Volunteers who supported Syrian refugees reconnecting to help Afghan newcomers to Canada
Global News
Cukier co-founded a group called Lifeline Afghanistan to organize the efforts of those who want to help Afghan refugees in the Greater Toronto Area.
TORONTO — Volunteers who helped Syrian refugees settle in Canada six years ago are coming together once more to help Afghans who’ve recently arrived in the country.
Their efforts — which range from securing weather-appropriate clothing to helping the newcomers access medical services — are expected to ramp up as the federal government delivers on its commitment to settle 40,000 Afghan refugees.
Wendy Cukier, who previously founded a group to support Syrian refugees, said she was inundated with inquiries as the Taliban took control of Afghanistan this summer.
“We started getting calls from people saying, ‘What are you going to do?’ … Because we had, you know, done the work before,” she said in an interview.
“I reconnected with some of the founders of the work we did around Syria … essentially what we’re trying to do is match people, particularly Afghan refugees, with resources that they need.”
Canada has welcomed more than 2,500 Afghan refugees since the Taliban took over, according to government statistics. Cukier and other volunteers are now awaiting government details on how a private sponsorship program for thousands more will work.
In the meantime, volunteers are focused on helping Afghan newcomers who have made it to Canada.
Cukier co-founded a group called Lifeline Afghanistan to organize the efforts of those who want to help Afghan refugees in the Greater Toronto Area. The group has been fundraising and collecting donations while preparing to expand its efforts in the future.