November 4, 2010 - 2:18am
Vancouver Island University students are paying 72 cents each this semester to help Aden Abdi Ahmed start a new life in Canada.
Ahmed travelled more than 14,000 kilometres from a refugee camp near the village of Dadaab in northeastern Kenya to begin his educational journey at VIU.
Born in Somalia, Ahmed was among more than 100,000 refugees living in three camps in the region. According to UNHCR, the United Nations Refugee Agency, more than 600,000 Somali refugees have fled to Kenya and neighbouring African countries since 1991 when the collapse of a dictatorship in Somalia ended any semblance of stability. The death toll from almost 20 years of anarchy and internal fighting is estimated at more than 350,000.
Ahmed lived at the Dadaab camp for 18 years after his mother, father and older brother were all killed in a single day. His sister, with the help of neighbours, led the surviving members of Ahmed’s family to safety across the border. For many, there is little hope of leaving the overcrowded camps as violence and lawlessness prevails in their homeland.
Schools in the camps are packed with students who see education as the best way for young adults to make a difference in their lives and eventually the well-being of their families and potentially their country.
Competition is intense for students to qualify for international aid programs and Ahmed was thrilled to get a letter in June informing him that he is one of about 60 refugee students sponsored by World University Service of Canada (WUSC) committees on campuses across the country.
“In Canada, you have the opportunity to be anything you want to be,” said Ahmed, who is enrolled in the Bachelor of Business Administration program at VIU.
Ahmed is the second refugee to be sponsored at VIU since a small core of concerned students established a branch of WUSC on campus during the 2008/09 academic year.
Through a variety of fundraising events, WUSC raised more than $13,000 to sponsor Liz Atong who was born in southern Sudan and came to Nanaimo from a refugee camp in Kakuma in northern Kenya.
“It’s so impressive the way both students have adjusted to life in Canada,” said Celia White, secretary of the WUSC committee at VIU.
Last spring, VIU Students’ Union held a referendum on a proposal to have each student at VIU contribute 72 cents per semester to sponsor student refugees.
“We had 89 per cent vote in favour of the student levy,” said White. She added that VIU’s WUSC committee still aims to raise $5,000 to support refugee students, primarily through its annual Harambee Gala Community Dinner in April.
Since 1978, WUSC has helped more than 1,000 young men and women resettle in Canada as permanent residents and pursue their education through the Student Refugee Program.
VIU President and Vice-chancellor Ralph Nilson commended students for endorsing ongoing support of refugees. Through the department of International Education, VIU is backing the initiative by providing scholarships to cover tuition fees for the sponsored students.
“All students face challenges to meet their educational goals. Some, like Aden and Liz, have overcome exceptional obstacles to attend classes at VIU,” Nilson said. “We’re proud of our students who have brought this program to VIU and appreciate the strong support of the university community to such a worthwhile initiative.”
Aden, who speaks five languages, was employed as a teacher at the refugee camp and worked with the UN’s refugee agency in Dadaab. He feels up to the challenge of academic life in Nanaimo. While he sees teaching as a “noble” profession he may look at other fields. In the long term, he would like to support changes that improve the quality of life for Africans in refugee camps and in their countries of origin.
“My goal first is to get good grades,” he said.
He is grateful for the ongoing support of WUSC members and their families who met him at the airport, hosted him in their homes and helped him adapt to living in residence. He would love to see an increase in support so that more refugee students can have access to education at VIU and other institutions in Canada.
“WUSC is doing a very good job. Education is the best way to solve problems in countries like Somalia,” he said.
Close to 400 delegates are meeting in Ottawa this weekend at WUSC’s 64th annual assembly. For more on the Student Refugee Program and other WUSC initiatives, visit: wusc.ca
VIU’s WUSC committee will make a presentation Thursday Nov. 18, as part of International Education Week. The public is welcome to the event 5:45 pm in the Library, Room 440.
For more information on WUSC activities at VIU, the Harambee Gala Community Dinner or how to make a tax-deductable donation, email wusc.viu@gmail.com
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Tags: In the Community
