Don’t think you need medical insurance? Think again.

Asif Raza, a young man with no health issues, ended up with a hefty medical bill due to a work-related injury. Asif worked at a warehouse in Surrey. His duties included lifting boxes and placing stock on shelves.

One afternoon, he received a call from his manager to let him know there is a shift available for him to pick up. Asif never said no to extra shifts, he worked overtime almost every week. Why wouldn’t he? He came all the way to Canada from his native Tunisia just so he could work and save money to send to his family back home.

Asif put on his uniform and got on the bus to his workplace. As soon as he swiped his card and entered the warehouse, he slipped on the wet floor and landed on his back. The pain was severe but Asif was yet to realize that the medical bill for this injury would set him back his entire life savings.

 Asif like many individuals with a low income had opted out of BC’s medical services plan (MSP) out of necessity. With insurance rates being as high as $75 a month, the choice was between putting food on the table for his family and paying for medical insurance he thought he will not need.

The injury had now put Asif out of work which is why he was behind on his rent.

 Asif was worried he will be given the notice to evacuate his apartment for not being able to pay his rent on time so he reached out to the Muslim Food Bank & Community Services for assistance. Hiba Ali, a senior caseworker, was assigned the task of helping Asif overcome his challenges. Upon speaking to Asif, Hiba knew that the biggest regret he had was that he did not purchase insurance.

Hiba spoke to Asif about asking his landlady for an extension for the rent that was due. Asif said he was not comfortable doing so because it wouldn’t be his first time asking her for more time. Another option was receiving help from a charity organization known as the National Zakat Foundation which is based out of Ontario. Asif wouldn’t accept that either. To Asif, it wasn’t just about money, it was about his self-respect. Though Asif would not be able to work in a labour position, he knew he could still work in a role that involved no heavy lifting. He just needed respite in the form of a loan for the time being so he could pay his rent. He planned to start working soon and pay the loan back.

Hiba was able to find Asif a loan that could be paid back in installments. She also connected Asif with employers who were looking to fill some vacancies. After going for several interviews, Asif secured a job at a company in Surrey doing inventory count and was able to pay the loan in installments.

Asif is among many foreign workers in Canada who contribute not only to the Canadian workplace but also strive hard to make the lives of those they live behind better by sending a chunk of their salary home.

Oftentimes, there are stereotypes associated with poor people, not the least of which is that such people are lazy and that they would rather receive financial assistance than work hard to pay for their living expenses. The reality is that these are people who can’t make ends meet due to unforeseen circumstances and, on top of that, they don’t have any close relatives or friends to fall back on. In a lot of ways, the Muslim Food Bank & Community Services tries to fill that gap by being a safety net for the needy and the disadvantaged.

Every immigrant in Canada has a story to tell. For Amaan Ali, it all started at a young age in a northwestern city of Iraq. Like any kid his age, Amaan had little to worry about. His days were spent playing with his friends.

One morning, Amaan woke up with high fever and an excruciating pain in both his legs.

Seeing his condition, Amaan’s father didn’t wait long. He picked Amaan up and carried him on his back to the makeshift clinic two miles away. The doctor diagnosed Amaan with polio and told his father that Amaan’s legs are paralysed because he was never given polio vaccine.

The doctor said Amaan would never walk again.

Over the years, Amaan learned more than just walking on crutches. He learned how to work around his disability and run the family business. He learned how to stand firm against all odds to earn a livelihood for his wife and three kids.

Just when things started to look up for Amaan and his family, Iraq was invaded. The radio blasted news of civilians being killed across the country. The bombs spared very few schools, the rockets avoided very few hospitals. Very few buildings stayed erect.

The warring parties changed but the war raged on. As the years went by, Amaan somehow managed to drown out the noise of bombs falling on his city but he wasn’t able to quiet the noise in his head. He feared losing his wife to a bullet. He feared losing his son to a landmine. He feared losing his daughters to shrapnel.

When Amaan heard about Canada accepting Iraqi refugees, the decision to emigrate was a no-brainer. What’s more, he heard that people with disabilities receive a lot of support from the government. With this hope, Amaan went through the application process. He had a plan. He would first move to Canada and find a job. Once he settles down and earns an income, he would sponsor his wife and kids.

