We are very sad to hear about the fire that tore through Mae Surin (Karenni Camp #2) Refugee Camp last week. Fires are awful tragedies anywhere, but due to the recent deeply politicized happenings in the region and the “temporary” nature of refugee camps, this fire was especially devastating.

Mae Surin Camp was established 29 years ago. Recent reports state about 3,000 people were living in this camp at the time of the fire. The houses in the camp are built out of bamboo and dried leaves, which helped the fire spread quickly through the camp. Not only were more than 400 houses destroyed, but the camp hospital was also engulfed in the flames.

While the UNHCR has sent in relief and support for the over 2,000 twice-homeless refugees, it is also important to understand another dimension to this tragedy. Many of the refugee camps in the Thai-Burma borderlands have been relocated a number of times, in order to ensure that they do not become too permanent.

Additionally. after peace talks in Myanmar, there has been discussion about closing the refugee camps so that these refugees can return ‘home’. Already the support for these refugee camps, including funding and rations has decreased. Several refugee camps have stopped registering new refugees in recent years. However, until tangible progress towards a ceasefire in Myanmar is achieved, it may be preemptive to send these refugees ‘home’. Adding this context to the recent fire in Mae Surin raises questions about the future of these twice-homeless refugees.

WUSC Regina will be following stories of these refugees closely in the coming weeks. We are sending our prayers to these people and will be fundraising in the coming days for relief efforts.

Kay Niedermayer

***

Here is a poem in response to the fire in the Mae Surin Refugee camp. It was written by one of our sponsored students, Dayday, who is from Mae Surin. Her family is still there. While they lost their home, we are glad to know that they are safe. Thank you Dayday, for your beautiful and haunting words, and thank you for letting us share this poem!

Sorrow

Oh….my lovely land, and my lovely people
Who makes you turn into ashes

Upon a time the place which is full of green environment
Now turns into black

Upon a time people who are full with beautiful smiles
Now turns into sorrowful faces

The river that flows through our camp is getting dry
The green environment that surrounding our camp is getting dry

Innocent children lost their life without sin
Thousand of people don’t have homes
Some lost their lovers, and some are injured
You all are in sorrow

You have no more tear to cry for it
Your tear can turn into blood if you cry more then that

The fate that you have now is real?
It just black dream for me

I don’t want to accept this event as our destiny
The God never gave us such a black day

On April 25th, 2012 the Federal government announced cuts to most healthcare benefits for refugees that are currently provided by Canada’s Interim Federal Health (IFH) program, effective on June 30, 2012. Across Canada, healthcare providers, people who work with refugees and ordinary citizens are rallying against this decision, concerned that it flies in the face of an important Canadian value – providing a safe haven for vulnerable people around the world. Ironically, the cuts come into effect just in time for Canada Day.

The IFH program provides access to refugees and refugee claimants who need healthcare for a temporary period of time, and who generally have no other means of obtaining necessary health benefits.   Refugees are a particularly vulnerable population, often with extreme healthcare needs.  Many have untreated health conditions and severe trauma resulting from prolonged periods in refugee camps and human rights violations such as torture.  Having fled their homeland to escape persecution, many are destitute when they arrive in Canada and lack the resources to pay for healthcare expenses.

The announced changes to the IFH program include cutting access to essential medication, cuts to basic primary health care, cuts to dental care, vision care, ambulance services and cuts to mobility devices like wheelchairs, for many classes of refugees.  Healthcare services to be cut include prenatal care, child health check-ups and access to mental health care.  Some refugees will receive basic emergency care only if their condition is deemed to pose a threat to public health.
Canadian Doctors for Medicare warn that these cuts could result in diabetics not getting their insulin, children not receiving immunizations, and people not receiving needed heart medication, potentially contributing to heart attacks.

Federal Minister of Citizenship and Immigration Jason Kenney said:  “With this reform, we are also taking away an incentive from people who may be considering filing an unfounded refugee claim in Canada. These reforms allow us to protect public health and safety, ensure that tax dollars are spent wisely and defend the integrity of our immigration system all at the same time.”

