When the Syrian civil war broke out in 2011, no one foresaw the devastation it would lead to. The war kept raging. Weeks turned into months and months turned into years. When the international community witnessed the horrors of war through news media, they were determined to intervene. One such voice was that of Justin Trudeau. He vowed to bring in 25,000 displaced refugees into Canada and he stood by his word. Adbul Jabbar, his wife and two kids were among the displaced Syrian refugees that got accepted into Canada.
When the Jabbars first arrived in British Columbia, they were placed in a Surrey hotel and were provided winter clothing. The Jabbars’ expenses were all paid by the Canadian government. Once they moved into their rental apartment, they were allocated a monthly stipend to pay for rent, food, and other expenses for the first year. Upon the completion of the first year, they were expected to become financially independent.
Being new to Canada, Abdul didn’t know a word of English. He was a truck driver in Syria and his wife was a pharmacist technician. Abdul drove a truck for over twenty years in Syria. It’s all he knew. Naturally, he wanted to continue working in this trade in Canada and for that he needed a driver’s license. Abdul visited a driver licensing office in Vancouver along with the Muslim Food Bank caseworker, Saira Saleem. Saira had taken up the Jabbars’ case only three months after their arrival in Canada. Saira helped fill out Abdul’s licensing forms and interpreted his conversations with the office representatives.
There was a problem though. The licensing officer would not accept Abdul’s driving experience from back home. Saira thought if his Syrian experience is not accepted, Abdul would have to wait years before being able to sit for a test to be licensed to drive commercial vehicles such as trucks. She knew how much Adbul wanted to start working.
Saira didn’t give up. She took him to another driver licensing office. Fortunately, that branch added Abdul’s previous driving experience to his file. Abdul now has his full license to drive small cars. Next, he needs to learn English because the test for driving trucks has to be taken in English. He attends English classes from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. He can’t wait to speak English fluently.
“The biggest barrier for this family is language,” said Saira. She recalls Abdul telling her about his days in the densely-populated refugee camp in Jordan. Abdul, his wife and two kids were forced to stay there for one whole year before they emigrated to Canada. Abdul had to work twenty hours a day to earn enough just to get by. He is glad that’s not the case here. What’s more, his kids get to attend school. There were no schools in the refugee camp they were in.
A few months ago, a bank teller wouldn’t open an account for Abdul because he couldn’t provide his social insurance number. Abdul didn’t know what a social insurance number was, he didn’t have one in Syria. He called Saira and she helped him out. Saira also helped Abdul apply for extended healthcare insurance. This was important for Abdul because he suffers from rheumatoid arthritis and his medicines costs add up quickly.
“When someone asks you for help, it’s a gift from God,” Saira says about managing the Jabbar family’s case. She is modest when talking about her contribution in Abdul’s success. She says these are only the first steps of his journey in Canada and that he will accomplish a lot more on his own.