Shaima Ahmad, 55, lived in a small Syrian town with her husband Dawud and their six children. She lived the modest life of a lower-middle class family and her days were occupied with taking care of her children. One rainy morning, Shaima spoke to her husband about the possibility of having breast cancer. All her symptoms matched what she had heard of about this debilitating disease. Of course, she didn’t let her children get wind of her fears because she didn’t want to cause them distress.

When Shaima and Dawud consulted the cancer specialist in a hospital two towns away from home, their worst fears were realized. Two words rang aloud in Shaima’s head. Breast. Cancer. In the weeks and months that followed, Shaima and Dawud made countless trips to the hospital. At first, Shaima walked to the cancer ward side by side with Dawud. After a few rounds of treatment, Dawud had to carry her in a wheelchair.

Though the doctors were able to overcome the cancer, they were not able to control the side-effects associated with cancer treatment. Shaima developed lymphedema in her left arm.

Lymphedema – often associated with breast cancer – is the swelling of the lymphatic vessels caused by the backup of fluids in tissues. Shaima did her best to hide the excruciating pain that she lived with every day from her family. Dawud also buried the stress related to the crippling cost of the cancer treatment within himself.

Just when Shaima thought her life couldn’t get any more trying, her country plunged into civil war. Shaima dragged her aching body to join her family in fleeing Syria. Life as a refugee is tough enough for people with no health issues but it’s so much worse for those with a disability. Research done by the United Nations supports this notion when it states that “refugees with disabilities are more likely to be sidelined in every aspect of humanitarian assistance due to physical, environmental and societal barriers against accessing information, health and rehabilitation services and human rights protection.” The Ahmads spent months in neighboring Jordan during which time Shaima did not have access to a doctor.

Not all of Shaima and Dawud’s children were with them when they were flown into Canada in December, 2016, as part of the Canadian government’s efforts to give home to displaced Syrian refugees. One of their sons had fled to Iraq and the other to Turkey, each deeming the country they chose as a safer option. When the Muslim Food Bank & Community Services caseworker, Mariam, took up the Ahmads’ case three months after their arrival in Canada the one thing that struck her the most was the newly-arrived couple’s concern for the sons they’d left behind.

“They worry for the children that were not able to join them here,” Mariam says. After having worked with numerous refugee families, Mariam is well-acquainted with how dispersed refugee families can be all across the globe. Oftentimes, refugees have no extended families in the countries they’re accepted into. Shaima’s family is no different.

One thing that made a big difference in Shaima’s health was the medical bed that the Muslim Food Bank was able to arrange for her. Since the Ahmads were starting their life in Surrey, B.C., from scratch, they had no furniture in their new apartment. Through word of mouth, Mariam was able to secure a sofa set for the Ahmads from her friend, Christina.

Both Shaima and Dawud were touched by Christina’s gesture, so much so that they felt like they have a family in Canada that supports them. To show their gratitude, they invited Christina over for dinner along with Mariam. Mariam is originally Palestinian and interprets for the Ahmads between English and her mother tongue, Arabic.

For Christina, it was a learning experience to spend time with this Syrian family. She had never met Syrian people before. She had only seen them on the news. When Christina interacted with the Ahmads, her views about Syrian refugees totally changed.

“It’s not like what you see on TV. When you sit and talk with them, it’s so easy relate to them,” Christina told Mariam. To Christina, the Ahmads were more than just numbers. They were people just like her with the same dreams and goals, though they had seen far too much in the days gone by.

Shaima and Dawud have trouble recounting the horrors of war they went through. The wounds are too fresh to uncover. Over the past six months of being their caseworker, Mariam has been careful not to enliven their memories.

“Whatever she volunteers to tell me, I listen. I never inquire more than what she willingly shares,” Mariam says about Shaima.

All Shaima and Dawud want at this point in life is to have a stable life with all their children, including the ones in Iraq and Turkey. The Muslim Food Bank is playing their part in bringing normalcy back into the Ahmads’ lives.

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.

At the height of the Syrian upheaval in 2013, Taha Abadi witnessed the destruction of his hometown before his eyes. Bullet holes covered the walls of schools and hospitals. The noise of the shootings silenced the streets and the falling of the bombs forced people to run for safety every few days. What the United Nations dubbed as ‘the great tragedy of our century’ was Taha’s reality though it all felt like a terrible nightmare.