Minister Kenney fails to understand that providing health supports to refugees when they arrive is both cost effective and an investment in the future. A recent Globe and Mail story highlighted a refugee who received care under the IFH:  “Majid Boozary came to Canada in 1980, fleeing post-revolutionary Iran, where he had been persecuted and tortured. He needed care and got it. But Dr. Boozary has given back in spades, as a family physician            (who has paid taxes for 30 years) and a volunteer with the Canadian Centre for the Victims of Torture.”

Furthermore, health professionals question the validity of the IFH cuts as a cost-saving measure. They point out that costs will be shifted to other public programs and organizations that provide the uninsured with health benefits, such as community health centres and provincial social support services.  Refugees with chronic diseases, such as diabetes or heart disease, will seek care in hospitals and through emergency departments – one of the most costly forms of care.
Opposition to the proposed changes is led by physicians and other healthcare providers.  “It is unprecedented in Canada for physicians to gather at once from coast to coast voicing their concerns over a single patient care issue such as this one. Doctors and other healthcare workers are being moved to action in an effort to prevent the devastating impact of these health cuts to some of the poorest and most vulnerable members of our society” says Dr. Michael Dillon, a family physician practicing in downtown Winnipeg who has worked with newcomer refugees for nearly 20 years.

Minister Kenney has defended these cuts by arguing that refugees should not be receiving health coverage that is not available to other Canadians.  Louise Simbandumwe, a refugee from Burundi, counters, “This is simply not the case. Many Canadians have extended health coverage through their workplaces while Canadians who are living at the same low levels of income as government–assisted refugees receive needed health coverage through provincial social assistance programs.“

“Canada is known around the world as a champion of human rights and we pride ourselves in our system of health care for all. We are concerned about the erosion of Canadian standards. This move is definitely un-Canadian. We are calling on the Federal government to reverse the decision to cut back the Interim Federal Health Program” states Carlos Vialard, Settlement Services Manager at the Manitoba Interfaith Immigration Council Inc. (Welcome Place).

Immigration Matters in Canada Coalition is a group of professionals, community workers and community members based in Winnipeg who care about the well being and fair treatment of refugees and immigrants in Canada.

National Health Care Organizations
Opposed to IFH Cuts

College of Family Physicians of Canada
Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada
Canadian Association of Optometrists
Canadian Association of Social Workers
Canadian Dental Association
Canadian Medical Association
Canadian Nurses Association
Canadian Pharmacists Association
Canadian Association of Community Health Centres
Canadian Doctors for Medicare
Canadian Association of Midwives
Registered Nurses Association of Ontario
Canadian Federation of Nurses Union
Canadian Psychiatric Association
Canadian Paediatric Society
Association of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases Canada

This year, our Mock Refugee Camp was set up for an entire week. We had 3 tents full of the stories of our sponsored refugees and the refugee camps they came from: Dadaab and  Kakuma camps in Kenya, and Ban Mai Nai Soi, Mae Ra Moe, and Mae Su Rae refugee camps in Thailand. We also had information about urban refugees, the current changes to refugee health care in Canada, and more. We also prepared some typical meals from the refugee camps to share with passer-bys.

One of the best parts about the week was hearing our sponsored students share their stories with others in the camp. One afternoon, a grade 5 class from Davidson came all the way down to Regina to join us, and Jacob and Patience shared their stories with the kids. The kids were so engaged. Who knows?! Maybe they will grow up to be future members of a WUSC Chapter somewhere!

Overall, it was a great chance for students, faculty, and community members to stop by, learn and ask questions, but also to share their own experiences and stories about refugee issues.

We cannot thank everyone who stopped by the Mock Refugee Camp during that week enough. The week was an amazing chance for us to raise awareness within our community about the work WUSC does and about issues facing refugees and the difference education can make!

Thanks also to Luther College Cafeteria, Safeway, The National Reserves, and the Cadets, who helped us with donations and support throughout the week!

