War refugees: “I lost everything, but Canada offered me a second chance”

A “second chance” is how three refugees describe their experiences in Canada after fleeing armed conflict in their home countries. Having survived the war, they are optimistic about their future in their new home.

Arriving in Saskatoon in October 2022 with her son, Victoriia Zakharchuk left the rest of her family in Ukraine.

A teacher in Lutsk, about 367 km west of kyiv in Ukraine, Ms Zakharchuk was preparing for the start of the school year when she heard the Russian missile strikes.

I couldn’t believe it because I had an important meeting and was preparing my presentation.she recalls. : \”Victoriia, the war has begun\”.”,”text”:”I remember my mother calling me and saying: \”Victoriia, the war has begun\”.}}”>I remember my mother called me and said, “Victoriia, the war has started.”

At the request of her mother, Victoriia Zakharchuk took refuge in the countryside to ensure her safety. After a stay with her parents, she opted for Italy expecting the situation to improve, but the Russian invasion of Ukraine, underway for more than two years, has only gotten worse.

Even though my heart still aches for my home country and my family members as the war continues, I am very grateful because I can see my son’s future here.explains the Ukrainian refugee.

Despite the fact that we arrived here without knowing anyone, with only one bag and a very heavy heart, the kindness, welcoming hearts and open arms of the Canadians who offered us their support made our lives more meaningful.

Today, she teaches English to other Ukrainians and works as a translator at the non-profit Open Door Society the Saskatoon.

Canada is a place where my mother and father are safe

Soomaya Javadi fled discrimination and the threat of death in Afghanistan with the Taliban coming to power in 2021.

As a woman and a member of the Hazara ethnic and religious minority, a community living in Afghanistan and Pakistan, Soomaya Javadi describes feeling stifling oppression in her own country.

When Kabul fell to the Taliban and we fled the country, I was constantly afraid of losing my mother, my father, at any minuteshe explains. What does Canada mean to me? Canada is a place where my mother and father are safe.

I lost everything. But Canada gave me a second chance.

I remember the first time I stepped outside of Saskatoon and looked out at the horizon, the prairies where the sky meets the ground and the red sun sets and disappears in the evening, I fell in love with it.says the Afghan refugee.

Soomaya Javadi abandoned her dental studies when the Taliban came to power, but she managed to resume her academic career at the University of Saskatchewan.

Just like Soomaya Javadi, Umul Banin Arjmand undertook the same perilous journey from Afghanistan.

Currently studying international studies at the University of Saskatchewan, she has found notable success at the City of Bridges, receiving a $100,000 scholarship as the recipient of the prestigious award. Loran.

Coming from a family of eight children, Umul Banin Arjmand is the only one to live in Canada. His other siblings live in the United States and Norway, while three remained in Afghanistan under Taliban rule.

Although she feels lucky to be here, Canada doesn’t exactly match her initial expectations, she notes.

The newcomer believes that there is still much to accomplish in terms of equality, freedom and reconciliation with indigenous peoples in Canada.

When you’re in another part of the world you don’t hear much about it and it’s sort of in the shadowsaffirme Umul Banin Arjmand. But when you come here and see all this, it’s totally different.

With information from Aishwarya Dudha