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They Adopted Refugee Families for 12 Months. Then Came 'Month 13.'
They Adopted Refugee Families for 12 Months. Then Came 'Month 13.'
They Adopted Refugee Families for 12 Months. Then Came 'Month 13.' Damon Winter / The New York Times TORONTO - One year after Canada embraced Syrian refugees like no other country, a reckoning was underway. Ordinary Canadians had essentially adopted thousands of Syrian families, donating a year of their time and money to guide them into new lives just as many other countries shunned them.
nytimes.com
A deep look at the dynamics of private refugee sponsorship and dependency issues.




I finally got around to reading this article last night. Thanks for sharing! It's great that Canada is willing to experiment with their refugee resettlement system and put responsibility in the hands of ordinary citizens instead of overworked government employees. It gives the new arrivals a greater connection to larger Canadian society and ensures that they don't seclude themselves in ethnic ghettos. It's also harder to leech off the system if there are bunch of people holding you accountable. The article expresses some worries about whether they'll be able to make it, but I think the numbers are very encouraging.
And it's definitely a generational investment. You can't really expect a Syrian farmer with an elementary school education to ascend into a middle class North American lifestyle. But their children, who will get the benefit of a Canadian education, will have more of a chance.