Kay Niedermayer

Kin’s Story

My name is Kin Pwonglay and I came from the Ban Mai Nai Soi Karenni refugee camp in Thailand. This is one of nine camps along the Thai-Burma border for Burmese minority groups. I have been living in refugee camps throughout my entire life.

My family came from Burma. Burma gained independence from the British in 1948. The junta military government took power in a coup d’état in 1962. The junta has been violently attempting to control the population since then. There has been ongoing conflict between the military government and the seven ethnic minority groups. Many minority groups have been killed, and many people were forced to leave their homes. Our people could not bear to live under this military government. For this reason, thousands of Burmese ethnic minority people are born in refugee camps.

My family is Karenni, one of the ethnic minorities in Burma. My parents fled Burma in 1991 because of a civil war between the junta and armed ethnic groups. The junta burned their village and tortured the villagers. They took all their money and raped many women. They abducted many men and women and forced them to work as porters, transporting supplies for the military.

My parents came to the Mae Sarin Refugee camp, where I was born. When my parents divorced in 2003, the UNHCR transferred my mother, my sisters and me to another Karenni refugee camp, located near Mae Hong Son. My biological father often came to visit us and bought us some clothes, but after my mother remarried, the camp committee did not allow my father to visit us unless my mother agreed. I could not see my father after that.

It is hard to get an education in the refugee camp. My mother and stepfather are both uneducated and lack work opportunities in the camp, we always faced financial difficulty. My parents could not leave the camp to make money or the Thai police would arrest them, and no one would hire them inside the camp.

For this reason, I encouraged myself to be an educated person and to look after my family. I was dreaming to get an education since I was young but I didn’t see a path to achieve my goal because education in camps only offer us high school level or post-ten level. My dream to attend an international university was not possible if I stayed in the camp.

However, I did not give up my dream and I finished my schooling from primary school to post-ten level in the camp. I worked hard to pass high school with distinctions to attend a Karenni Post-Ten School that took two years to complete. I tried hard to complete my school lessons. After finishing school, I taught science in a high school in the camp. Although I was just freshly graduated, I had to teach the camp children because there were not enough teachers.

Now, I want to study economics because I want to help my county in reforming state’s economy. The military government is destroying the economy in Burma, and this affects people’s lives, like my family. Without a good economic system, I do not believe our country can develop. Although Burma is rich natural resources, it will not last long if today economy system is going on. After my graduation, I will deliver my skills and qualification at the school I attended. Then, I will help my community as much as I can.

Wah Wah’s Story

My name is Paw Wah Shee and my friends call me Wah Wah. I was born in the Karen state of Burma. My father passed away when I was one month old so I don’t have any brothers or sisters. When I was 7, our family moved to Mae Ra Moe Refugee Camp on the Thai-Burma border because of the civil war. I stayed together with my mother and went to school in Refugee camp.

In the camp, I could go to school and study but if I wanted to go outside the camp and study more, it was hard for me because I didn’t have an ID card. In the refugee camp, we live under the Thai Authorities and we cannot leave the camp without this ID card. Some of the students are very smart, but they don’t have any chance to further their studies outside of the camp. For many, life starts and ends in the camp.

My parents tried to look after their family but they didn’t have good jobs to earn enough money. NGOs provide some community work within the camp but it is not enough because there are a lot of people in the camp.

In the camps we got rations and free health care. There are many NGOs who help us. Sometimes foreign doctors and teachers come to help us for a short time, but we cannot become as qualified enough to support ourselves. The children in the camps are pitiful. Now, the situation is getting worse because the education is not free any more. The parents have to pay half of the school fees for their children and help the teacher in many ways. Life in the camp is very boring and difficult. I don’t know what will happen to new generation. Even if we have our basic needs met, we still have no right to do what we want.

There are a lot of local Thai-Karen villages around the camp. Sometimes they come and sell local vegetables and they are familiar with the camp and the people there. They offer the jobs to the Karen refugees, but working outside of the camp is illegal. When the police catch them, the refugees who take these jobs will be punished.

