Lessons Learned: Post-Settlement (Self) Evaluation

As our group is in the process of sponsoring additional refugees to come to Canada and we will be assisting these future newcomers in their settlement process, we wanted to learn as much as possible from our first settlement so that we can improve our effectiveness as time goes on. 

A number of people have expressed interest in learning more about the evaluation process we undertook, and the specific questions we asked, so we wanted to share this information in our blog.

The evaluation process was undertaken as we moved into the 13th month, once the formal sponsorship period of 12 months had been completed. The first survey was conducted on a one-on-one basis between the individual members of the newcomer family and an Arabic speaking volunteer, without any of our sponsorship team members being present. The questions were provided ahead of time, in Arabic, and the family members were encouraged to be as critical as possible so that we could learn from their feedback. Some key takeaways from their feedback are included below the questionnaire.

The second questionnaire was completed on an anonymous basis via Survey Monkey with members of the sponsorship team. The results were then discussed and distilled down into the most important learning points for our group members to consider. A few selected examples of our feedback are included below.

The third part of the evaluation, not included here, was an open and frank discussion with each of the newcomers, individually, with a close and trusted member of the settlement team and an Arabic interpreter. The aim of that discussion was to highlight things that the settlement team felt that the particular newcomer still needed to focus on, or opportunities they should take advantage of, or concerns that we had regarding their particular situation.

 
Some of the major areas of feedback from the family were:

• More regular English language work with different members of the settlement team would have been appreciated. Having a regular English “class” in their apartment was very important to them and we should have been doing it more often and continue to do it into the second year.
• Similarly, more support for the job search, including during the second year when they would be more prepared to look for work, would be appreciated 
• They would have appreciated more advice regarding where to conduct their shopping, where to find the best bargains and how to use the Toronto public transport. [Although we did cover this it appears we did not do it as comprehensively as we should have] 
• There was also feedback that they remained uncertain about how certain things, such as making dental appointments, should be executed on, which we had thought had been clearly communicated already. 

As a result of their feedback, our group has decided that in the future, with our next sponsorships, we will conduct a formal monthly review to ensure that we don’t take anything for granted and we ensure that no issues or unmet needs are left unaddressed as the settlement proceeds.

Highlights of feedback from members of the sponsorship group

Q2: What could we do better (Pre-arrival and/or post arrival)?

• Clearer division of responsibilities post-arrival 
• Pair up each family member with an RRP member for outings, English lessons etc. No need to always involve the whole family. 
• Encourage family members to take on part time jobs early on 
• Consider location closer to subway, not in Arabic environment 
• Focus on different ways to improve their English (outside of ESL classes) 
• Manage expectations of family for month 13 

Q3: How effective was the communication between our group and the newcomers? What improvements in this area should we consider?

• Understand role and responsibility of volunteer vs professional interpreters 
• Draw on a bigger pool of interpreters 
• Email not a good communication method but other communication means such as text messages, What’sApp, Facebook messenger worked well 
• Regular, formal check-ins with family with different group members to discuss progress, concerns 
• Spend more time with the family post-arrival to clarify mutual expectations, roles and responsibilities 

Q4: What specific actions or approaches could we have done better to promote self-sufficiency and empower the newcomers?

• Encourage them to take on part-time employment 
• Encourage them to take on volunteer positions 
• Be more active in English-language support for the family 
• Earlier start of employment discussion, preparation of CV 
• Manage expectations for month 13 

Q6: In terms of the RRP group overall, considering how we might be able to work more effectively, and in terms of our long-term future, do you have any suggestions regarding changes we should make in any of the following areas? Direction, Goals, Processes; Governance; Membership; Task-definition and assignments; Meetings; Decision-making process; Advocacy; Other

• Defining governance, including membership guidelines/ how decisions are made. Clarifying vision and mission. 
• We should re-visit team member roles, accountabilities and expectations of ourselves and of each other 
• We should continue to support advocacy efforts on behalf of the private sponsorship model in general and its application to the Syrian refugee backlog in particular. 
• Develop mechanisms to ensure engagement of members, to exclude members if needed, to bring in new members 
• Take and circulate minutes at each meeting 
• Continue meetings, perhaps on a more regular basis 
• Clear delineation of roles and responsibilities of members 

Q7: Personal reflections - Please provide your thoughts on any of the following questions: What did you learn personally, what was most meaningful, memorable, about this experience?

