Couple desperate to bring family from Syria to Winnipeg in 2016

WINNIPEG — Joseph Chaeban and his wife Zainab Ali have lived in Canada for more than a decade, but they’re hoping 2016 will bring them more family.

They want to bring Zainab’s brother and cousin and their families, who had to escape Syria three years ago, to Winnipeg.

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“They think someone’s coming to kill them at nighttime, they have nightmares,” said Chaeban.

“My brother Khaled and his wife Tanha and their three children Mohammed, 7, Zainab, 7, and Naya, 6 months, fled Syria in January 2012 and have been refugees in Lebanon for nearly 3 years, struggling and hoping to create a safer and better life for themselves and their children. My brother Khaled is a farmer,” said Zainab, “My cousin, Mohammad Oglan, is also a Syrian refugee living temporarily in Turkey until he and his wife and two children, son Amro, 4, and one-and-a-half year old daughter Eilene can come to Canada. Mohammad is a mechanical engineer and a cheese maker.”

Civil war forced the two families to flee Syria because they have lost their homes and all of their belongings.

“When we told them we’ll try and bring them to Canada they couldn’t stop crying because they said please help us,” said Chaeban.

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Chaeban was hoping his family would be part of the 2000 Syrian refugees already slated to come to Winnipeg before February.

But that wasn’t successful.

Now, a group of concerned citizens, who heard Chaeban’s story on Global News last month, formed the South Osborne Syrian Refugee Initiative and partnered with the Churchill Park United Church to help bring Chaeban’s family here.

“wouldn’t it be cool to have people supported and living in South Osborne and getting South Osborne mobilized to help, because it’s a great community,” said Matthew Lawrence, one of the founders of the group.

However, they need to raise $60,000 before May in order to do so, $30,000 of that will simply help them complete the sponsorship paperwork.

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And again Winnipegger’s generosity has shone through.

In a week of launching the online gofundme account, they have raised more than $50,000.

“I think it’s on a lot of people’s minds and I think they don’t know how to help so this is a real immediate way to do something,” said Lawrence.

“For me just looking at the website and seeing what is raised is just,” paused an emotional Zainab Ali, “God bless them all.  It’s remarkable.”

While they still have more to raise, this family hopes 2016 will finally be the year their extended family can live like this, in peace.

The South Osborne Syrian Refugee Group is hosting a benefit social for the family at the Park Theatre on January 19th.