Not a single day went by when Taha didn’t imagine the worst case scenario for his four kids. The throes of war forced him to move his young family to Jordan but moving to a new country didn’t come without challenges. How was Taha going to pay for rent and food? Taha wasn’t picky about what kind of work he is willing to do. He took up the first job that came his way so he could put food on the table.

After many years of sheer struggle, things finally took a turn for the better when Taha’s application to seek asylum in Canada was accepted.

When Taha first arrived in BC last year, he wasn’t sure if he should go back to school, get some sort of certification, learn English or look for flooring work, a trade he had years of experience in. But he was sure of one thing and that was to become financially independent within one year of immigrating to Canada.

The Muslim Food Bank & Community Services tasked caseworker Saalih Abdurraheem in helping Taha navigate the Canadian job market. When Saalih first met Taha, he really appreciated his keen interest in being able to provide for his family himself.

“He insisted that he doesn’t want to go on welfare assistance,” Saalih recalls. Saalih’s familiarity with Syrian culture helped him in creating a trusting bond with Taha and his family. Saalih lived in Syria for fifteen years before he moved to Canada and knows all too much about what it’s like to be a refugee. He is among hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians who were forced to take refuge in neighboring countries such as Syria, Jordan and Lebanon.

Saalih was determined to help Taha not only secure a job but to also support him overcome the challenges that come with being newcomers in Canada.

“Newcomers miss their family back home and go through what is called cultural shock,” Saalih explains. “In the first few months, they feel that they are not going to be able to adapt to fit in the new environment.”

Saalih consoled Taha by telling him that every new immigrant to Canada goes through this period and that patience is key to overcoming this difficult phase. Saalih also understood that being the breadwinner what Taha needed most was finding work.

Saalih felt that Taha’s inability to speak English would be an impediment to securing a job but he didn’t give up. He taught Taha the basics of how the job market here works and created a resume for him from scratch. He also encouraged Taha to volunteer so he would have some Canadian experience to speak of.

Having connections in the local construction industry also came in handy. Saalih referred Taha to his friend, Zayn, who works in flooring.

After just one day of Taha volunteering with Zayn, he was offered a job.

Six month later, Saalih met Taha to get an update on how he is doing.

Saalih was delighted to find out that Taha had secured a contract to do flooring for all sixteen storeys of an apartment building. Taha didn’t have to tell Saalih how happy he was, he could see it in his eyes.

“I am really very, very happy for him,” Saalih said. He is quite amazed at the level of success Taha has achieved in such a short amount of time and credits Taha’s determination for it.

Ghulam Muhammad was a physician in the southern Afghan city of Kandahar. He had four kids who were nothing like each other yet Ghulam could never decide whom he loved the most.

Though Ghulam created a comfortable life for his wife and kids, he couldn’t stop worrying about their safety outside the home. It was the constant gun fires, bombs and rockets that kept him up at night.

Ghulam didn’t remember a time when Afghanistan was peaceful. In 2012, at the height of war, Afghanistan had reached all world records. The world’s poorest country, the country with the lowest literacy rate, the country with the world’s biggest refugee population. To Ghulam, these were more than just statistics. They were the bitter truths of his life.

Ghulam and his wife, Zainab, decided that they will not accept the fate that Afghans were destined with. They packed their bags in the hopes of finding refuge somewhere far away. Ghulam didn’t have enough money to pay for his three older kids, Raihan, Kaihan and Aisha’s voyage so he had to leave them behind. He requested his cousin to care for them until he had a home ready for them someplace safe. Zainab cradled her one-year-old daughter as they left for a journey very few people dare to take on. It was a journey through continents.

First the Muhammads travelled to Europe. From there they immigrated to the U.S. where they lived for three years. When Ghulam’s family arrived in Canada in November, 2015, they first settled in New Westminster. Tariq Aziz, a caseworker at the Muslim Food Bank & Community Services, was handed Ghulam’s case two months into their arrival. To Tariq it was clear that Ghulam and Zainab’s biggest struggle was separation from their kids. Their eyes thirsted to see each one of the kids they’d left behind.

“Ghulam only ever talked about his kids that were back home,” Tariq recalls. Tariq is just one among many volunteers that work for the ASPIRE community services program designed to help individuals and families stand on their own feet. ASPIRE stands for Actualizing Self-Reliance by Providing Inspiration, Resources and Education. Each client in the ASPIRE Community Services