maintains Mercedes Orellana. “It was a hypothetical number but […] we won’t have as many as we initially thought. The Afghans arrive in Toronto, they know English and for many, there is the attraction effect of the big cities. “

According to her, the MIFI agents who are on site in Toronto are making commendable efforts to “explain, promote and sell Quebec”. An Afghan worker from the New Canadians Assistance Service is also on site to facilitate the operation. “It’s a lot of work to be able to identify if they knew people here, are they going to be comfortable in the region where they are destined, do they want to live in a region like ours… C is good to check because it will be a retention factor for later. “

Still, no one is forced to choose Quebec. “It’s still the family’s decision,” she said. However, having a close relative in one of the host cities in Quebec remains an important factor of attraction. This was the case for Zaki’s family, who have close relatives in Sherbrooke, Granby and the greater Montreal area. But not all have these links.

With barely 48 hours in the queen of the Eastern Townships, Zaki already seems to appreciate the city he finds “beautiful and clean”. His plans for the future are as nebulous as those for the short term, but already he knows he wanted to immerse himself in the culture. “I don’t know what I’m going to study in but I’m going to study French, that’s for sure,” he said. And a small sign that he has begun his integration, this young man whose heart has remained in Kabul has already changed the city of residence of his Facebook profile to “Sherbrooke”.

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