The refugees are often blamed for doing things that we didn’t do. Every summer, the forests near the camp are burned down. Although we don’t know how this happened, the Thai Authorities blame us and we have to pay for the destruction almost every year.

Life in the refugee camp was very difficult and we did not have many opportunities to leave. Before now, I have never been to a city. I felt nervous at first but now everything is okay. I am grateful to be sponsored by WUSC.

Sayra’s Story

My name is Naw Say Ra Thaw. I’m Karen and I was born in Thailand. I have four brothers and one sister and I am the youngest among my siblings. My father passed away when I was three months in my mother’s womb. Now my family lives in Mae Ra Moe refugee camp on the Thai-Burma border.

My parents originally lived in Burma. For many reasons, my parents left Burma to Thailand as refugee people. Before they left, they faced many problems with the junta, who destroyed many houses, fields, and paddies. There was not enough food in the village. They often arrested men and forced them to become porters. My parents had to move to another place every time the soldiers invaded the village. The children had no chance to go to school because of this horrible situation. There was also a lot of disease, but no medicine to protect the people from dying. The government caused all these problems for my ethnic group, and my parents did not have any protection from the authorities in their country.

When we were in Thailand, we were not afraid of enemies, but we knew that we couldn’t do what we wanted to do in the camp. We were no longer in Burma, but we didn’t have Thai citizenship either. We had a chance to go to school, but there was no higher education in the camp, so the education level is very low. Most students want to continue their education, but they don’t have the opportunity. There are not enough teachers, and some of the teachers don’t have a good enough quality education to teach the students. We also have post-ten schools, which is a two year course. After that, many students want to continue their studies but can’t, so they become teachers. They can’t find a job to make a lot of money, just a little and it’s not enough for their family.

I can say that I am lucky because I can continue my studies and set goals for my future life in Canada. In the future, I hope to study Business Administration and I hope one day I will be able to do something for my people who really need my help. I really appreciate the WUSC’s sponsorship program; it is a very good program for youth students who live in refugee camps.

Dayday’s Story

My name is Baw Meh, but people call me Dayday. I was born in Hwen Pu Ket, a Karenni long neck village in Thailand. My family moved to Mae Su Rae refugee camp when I was 2 months old. I lived in the refugee camp for 19 years. I went to school in the camp, and when I finished school, I worked in an office at the refugee school. My mother, father, and five sisters are still living in the refugee camp.

The refugee camp is very far away from the city. Mountains surround the camp and the river flows through it. In the rainy season, the river floods and destroys many of the houses. The rations in the camp are supplied by an NGO called TBBC (Thai Burma Border Committee). There is a medical clinic supported by the U.S. government, called the IRC (International Rescue Committee). It supplies basic medicine for people in the camp. There is also a school supported by a European NGO called JRS (Jesuit Refugee Service). The JRS supplies note books, textbooks, and teachers’ salaries.

When I was a child in this camp, I knew nothing about life. I just knew to play, eat, and sleep. This was my daily life when I was a child in the camp. When I grew up, I felt something strong in my heart and in my brain. I was a refugee, with no nationality.

The one thing I surely know is, our government is not good. The government is lead by a dictator, and they want all of the ethnic groups in Burma to live under their rule. I want to know when the dictatorship will end. There is no free speech and no peace in Burma.

Now everything is changing in Burma. The Burmese government is making a peace talk with the ethnic minority armies. There is now a plan for the UN to eliminate the refugee camps along the Thai-Burma border within 5 years. Because of this, the rations provided in the camp are being cut. Now, there is less support for the refugees in the camp. The plan is that after the peace talks, refugees will leave the camp and return to Burma or stay in villages in Thailand. But I still do not trust the Burmese government, because the Karenni state tried to have peace talks with the government two times before now and none of them worked.

When I was in the refugee camp, I found out about the WUSC sponsorship program from a previously sponsored student who returned to the camp to share applications. This is the first time WUSC came to our camp, and it is the only program for students to leave the refugee camp. I applied and had many entrance exams. I was surprised when I was accepted, but very grateful for this opportunity. It is the only opportunity for me to continue my studies. I felt nervous when I first came to Regina, but it is like a dream come true. Now I dream of becoming a doctor and returning to Burma to help the community there.

