It has been nearly 6 months since the two families of Karen refugees arrived at Vancouver International Airport. The families, consisting of two young couples each with a toddler were met by representatives of North Vancouver deanery churches who drove them to their new homes in Surrey 48 hours after they had bid farewell to their bamboo huts in a camp on the Thailand/Burma border.
A great deal has happened in these past weeks as they have begun to adapt to a world that must be overwhelming for them.
The news of the arrival and the welcome received by the families has been featured a number of times in diocesan communications but the January 21st publication of an article by Daniel Pi in the North Shore Outlook marks the first acknowledgment of their arrival by the news media. The story was picked up by the Surrey Leader and published, January 27th. To link please click
A NEW LIFE IN CANADA.
Kler Paw is the only one of the four adults with fluency in English and he is a very bright and educated person with training in education and theology.
The two men are due to begin work at a recycling plant in Surrey in the next few days.
Another exciting event coming up will be a profile on a Cable Access televison show produced by Shaw.
Diocesan Communications will hopefully be there to cover the event and share the experience with those who visit this website and read the TOPIC newspaper.
North Vancouver deanery churches involved with the sponsorship of the Karen families are: St. Agnes, St. Catherine's, Capilano, St. Clare-in-the-Cove, St. Clement's, St John the Evangelist, St Martin's and parishioners from the recently closed St. Richard of Chichester, with participation from Highlands United. St. Helen's Surrey (who have contributed $2000 to the fund that supports the families) and Church of the Epiphany also support the families. They have lay people who visit and some Karen folks attend St. Helen's.