• It has been a wonderful personal experience both as part of the RRP itself and in getting to know the newcomers. I definitely feel like I have gained a lot more than I have given. Being a member of the group has connected me with terrific individuals that I might not have known otherwise. Our discussions have been sometimes difficult but it has felt like we have really worked as a team to arrive at decisions. And in a crazy world that seems to be getting crazier, it has felt empowering for our group to make a difference in the lives of these 8 people. 
• The most memorable was the pick up on day on, and the small day to day interactions and light moments and I really enjoyed our Ripple team meetings 
• I found it personally satisfying to assist the family to settle in Canada after the trauma they must have experienced over the past few years both inside and outside Syria. It's only one family from among millions of displaced Syrian refugees but what a difference our team has made in the lives of every member of the family. Our medical team members have been truly outstanding. 
• Seeing the family so grateful to be here in a free country, and being received so warmly was a true pleasure. 
• On the whole, this has been a really positive experience for me personally as I feel I have connected in a meaningful way with people with shared values. It has been an honour to tangibly assist with settling a vulnerable newcomer family. This journey has been an impetus for becoming involved with an advocacy organization and to learn about the problems with the Canadian Immigration system and to explore possible solutions. 
• This has been one of the most meaningful experiences of my life and a real honour to work with such a great group of people. Has given me a lot to think about in terms of empowerment, interpersonal relationships, cultural issues, volunteering
• Very glad to be involved, regretful that did not have more time to make myself available. Regretful also that I did not manage to make a meaningful personal connection with them. 
• The most meaningful part has been to enable two families to have a new life, and a better hope for the future. Also, it is very special to feel part of a group, of a bigger community, and taking a small step into making the world a slightly better place. Doing something concrete to help instead of just complaining. The most memorable moments were the arrival of the family and the many beautiful moments we spend with them socially. The whole year was one big learning experience as everything we did was completely new to me. I am proud that we were able to weather many of the challenges that arose, and stuck together as a group, without a lot of conflict and disagreement. One disappointment was that a number of people in the group simply disappeared or were disengaged, especially when the going got tough, or just came to group meetings without engaging with the family. 
• The friendship with people so very different from me in customs and values has been heart warming. On the other hand, I have come away with a renewed appreciation of the importance of making a contribution to others for both my own and the refugees mental health. Overall, I think that the joy of self sufficiency, contribution to the welfare of others and social participation is a right we need to help the newcomers to access. I am learning about the range of groups in Syrian society and their associated attitudes, and wonder whether the government could better help those on the list to come here to manage their expectations and to understand what will be expected of them in turn. 
•  It was wonderful to be part of a team that helps to provide a safe haven and a new start for people in real distress. I learned that the barriers are larger than I had expected. 

Template for our self-evaluation, and for the newcomer’s evaluation of our work (in English and Arabic).

By Andrew FitzGerald

A message to our donors

The members of the Ripple Refugee Project wanted to provide all of you, our generous donors, with an update on the Abdallah family, who arrived from Syria to Canada last December, and regarding other sponsorships and initiatives undertaken by the Ripple Refugee Group.

The Abdallahs are settling well into their new life here in Toronto.  All the family members are working hard to develop their English language skills which is a priority in order to provide them with a solid foundation for their new life. The two youngest family members, who are 6 and 8, are already pretty much fluent while the adults are making great progress. Now with the 12th-month anniversary approaching, attention is turning to finding work so that they can support themselves going forward.