This was a MASSIVE year for WUSC Regina. Words cannot express the pride I have felt for my group this year. We were strangers who came together due to a common interest and I feel as though many of us have become good friends. We work together like a family, all with the desire to build a stronger group and help our sponsored students. This amazing group of people has made me laugh and cry. It may be long, but it is worth the read; here is our annual report:

Our 2011-2012 year started in May. We had just completed the Mock Refugee Camp and our membership jumped from three to over ten. We had elections in May for a new executive and had to create new positions because there was so much interest in the group. As well, we met bi-weekly over the summer.

Over the summer we went on a group retreat to our then co-chair Jessica Brown’s family farm. It was a weekend away that meant team building and getting our five SRP students out of the city for a change.  There were ten of us in total who went and we spent the weekend getting to know each other, swimming, making s’mores by the campfire, sleeping outside under the stars, horseback riding, and more. It was a trip that made us connect; we were no longer ten people with a common interest in refugee rights and education, but instead, we were a group who genuinely admired one another. More information about the trip can be found on our website here: http://wuscregina.ca/2011/08/06/trip-to-the-farm/#

Following the trip, we had to start preparing for our two new students. For most of us in the group this was a brand new experience – we got to be there from the beginning with Semere and Muse. Picking them up from the airport was exciting. There were over twenty people anxiously awaiting their arrival, and we were decked out with balloons and posters. And thanks to the wonders of the technology, some of us had already been in communication with our newcomers via facebook, which made meeting them even better.

Once school began, our meetings became a weekly occurrence, with great attendance from our members.  Our Students’ Union executives even joined in on meetings and events. We had a potluck event September 22^nd to officially begin the school year, with nearly twenty members.

September 28^th, Michelle Manks from the WUSC National office came to visit for a jampacked day of meetings and getting to know our members. After Michelle’s departure, our group underwent a huge restructuring. We were, for the first time in decades, placed in control of the finances for the SRP and asked to create a Constitution so that future local committee members of WUSC Regina would have strict guidelines to follow. With the new structure of the group, our committee has created a closer connection with our Students’ Union, helping us to garner more support from the campus community.

Shine a Light was our baby this year though. We decided this was the campaign we would nurture, support, and love. The first week of October we had a week of events to raise funds and awareness for the campaign. We had the help of many groups and individuals on campus, especially Professor Susan Weir who had her students volunteer with us for credit in class. On October 3^rd, we had a bakesale and raised over $300. The food sold was made by volunteer students and professors. October 4^th we had our flashlight mob at the local cinema. For three hours, from 7:00-10:00pm a large group of us sat outside, in the dark, using lanterns and flashlights to read and study. The goal of the evening was to raise awareness about the campaign and let people in the community know. It turned out to be an eye opening experience because people constantly stopped to ask what we were doing, and instead of quickly walking away, they stayed and asked questions. They wanted to know more about us and the campaign and $240 was donated that night in just three hours. We had about ten volunteers from Professor Weir’s class come join us, and because of the number of students participating, our numbers were overwhelming and amazing. It was impossible NOT to notice us. The next evening, October 5^th, former Ethiopian refugee Ted Jaleta spoke on campus. He waived his speaking cost and donated all proceeds to Shine a Light, which ended up being just over 700$ in ticket sales. He spoke of his persecution, torture, and escape from Ethiopia and adjusting to life in Canada. Professors brought their students to the lecture as part of the class. There were about a hundred people in attendance in the audience. The last part of our week long events was from the Luther College Fowl Lunch. Every year, Luther College at the U of R has a Thanksgiving turkey-dinner lunch and this year they chose the Shine a Light campaign to be the recipient of the profit, making $333. In those four days we raised $1591.50 for the Shine a Light and reached out to many people in our community and campus.

