After moving to Calgary to flee the civil war in Syria, the Ghanam family is paying tribute to their heritage in their new business: a food truck called Shahba Shawarma.
Adel and Hiyam Ghanam, their three daughters: Riham, 18, Nagham, 16, Wiaam, 13; and nine-year-old son Mohamed, arrived in Calgary in early 2016.
Originally sponsored by a family in Calgary, a falling out saw them move into a one-bedroom basement suite of their own.
READ MORE: Syrian refugee finds success and a new home in Calgary
Sam Nammoura, of the Syrian Refugee Support Group, recalls meeting the family.
“When I met the Ghanam family two years ago, they were introduced to me as a most vulnerable family,” Nammoura told Gord Gillies on 770 CHQR.
“They had literally no support, no help, nobody to go to, because they were privately sponsored. Definitely, their health, mentally, physically, financially — they were really in despair.”
“After I met them the first time and I saw the desperation in the wife’s eyes, we made a commitment at the Syrian Refugee Support Group to try help this family as much as we could.”
Then, a multi-faith trio of congregations looking to sponsor a family of immigrants came on board.
“So the three congregations decided to work together.”
The group’s initial plan was to sponsor an immigrant family but the waiting period during the process afforded members time to look around for other opportunities to serve a newly arrived family.
WATCH: Syrian refugees thankful for peaceful life they’ve found in Calgary
Nammoura came back to the three faith groups saying: “I have this family that has fallen through the cracks,” as Ontko recalls.
Within 10 days, the Ghanam family was moved out of their one-bedroom basement suite into a furnished 2,500-square-foot home that better fits a family of six.
“And then from there, there was a core group of three or four from each of the congregations… the outpouring was amazing,” Ontko said. “A call would go out: ‘We need such-and-such,’ and we’d have three or four of them to pick from.”
“I have my car, I have my house, I have my family; everything is organized before the war. But after the war started, everything changed,” Adel said.
For Adel, getting out of war-torn Syria and leaving his 16-year career in the Syrian family court system was a matter of life and death.
“The big problem was safety.”
WATCH: Following one family’s journey from Syria to Canada
As a father of four, he was constantly worrying about what might happen to his family.
“War is very dangerous and very difficult and I was always thinking about: Maybe this time or that moment something will happen (to my family).”
Leaving Syria was difficult for Ghanam.
“When I remember living in Syria (during the war), I want to cry.”
Middle daughter Nagham shares her father’s love for their home country.
“If there wasn’t war, he wouldn’t leave Syria. He loves it. He loved his job and my mother too; they both loved their jobs. We didn’t leave Syria because we wanted,” the junior high school student said. “If there wasn’t war, we wouldn’t leave.”
After a seven-month stay in Lebanon, the Ghanam family arrived in Calgary.
“When we arrived in Canada, we didn’t have anything. No friends, no family, no job. Everything is different between Canada and my country.”
Nagham remembers how difficult it was living in a foreign land.
“The first two months were really, really difficult, trust me. It was the hardest two months of my life. I had to change a lot of stuff in my life.”
READ MORE: How Alberta is preparing for up to 3,000 Syrian refugees
“Now, we’re just thinking about the future,” Adel said. “Thinking about the kids, thinking about saving the family, making sure the family is safe. It was confusing to stay in Aleppo with all the bombing and all the danger.”
Watch below: Everything you need to know about Ramadan
The ninth month in the Muslim calendar, Ramadan is typically thought of as the fasting month. But it is also a time for generosity, charity, and for believers to strengthen their faith.
“Ramadan is not just about fasting for the body,” Adel said. “It’s about fasting from everything bad for the body. And when you are fasting, you think about people who don’t have food or money to buy food.
“When we fast, it’s not just about food — not eating food and drinking — it’s about believing things will get better even though it’s bad,” Nagham said.
A follower of the Muslim faith, Adel also believes there is a reciprocity to charitable and humanitarian acts.
“Before I came to Canada, I always helped people in my job. When you give people a chance, God gives you a chance. When you donate to something, God donates to you the other way.”
READ MORE: Ramadan 101: Answering your questions about ‘the best time of the year’
Adel also believes that he is now reaping those charitable acts.
“God gave us the chance to know the group (of congregations), because the group always helped us with everything, the chance to understand everything in Canada. It’s very difficult to understand everything when you didn’t have language, culture, everything else here. But now it’s OK and God gives us the chance and the time and gives us good, good friends.”
Hiyam describes the people in Calgary as “special.”
“Everybody I ask for help, they say, ‘Oh yes, what do you need help with?’ I think it’s very, very good people in Calgary.”
The couple is starting a new chapter by launching their own food truck. Not only does it signify self-sufficiency, it also means giving back. They’re looking forward to sharing the food of the city they had to leave with Calgary.
READ MORE: Syrian refugee women cook up a taste of home with Montreal business
“I’m thinking about my daughters’ dreams, my family’s dreams. And now we’re thinking about the business. I think the business is very good. If you take a chance, business in Calgary… especially food. Because everybody needs to eat!”
They even named the truck after that same city they had to leave, while their logo gives a nod to their new home.
“In Syria, if you need to say ‘Aleppo,’ you need to say ‘Shahba Aleppo,’” Adel explained. “And we were thinking about using the name ‘Aleppo,’ but there’s a restaurant in Calgary with the same name and we can’t do that.”
With the assistance of Nammoura and the members of Living Spirit United Church, Temple B’Nai Tikvah and Friends Church, Adel has acquired, licensed and inspected the food truck.
READ MORE: Syrian refugee arrives in Calgary after more than year-long wait
He receives shipments of freshly baked Middle Eastern-style bread, has sourced all the ingredients to best recreate northern Syrian shawarma and falafel, and Hiyam (the chef of the house) has quit her job at Tim Hortons to focus on getting the food just right for the food truck’s fans.
The first official day of operation was Victoria Day, the fifth day of Ramadan. A few challenges accompany running a food truck during a fasting month.
“It’s hard,” said Nagham, who is studying the culinary arts. “I was like, ‘How am I going to work and smell shawarma?’ and I love shawarma, so I was like, ‘This is going to be hard for a bit.’”
But, compared to all the challenges the family has faced in the last seven years, this is one they’re happy to tackle.
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