Baby shower for the soon-to-arrive newest family member

IT TAKES A VILLAGE:  We have had tremendous support in settling this family into their new life from so many different organizations and individuals and we want to thank everyone who has been involved.  While there are too many to mention, we want to highlight the support from the University Health Network (UHN), the Arab Community Centre of Toronto (ACCT), Access Alliance, Dentists, Sunnybrook Hospital, Ryerson University, Lifeline Syria, the many volunteer Arabic-speaking interpreters and members of that community, and from a wide range of other people in the extended Toronto community.

And of course, our refugee sponsorships would not be possible without all of your generous donations - THANK YOU!

UPCOMING ARRIVALS - We are looking forward to welcoming a family of 3 before Christmas, who are arriving from Syria via Turkey with a new born baby in tow.  We also have an application for another family of 3 and for a single young man who is related to the Abdallahs, who should all be here hopefully by mid 2017. The Ripple group plans to continue sponsoring refugees over the coming years - it has been such a rewarding and transformative experience for all of us.

As Ryerson Lifeline Syria has stopped accepting donations for all their sponsorship teams, which we are one of, we will be working with another organization to continue our funding efforts in order to support the sponsorship of more refugee families in the future - Please stand by for an update regarding this new donation channel. 

ON-GOING ADVOCACY AND SUPPORT EFFORTS - From the beginning, an important goal of the Ripple Refugee Project was to advocate to the government and public for the value and importance of the Private Sponsorship model, to encourage people to get involved and to support other private sponsorship groups in whatever way we can. Below are some more recent examples of our efforts in this area:

- We continue to meet with other private sponsorship groups to provide guidance in their efforts

- Canada4Refugees.org:  3 of our members were co-founders of the Canada4Refugees group which formed last May in order to advocate for and provide support to the citizen-led refugee resettlement model and initiatives.    

- Advocacy through the media in order to build domestic and international support for Syrian refugee initiatives, the private sponsorship model and to encourage people to get involved: 

a) Our newcomer family was recently featured on BBC International Radio and TV broadcasts (click here to view the heartwarming TV story) which also shows an amazing surprise reunion between the BBC reporter, Lyse Ducet and a Syrian family that was last seen in dire circumstances in Damascus.

b) The family and the Ripple Refugee Project group were also featured in the Globe and Mail (Click Here) 

c) On Dutch TV (starts at minute:17:23) (Click Here).

d) Al Jazeera's TV show, "The Stream" (Click Here), featured The Ripple Refugee Project in its episode on private citizens helping Syrian Refugeesple Refugee Project. 

WISHING YOU ALL THE BEST FOR THE HOLIDAY SEASON

MANY THANKS AGAIN FOR YOUR SUPPORT

Cooking with Nahla

Our group members spent a lot of time since the Abdallahs' arrival in December helping the family members navigate life in Toronto, trying to introduce them to Canadian life and culture. 

We realized that this has often been a one-way street. Because of the language barrier (which is getting smaller every day!) it has been more difficult for the family to share their culture and traditions with us. 

But one language is universal: food! We were very fortunate that Nahla, the matriarch of the family, and her daughter-in-law Sawsan showed us how to prepare some of their very delicious Syrian dishes. When we ate together – after patriarch Abdallah had given a beautiful Arabic blessing – we truly felt like one big family.

The women do not follow written recipes but we have taken notes of the ingredients and steps involved in making the dishes – we hope you’ll enjoy them as much as we did!