October 18th 2011, we had another potluck and our co-chair Jessica resigned. It was a sombre meeting, but our group was nearly in full attendance to wish her well. At this point our membership was at 18. We had accumulated 8 more members in just a few short months.

In November our local committee sent four members to the WUSC AGA/Forum. They were myself (Aurora Elig), Matthew Lensen, Manie Wollel, and Semere Belay. We had secured funding and sponsorship from URSU (Students’ Union), RPIRG (Regina Public Interest Research Group), UofR ASA (Arts Students’ Association), and the Womens’ Centre. At the forum, WUSC Regina won the People’s Choice Award for Best Event for our Mock Refugee Camp we had done in April 2011. It was the most exhilarating moment for our group and words cannot properly explain how I felt.

On November 3^rd, WUSC Regina co-sponsored a lecture with the International Studies Department, Justice Studies Department and the International Studies Club to bring Yannick Tona to the university to speak about surviving the Rwanda Genocide as part of his Ripples of Change tour. Many professors brought their students to the lecture, making well over a hundred people in attendance. More information about his tour can be found here: http://yannicktona.wordpress.com/2011/10/10/ripples-of-change-tour-kick-off-in-canada-starting-with-west-cost/

As part of the 16 Days of Activism in November, the Womens’ Centre on campus held a dinner at Crave Restaurant, raising money for Shine a Light. Their donation has not been disclosed at this point, but we were touched and honoured that they chose our organisation as the charity they would donate the proceeds to.

In November, members of our group were invited by Brett Estey to speak at the 75th Saskatchewan Youth Parliament in regards to immigration issues and what WUSC does.

On November 16^th, two of our sponsored students became Canadian Citizens. More information on that event can be found at our website at: http://wuscregina.ca/2011/11/22/two-srp-students-become-a-canadian-citizen-manie-wollel-halima-siman/

In January, our regional coordinator Kalila, came to join us for a couple days. She joined us in a weekly meeting and a social event where we all went for Ethiopian food at Selam, then bowling and then the hooka lounge after. She met with the different organisations on campus that help administer the SRP, such as URSU and URGR, as well as getting to know the members of our committee…maybe getting to know us too well.

February was another busy month for us. For the first time, the U of R hosted International Development Week, in partnership with CIDA and the UofR International Office. WUSC Regina was invited to take part in multiple events that week. Our group was asked to have a booth set up to promote ourselves and raise awareness. As well, Matthew Lensen, Mohamed Hassan, Patience Umereweneza and I were all asked to take part in a panel discussion about empowering women and refugees. Another sponsored student, Jacob Panchol, was also asked to speak on another panel. Leading up to the week’s events, the University of Regina’s External Relations and Communications interviewed Mohamed and placed him on the front page of the university website. Again, we used volunteers from Professor Susan Weir’s class to help us table throughout the week and raise awareness.

Information about the week can be found here: http://www.uregina.ca/international/idw.html

Information about our panel can be found here: http://www.uregina.ca/international/events/2012/02/idw5.html

Information about Jacob Panchol’s panel discussion can be found here: http://www.uregina.ca/international/events/2012/02/idw7.html

Mohamed’s interview with the university can be found here: http://www.uregina.ca/external/communications/feature-stories/current/fs-02022012.html

Patience’s spot on the Global Regina news can be found here: http://www.globalregina.com/university+of+regina+hosts+international+development+week/6442575017/story.html

Taking part in this week’s events was significant for us for many reasons, but perhaps most importantly, we needed to get the word out about our group and what the SRP does because that very same week was our Students’ Union’s AGM. We had submitted a motion to increase our student levy from 2$ to 3$/student/semester. We needed the increase to offset the rising costs of living so that we could continue to sponsor two students every year. It is very difficult for our AGMs to reach quorum and thus pass any motions, so we needed our supporters out in droves, ready to pass our motion and keep the SRP going on campus. Our motion passed unanimously at the AGM, and our fairly large group of WUSC supporters was referred to as a “WUSC contingent” by the university newspaper after we erupted into applause. I feel this title of being a contingent is empowering for our group because literally, within a year, we grew from three members to over 20 strong members and well over a hundred supporters, ready to help us.

