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Central Africa Refugee Association Sponsorship Receives Good News
Volume 32 Issue 1, 2 & 3 | Posted: March 14, 2018
The refugee sponsorship project of the Central Africa Refugee Association CARA) was given a great boon recently when the Anglican Diocese in Victoria agreed to advance the sponsorship under its umbrella agreement with the Government of Canada. The Anglican Diocese of British Columbia is a refugee sponsorship Agreement holder with the Federal Government and has been very active with Syrian sponsorships during the past few years.
Rebecca Siebert is the Refugee Sponsorship Coordinator for the diocese. She reported that the CARA sponsorship was going forward on January 22 during a consultation with executive members of CARA including chairperson Anselme Hategekimana, treasurer Dale Perkins (pictured) and myself. As follow-up, five members of CARA attended training workshops on January 26th and 29th.
The refugee sponsorship project of the Central Africa Refugee Association CARA) was given a great boon recently when the Anglican Diocese in Victoria agreed to advance the sponsorship under its umbrella agreement with the Government of Canada. The Anglican Diocese of British Columbia is a refugee sponsorship Agreement holder with the Federal Government and has been very active with Syrian sponsorships during the past few years.
Rebecca Siebert is the Refugee Sponsorship Coordinator for the diocese. She reported that the CARA sponsorship was going forward on January 22 during a consultation with executive members of CARA including chairperson Anselme Hategekimana, treasurer Dale Perkins (pictured) and myself. As follow-up, five members of CARA attended training workshops on January 26th and 29th.
The family sponsorship is of the Yamuremye family, Burundians presently in a refugee settlement camp in Rwanda, which has a population of 70,000. CARA formed to help this family in the early winter of 2016. The family consists of father, Athanase, a medical doctor in his home country, Floriane, the mother is an audiologist. The three children are all under ten years of age.
As a result, CARA has been fund raising for more than two years and was able to meet the Diocese's threshold with nearly $12000 collected toward the estimated 30,000 dollar budget to keep the family for its first year in Canada.
The sponsorship approval process is expected to take more than a year to complete, before the family of five will arrive in Victoria.
As a result of this key development, fund raising is now the current top priority for CARA. Parishes have been identified which may wish to support the group. With up to twenty-four months before the family can be expected to arrive, pledges on a monthly basis have been identified as one way to proceed.
If you would like to make a Pledge to help CARA sponsor the Yamuremye family of five over the next two years, please contact Dale Perkins, c/o Island Catholic News, P.O. Box 5424, Victoria, BC or Pat Jamieson 250-857-5824.