Chicken à la Nahla

1. Remove skin from chicken drumsticks, place them in big pot with boiling water
2. Add cinnamon powder and cinnamon sticks, cardamom, onion slices, salt, ginger, turmeric and coriander. Boil chicken in broth for 45 minutes
3. Peel potatoes, cut them into thin slices
4. Deep fry potato slices in batches, set aside.
5. Deep fry onion slices
6. Place one layer of fried potato slices on bottom of large casserole.
7. Add boiled chicken drumsticks on top. Add some of the chicken stock. Keep the rest for rice.
8. Add sliced onions and another layer of deep-fried potato slices
9. Put casserole in oven for 20 minutes or cook on stove for another 20 minutes

10. Mix freshly-squeezed lemon juice and minced garlic. Pour some of the mixture over the chicken casserole before serving

Syrian salad

1. Cut cucumbers, green peppers, carrots and tomatoes into small pieces
2. Chop mint, parsley and green salad
3. Mix in large bowl
4. Pour rest of the lemon-garlic mixture over the salad before serving

Fatteh

1. Cut pita bread into thin stripes
2. Deep-fry pita slices until crispy. Put aside
3. In large bowl, mix 2 containers of joghurt with two containers of hummus.
4. Add some Tahini
5. Add garlic, 1 spoonful of cardamom and mix well
6. Empty two chickpea containers with liquid into cooking pot, boil for a few minutes
7. Place pita strips on bottom of casserole dish
8. Ladle joghurt-hummus mix on pita strips
9. Sprinkle dish with cayenne pepper and cumin
10. Ladle heated chickpeas onto dish
11. Heat up ghee (optional), pour over Fatteh before serving

Rice à la Nahla

Fatteh, salad and Nahla's chicken dish

1. Mix dry rice with oil and ghee
2. Add salt, cinnamon, cardamom, turmeric and coriander
3. Add left-over chicken stock, with come chicken pieces
4. Bring to boil

By Claudia Blume

"I love the humanity here", Anas tells the CBC's The Current

After just ten days in Canada, Anas was already interviewed by Piya Chattopadhyay on the CBC's The Current!  Our group member Ammar translated. It was nice to hear all the positive things he had to say about his first few days in Canada, about how welcoming everyone has been or, as he calls it, the 'humanity' he has witnessed in the country - a far cry from the harrowing experiences the family has gone through since they were forced to flee their home in Syria more than two years ago.

CBC The Current: 'Ripple Refugee Group' in Toronto welcomes Syrian family of 8

Thank you very much to Piya Chattopadhyay for producing a great documentary about our group for the CBC's The Current!

We saw our family on TV!

We could not believe our eyes when we watched the CBC's The National tonight: the family of eight we are sponsoring was interviewed in Beirut, before flying to Canada! They seem super-nice, we are excited to welcome them in Toronto soon!

From watching the report we are not sure if they know about us, if they received the letter (translated into Arabic) we sent them through Citizenship and Immigration Canada. We also still don't have the arrival dates for the rest of the family.

Refugees should not pay the price for cowardly terrorist attacks

It only took a few hours after last week’s horrific attacks in Paris before a backlash against migrants and refugees started. Right-wing European politicians who had already claimed that incoming refugees present a security risk immediately asked that the continent should shut its doors. In the United States, more than half the nation's governors say they oppose letting Syrian refugees into their states. 

The Canadian government has thankfully remained level-headed and reaffirmed its election pledge to bring in 25,000 Syrian refugees by the end of this year, while Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne has also confirmed the province's commitment to bring in Syrian refugees fleeing civil war. Some conservative politicians such as Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall, however, have asked PM Trudeau to scrap his plan, and online petitions are making the rounds asking for the same. 

While most Canadians remain positive about bringing in more refugees to Canada, many online comments connected to articles about migrants and refugees are outright vitriolic, and there have even been a couple of attacks on Muslims in Canada. A Muslim woman was attacked by two men while picking up her children from a Toronto public school on Monday who called her a “terrorist”. Earlier, a mosque in Peterborough was badly damaged by a fire that appears to have been deliberately set. 

Let’s get the facts straight. Many Syrian refugees are fleeing the same people that committed the heinous attacks in France. They are victims of the war in their country, not perpetrators. Terrorists don’t risk their and their children’s lives on rickety boats on the Mediterranean, or walk for thousands of kilometers through increasingly hostile countries in Europe in the hope of finding a better, safer life, far away from their homes. Terrorists don’t spend months and even years living in deplorable conditions in refugee camps in Jordan, Turkey, Iraq or Lebanon.

