Refugee family to arrive in Naramata next week

NARAMATA – Months of hard work and preparation appear to be paying off for a Naramata group trying to settle Syrian refugees in the community.

An April 10 posting on the Naramata Community Syrian Refugee Initiative website says a Syrian refugee family of four will be arriving in the community next week.

It has taken the cooperative effort of the Immigrant Services Society in Vancouver, the South Okanagan Immigrant Community Services, the Naramata refugee initiative, the Naramata Centre and volunteer work of community members to achieve the goal of providing a new home for the refugees, the posting notes.

The group now intends to focus on providing ongoing support to the refugees, involving such things as transportation, language support and 'other day to day things as they come up.'

The initiative has been working for several months to bring up to four federally sponsored Syrian refugee families to Naramata, with plans to provide them residence in Narmata Centre.

Recently the Naramata refugee initiative’s membership has changed somewhat, with Laura Gray and Rishia McDowell resigning after volunteering countless hours to the goal of bringing the refugees to Naramata.

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