ISANS Celebrates World Refugee Day

Today is World Refugee Day. To mark the day, we celebrate the countless contributions former refugees bring to our communities, while building empathy and understanding to what it means to be a refugee. Jeannette and Mohammad have kindly offered to share their stories with us. Jeannette’s Story “On February 20th, 2018, marked my first day…

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Halifax student shares gift of sport with newcomer children

Twenty-eight Government Assisted Refugee children have the opportunity to learn how to play tennis thanks to a grade 12 student at Armbrae Academy. Immigrant Services Association of Nova Scotia (ISANS) has partnered with Armbrae Academy student Niket Sampalli, and Tennis Time founder David Greer to offer six weeks of free tennis lessons for Government Assisted…

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Sixth annual Walk with Refugees brings refugee voices to the forefront

People carrying the Walk with Refugees banner and signs

The sky was grey but the streets were yellow on Sunday afternoon as more than 250 participants marched from the Garrison Grounds to the Halifax Central Library for the sixth annual Walk with Refugees for a Stronger Canada. New Nova Scotians and life long Nova Scotians took to the streets to show our city’s support…

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Join us and #StepwithRefugees

Big or small, we all have a role to play to help shape our world for the better. ISANS has partnered with the United Nations High Commission for Refugees on their 2 Billion Kilometres To Safety Campaign. The campaign challenges individuals across the globe to walk, run, or cycle two billion kilometres in 12 months,…

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ISANS announces the continuation of Settlement Online Pre-Arrival program through $13.1 million in funding from IRCC

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada announced $13.1 million dollars in funding for ISANS to continue its Settlement Online Pre-Arrival (SOPA) program. This groundbreaking program developed and overseen by ISANS ensures that immigrants arrive prepared for their new life in Canada.

“Our mission is to help immigrants build a future in Nova Scotia. This funding will allow us to better prepare newcomers for their arrival in Canada through SOPA’s expanded pre-arrival services, alleviating some of the stresses associated with the settlement process,” says Jennifer Watts, CEO of ISANS…

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Doing ‘what Canadians do’ attracts newcomer kids to hockey program

By Frances Willick, CBC News, November 3, 2018 The new skaters, from 5 years old to 14, came to Canada as government-assisted refugees For some, falling on the ice was the scary part of playing hockey. For others, that was the fun part. But it was, for better or for worse, an experience shared by…

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Video: I Am Today

 Marwa Harb’s face lights up when she talks about the people she has met since arriving in Canada as a refugee from Syria. Topping her list – Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. “I paint (a picture of) the prime minister,” says Marwa, 16. “I gave it to him. He was surprised. He said, ‘You make…

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For World Refugee Day, a crowd of 500+ walked through downtown Halifax

The streets of downtown Halifax were yellow Saturday afternoon as over 500 participants marched from the Garrison Grounds to the Halifax Central Library for the fifth annual Walk with Refugees for a Stronger Canada. At the reception, participants heard from Immigration Minister, Lena Diab, ISANS CEO, Jennifer Watts, and former refugee Moustafa Alkrad who generously…

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Syrian refugee family reflects on first two years in Halifax

In many ways, the Al Saieds fit the mould of an average Halifax family. They drive a Toyota. The father, Mohamad, works in construction. His wife, Rouida, works as a cleaner for their condo complex. The kids are in school, with big dreams: 16-year-old Hana wants to be a police officer, journalist and a nurse. To this idea, her older brother Khaled, 20, smiles lovingly. He’s hoping to attend school to become a pilot in the fall.

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