Needs For Hope Festival Brings Hope To Refugees

MELISSA HIEBERT STAFF

Many people do not know how hard it is for refugees who have just immigrated to Canada. They have often faced horrible atrocities in their home countries, and have more obstacles to overcome upon arriving to Canada. Fortunately, there are centres such as the NEEDS centre for war-affected families to help make the transition a little easier.

The NEEDS centre strives to provide a safe environment for refugees, and offer them accessible services and support. The centre offers a number of programs, ranging from ESL classes to computer classes, and also counselling and children’s summer programs.

Through one of the programs offered by the centre called the host family program, families from Winnipeg were paired up with families from the Sudanese community. Both families would attend various seminars on topics such as gang violence, the Internet, and the culture and history of Sudan. One of the goals of the program was

to provide refugee parents and their children with information that would help them keep refugee children out of gangs, and assist them with other aspects of life in Winnipeg.

Rebecca Coish — who first got involved with the NEEDS centre in 2001 by organizing a collection of stuffed animals to donate to the centre — along with her family, were chosen to participate in the program. “Our experience as a host family has been both challenging and extremely, extremely rewarding,” said Rebecca. She said that she and her family became very close friends with the host family, spending Canada Day, birthdays, and other holidays together.

“The mother in our partner family spent two days braiding my hair into tiny braids,” said Rebecca, reminiscing about her experiences as being part of a host family. “When she was done, she said, ‘Now you are not a Canadian woman. You are an African woman.’ It’s hard to describe the wonderful feeling caused by sharing our different cultures in a positive environment.”

In addition to being a part of the host family program, Rebecca Coish is also the 2006-2007 chair of U of M Amnesty International, and a winner of a Millennium Excellence Award in 2005. She then had the opportunity to apply for a Millennium Grant of $2,500, to partner with a registered charitable organization and put on a community-based event. Inspired by Paul Rusesabagina’s lecture last year at the U of M, Rebecca decided to host a concert to raise awareness about travel debt, and also raise awareness and funds for the new ROUTE program for crime prevention among at-risk refugee youth. She also wants to introduce more people to the centre.

The NEEDS for Hope Festival will be held on Saturday, August 26 from 12-4 at Old Market Square. The event is free, but donations to the NEEDS Centre are welcome. The festival will include food, dancing, multicultural musical acts, and storytellers and face painters. It is a great way to get out and experience some cultural diversity, as well as helping out a good cause. “I hope that it will help to be a bridge between refugees in Winnipeg and other Winnipeggers,” said Rebecca. “Sometimes I think that if we all know a little bit more about each other, and know more people from cultures other than our own on an individual basis, as friends, there might be fewer conflicts overall in the world. Just a thought though.”