Stories of friendship and support were front and centre Saturday in a celebration of Canadian host families.
Refugees came together with their Canadian friends at the St. James Civic Centre to recognize shared journeys, while enjoying food, music, and cultural dancing.
The appreciation party was put on by the Manitoba Interfaith Immigration Council.
The organization encourages friendship by matching hosts with refugee families.
One woman named Souad, from Syria, said the Canadians she has been paired with have helped her and her family.
"They're very supportive, very helpful, very good people. They're trying to help us in many, many ways," she said.
Despite language differences, her Canadian friends do what they can to simplify things, making communication between them easier.
Souad said she has learned a lot from her Canadian family, from daily basics like what to do in a supermarket and find various places, to learning about Canadian culture.
Vic and Judy Thiessen have befriended a Syrian family. The couple is working to provide a welcoming environment by spending time with the mom, dad and four kids.
Vic said the two families get together once or twice a week and have enjoyed bonding over food.
"We've had a number of really good visits with them, where they've made a meal for us, a typical Syrian meal. And we've had the opportunity to reciprocate and have them over for a Canadian meal," he said.
Judy called the experience with the family a “journey.”
“But we’re doing pretty well, learning to communicate with them and they’re learning English, and it’s going very well,” she said.
The children, who are in school, will often translate for other members of their family, said Vic.
The MIIC program started last September and has already matched 30 refugee families with Canadians. They're hoping to recruit 60 more host families this year.