The following month, seven of our members ran for positions in the University of Regina Students’ Union. Not only had our committee become active and involved in WUSC, but we wanted to take it further and get involved in student government. Our honorary member Haanim Nur was elected as President, Jessica Bonish was elected as Differently-Abled Director, I was elected to the University Senate, and Patience Umereweneza was elected to the RPIRG Board of Directors.

In March we co-sponsored a gallery previewing of the Regina Immigrant Women Centre. We had one room at the centre dedicated to Shine a Light and the SRP. The aim of the event was to raise awareness of immigrant women’s issues in Canada. It was open to the public and well over one hundred community members attended the event and it created new networking opportunities in the community.

On April 1^st we had one final fundraiser, a bakesale, to raise money for the committee this time. We raised $225.70, selling baked goods and fair-trade coffee at the UofR’s symphony-orchestra performance.

This was a big year for WUSC Regina. We increased our levy by over twenty thousand dollars a year, got actively involved in the community, raised $1500 for Shine a Light, helped the Womens’ Centre raise money for the same campaign, restructured our group, wrote a Constitution, and decided that we would spend our surplus that had accumulated over the years on sponsoring FOUR students this upcoming year instead of two. The bar has been set high for 2012-2013, but we are ready to exceed all expectations.

 A HUGE THANK YOU has to go out to the 2011-2012 University of Regina Students’ Union for their unwavering support, Mike Staines for taking on the financial responsibilities, Yaya Siggins for all the help she offered this year, University of Regina Group for Refugees for their continued support, Professor Susan Weir for all the volunteers she got us, University of Regina Board of Governors for their continued tuition donation, Luther College, Regina Public Interest Research Group, Brandon University’s WUSC Local Committee for all the promoting they did of our group, University of Regina Women’s Centre, SCIC, Gail Leibel of Campion College for helping organise all our volunteers, Southland Mall Cinema for not kicking us off their property during our flashlight mob, Jessica Brown’s parents for all their amazing support, all of those with WUSC National – Michelle, Asni, Joanna, Kalila, etc and SOOO many more. This year could not have ever been as successful without any of these people and organisations.

Most importantly though, I would like to thank my amazing local committee. You guys have given me hope, inspired me and made me so proud to have been your co-chair this year. So thank you to: Jessicas Brown, Bonish, Mitten-Moore, Talitha, Merrissa, Jana, Shea, Kya, Sofia, Matthews Lensen and Simpson, Rodger, Ryleigh, Haanim, Megan, Patience, Manie, Jacob, Mohamed, Semere, Muse, Duncan, Andrea, Arezo, Chelsea.

Written by: Aurora Elig

For us this day is one of the most exceptional moments in our life for various reasons.The people and the government of Canada gave us an exceptional chance to continue our post secondary education and whatever we would like to do in our life. Here after we are becoming one of the proud Canadian Citizens. For that it is beyond our words to say thank you and to appreciate the people and the government of Canada in general and University of Regina in particular. Many thanks for WUSC Ottawa, URGR and WUSC Local Committe at the University of Regina. Without them I /we the SRP students could not make it. Exceptional thanks for our lovely, committed, and selfless fellow Canadian students, at the University of Regina, who are very close friends and family members at the same time : Jessica Brown, Aurora Elig, Andrea Hoffman, Merrissa, Haanim Nur and Janna to name a few.

Manie Wollel
When I was in one of the biggest refugee camps in Kenya, Kakuma Refugee Camp, I saw and met a number of foreigner visitors. All of them introduced themselves as Canadian citizens even though some of them came from the United States and other parts of the world. Mainly because most of the refugees around the camp consider Canada and Canadians as one of the most peace loving countries and friendly people in the world (Except the Harper Government – kidding!). Since then, I was extremely obsessed and had a dream to go to Canada. Unintentionally, one of my white shirts to protect the harsh climate at a time had a Canadian Map and flag with a maple leaf.

