Helping Refugees Come to Canada

Refugee relocation helps people from around the world escape persecution and begin a new life in Canada. World Vision works with 95 churches and groups across the country to help refugees resettle in Canada.

How the Refugee Program Started
In 1979 the Communist party overtook Vietnam and thousands of people were fleeing by boat. In response, the Canadian government introduced a program through which a private group or organization could provide settlement assistance for a refugee family. World Vision was one of the first organizations to get involved in the program and has helped more than 3,000 refugees settle in Canada.

What Churches Do
Churches and groups who partner with World Vision commit to helping a refugee for at least one year. This assistance includes finding accommodations, providing clothing and food, and helping refugees adjust to Canadian culture.

Olga’s Story
Originally from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Olga Vumillia and her parents fled ethnic fighting in 1994 and wound up in a refugee camp in Malawi. Both of Vumillia’s parents died of AIDS-related diseases by the time she was seven. Vumillia had to stay in the camp with a family who neglected her physical and emotional needs.

Fortunately, Vumillia had a connection in Canada. Her aunt, Adela, and five cousins were living in Deer Lake, Newfoundland. World Vision and Emmanuel Pentecostal Church had helped them escape the same Malawian refugee camp in 1999. After she arrived in Canada, Adela worked with Emmanuel Pentecostal Church and World Vision to bring Vumillia to Canada. In 2002, when Vumillia was only 10 years old, she traveled from Malawi to Newfoundland to be reunited with her family.

“I want to help people and tell them about my family and how they can make things better. My dream is to be a lawyer, and work with World Vision,” Vumillia says.

F or information on how your church or group can help a refugee begin a new life in Canada, please call Diane Dicks, World Vision’s refugee sponsorship administrator, at 416-588-9277, ext. 25.