Since anti-government demonstrations began in 2011, Syria has been in an unrelenting state of civil war. Many Syrians have been forced to leave their homes and seek refuge in neighbouring countries including Turkey, Jordan, Iraq and Lebanon. It is estimated that by the end of 2015, there will be more than 4.25 million Syrian refugees, making it one of the greatest refugee crises of all time.
Sadly, as unimaginable and horrific as the situation in Syria is and how hard is is for many of us to comprehend, it is not unique. In recent months, media have provided extensive coverage of the Syrian refugee crisis, bringing the global issues surrounding refugees to the forefront of public attention. Many institutions, communities and individuals have begun exploring how they can support refugees through providing essential services, sponsorship, funding, and awareness and educational campaigns.
Making a difference
Earlier this week, Dalhousie President Richard Florizone announced the university was launching a 40-day crowd-funding campaign to raise funds to create additional placements at Dal through its partnership with World University Service of Canada (WUSC). The funds will support two refugee students looking to continue their studies.
The Dalhousie Student Refugee Fund (DalSRF) aims to raise $24,000, with the university committing to match every dollar raised by the campaign. As of press time, the campaign has already raised more than $6,500.
Learn more: Donate to the Dalhousie Student Refugee Fund
Since 1981, Dalhousie has sponsored over 50 students through its partnership with WUSC.
“Students come from refugee camps where Canadian aid workers and their affiliates have identified them as having sufficient ability and academic preparation to succeed in Canadian universities; the process is highly competitive,” explains Theresa Ulicki, assistant professor in International Development Studies and faculty advisor for Dalhousie’s WUSC Student Refugee Sponsorship Program. “During the past decade, most of the students we have sponsored have been Somali and South Sudanese. However, this year we also sponsored one student from Syria.”
Uicki says with additional placements being created, WUSC could also benefit from increased student volunteer support. She encourages students to email wusc@dal.ca for further information on how they can help.
The university is also encouraging the community to offer its support to Immigrant Services Association of Nova Scotia (ISANS), as the organization provides greatly needed services that help refugees settling in the area acclimatize to their new community.
“It is important to recognize the work of local organizations who work tirelessly to provide resources that ease the plight of refugees coming to Nova Scotia” said Alain Boutet, Dalhousie's executive director of international relations.
“With Prime Minister Trudeau’s commitment to welcome 25,000 refugees by years’ end, it is crucial the community come together and offer support to ISANS so that it can accommodate the demands of such a large influx of refugees settling in Nova Scotia.”
Building on existing supports
Dalhousie has a long history of providing refugees with services that help them acclimatize to their new community and ease the overwhelming pressure that comes with relocating to a new country.
The Dalhousie Student Union (DSU) and Dalhousie Faculty Association (DFA) contribute to our current student refugee placements by collecting a levy from their members that supports WUSC placements at Dal. The Faculty of Dentistry provides dental care to approximately 60 refugees annually, free of charge. Students in the Dentistry program have also sponsored a Syrian refugee family. The Faculty of Medicine in partnership with Capital Health and ISANS, provide free medical services to refugees.
The Schulich School of Law collaborates with ISANS to offer a pro-bono legal information clinic to refugees that focuses on basic social legal rights, including access to education for children of refugee families and equal wages. The clinic also assists refugees with making one-year window applications. This is only a small sample of how our Dalhousie community has come together to address refugee crises.
Many universities across the country have answered WUSC’s call-to-action to increase support for student refugees. In a memo sent out to the Dalhousie community, President Florizone said, “I am inspired by our community’s responsiveness to provide assistance to refugees fleeing conflict in their home countries, and I am committed to ensuring that Dalhousie continues to play a meaningful and sustainable role in addressing the global refugee crisis.”
To learn more about how you can help with Dalhousie’s efforts to increase support to student refugees on campus, visit projectdal.ca. If you are not in a position to donate, you can support the Dalhousie Student Refugee Fund by spreading the word about the campaign, including using the hashtag #DalSRF.
Donate: Dalhousie Student Refugee Fund