However, I had no idea how to get the chance to immigrate Canada. After two years of my stay, I heard the Scholarship called World University Service of Canada. Then I tried everything the best to get the scholarship and to migrate to Canada. Even though one of the deadliest competitions ever in my life, I succeeded to pass the scholarship and came to Canada as one of the SRP permanent residents.

After my four years of stay in Canada, I applied to be a Canadian citizen last October 2010.Today is one of the special moments in my life and my longest dreams become a reality. Here after I am one of the proud Canadians entitle to do and to travel anywhere in the world freely. Now with a Canadian Citizen ship the sky is the limit to do whatever I would like to do so. My first journey will start to visit my families in Ethiopia in the near future. I never saw and visited my families for the last 10 years. I missed them a lot. The last but not the least and once again I am extremely appreciative and thankful for the people and the government of Canada in general, and the University of Regina in particular !!

Sincerely,
Manie

It was clear that WUSC was what I had been looking for. The first planning meeting laid out all of the campaigns that we could get involved with, but we decided as a group to take that first semester to rebuild, get to know one another, and build the kind of group that makes people feel connected to it and to one another. And it worked.

Weekly meetings, sending members to the AGA conference in Ottawa, and monthly events created a strong group, and a small but dedicated membership. In January we decided that we were ready to move to the next step – presenting ourselves to the campus population, and proving that we were a group worthy of students’ time and attention.

So we planned our mock refugee camp. We presented the stories of three of our students, partnering with Amnesty International, Luther College and the Women’s Centre to discuss issues of human rights, religious persecution and gender discrimination, and with the help of Luther we provided free portions of foods found in African and Nepalese refugee camps. The feedback was incredible, with students and faculty alike joining up, donating, and passing along our information to friends and family. You can check out more on that event here:

With the momentum created during the mock refugee camp, we waded into the summer with a strong and vibrant new executive. By the end of the summer we had secured office space, prepared for our incoming sponsored students Semere and Muse, created manuals for future executives, and were ready to launch our Shine a Light campaign.

And the Shine a Light campaign, although it isn’t over yet, has already been such a huge success! From a bake sale to an extraordinary lecture by Ted Jaleta, the ways in which we have been able to engage with the U of R student body have been so much fun, and such a success.

I am so proud of the work that the WUSC Regina team has done in the past year – we have grown from a two-person executive (huge shout-out to Jana and Zaid, who carried the team for so long) to a thriving ten-person executive, semesterly campaigns, monthly activities, and an extraordinarily committed and passionate membership. I just can’t wait to see what WUSC accomplishes in the coming months, and the exciting new ways in which it will support our sponsored students in the coming years.

To the students of the U of R: if you are looking for an organization that you can pour yourself into, that you can be passionate about; that will earn you that satisfying feeling that tells you that you have accomplished something worthwhile; and that allows you to help real people in a tangible way, then WUSC Regina is your organization. Honestly, I urge you to look into this group. And if you do, make it work for you: the most exciting part of joining an organization that is rebuilding itself is that there is so much room for growth, both for the organization, and for you. This kind of organization coupled with that kind of transformative moment is a rare opportunity. Seize it.

Jessica Brown

Check them out at http://www.asuuofr.ca.

Also, be sure to join them at their Walk for Africa fundraiser for the Horn of Africa. For more information, check out their website.

Also, details coming soon on the Shine a Light campaign to date – we promise. We’ve just got so much new stuff going on, sometimes it’s hard to make ourselves sit down and recap what we’ve already done. But no fear, we’ll get the total numbers to you as soon as possible!

We’ve been working hard to get things up and running for WUSC Regina’s Shine a Light campaign… and we are proud to present our first ever Shine a Light Campaign T-Shirts!

If you’re interested, and they aren’t already snapped up, you can reach us at wusc.uofr@gmail.com and purchase one of your own lovely handmade t-shirts for $5.00. The more people sporting these beauties around campus next week, the better!

Don’t forget, Shine a Light starts next week! Bake sale, flashlight mob, Ted Jaleta, Luther and Campion Thanksgiving lunch… Be sure to join in!