Syrian refugees living in makeshift shelters in Lebanon's Bekaa valley (@MSF)

Most refugees are just as shocked about last week’s attack as people in Europe or North America. “They are devastated by what happened in Paris,” Paul Yon, the head of mission for Doctors Without Borders in Lebanon, where more than one million Syrian refugees live, told Le Journal de Montreal . "People have Internet access and the backlash is very hard on them. People here aspire only to have a better life, and we close the doors.” 

Now, more than ever, is the time to show solidarity and compassion towards refugees, not mistrust or even hatred. We should bring in more, not fewer refugees. Otherwise, we will let the terrorists win. 

(By Claudia Blume)

New Canadian government support for Syrian refugees

Things are finally moving in Canada. International Development Minister Christian Paradis announced a Syrian emergency relief fund on Saturday that will match donations from Canadians up to $100 million.

And on the same day, the Ontario government pledged $10.5 million to the Syrian refugee crisis and hopes the province can resettle 10.000 Syrian refugees by the end of 2016.

A Global News reporter did a short interview with our group member Andrew for her story.

"The roadblock is the Canadian government"

The shocking photo of 3-year old Syrian Aylan Kurdi, found lifeless on a Turkish beach a few days ago, appears to have generated more empathy for the plight of refugees, and more media interest, than any other report about migrants in previous months. Canadians are increasingly holding their government accountable for not bringing in more refugees, especially Syrian refugees, and for letting Europe deal with the growing migrant crisis on its own. The government is far from reaching its already modest goal of bringing in 10,000 Syrians over 3 years, with only about 700 arriving in Canada last year. The CBC's The Current talked to our group member Raghu about some of the frustrations sponsorship groups such as ours are facing. Following the great, in-depth interview, Raghu was bombarded with other media requests. Hopefully the attention the migrant issue is finally getting will push the Canadian government to bring in more Syrian and other refugees as soon as possible, and to make it easier for people like us to sponsor them.

Listen to Raghu's interview: http://bit.ly/1L7nEz4

 

A balance of excitement and apprehension

We're more or less ready, as a group. We've had several meetings to get to know each other, learn about the process, and discuss how we will function. We seem to have some commonalities of what motivates us: a variable blend of social action, civic responsibility, and a chafing to do something to alleviate suffering. For myself, I think I've found a balance of excitement and apprehension about embarking on this journey.

Currently, however, what's delaying us is that we have not yet been accepted by a Sponsorship Agreement Holder (SAH). The SAH is something of the guarantor with the Canadian government, signing the contract on our behalf, saying that we will fulfill our end of the bargain to settle a refugee family. I find it strange that the SAH's recognized by Citizenship and Immigration Canada are almost all either religious groups or ethnically-based. We, as a group of secular-minded, socially-motivated, concerned citizens who are ethnically diverse and not religiously-inclined... don't seem to quite fit the mold. But surely we are not alone in our willingness to help? We will likely end up working with one of the churches, in an arrangement of convenience, but I am uneasy about the "fit" of this relationship.

Then there is the irony of the Syrian refugees. Our group--I think like many--started because we were moved to action by the continued terrible desperation in Syria. Four million Syrians have now fled their country since the conflict began. The Canadian government announced early this year that they would accept an additional 10 000 Syrian refugees. But there are no Syrians "available" on the lists of government-approved refugees awaiting settlement, despite that many other groups are waiting and willing to help them settle. There is a bureaucratic bottleneck somewhere. I think it's tragic. 

We've decided that there are many people in great need, so we will not insist on Syrians. Indeed, there are many hidden conflicts and forgotten human rights issues. The lists include Eritreans, Congolese, Burmese, and others. The Syrian crisis motivated many of us; I can only hope that our motivation can also benefit the Syrian people who have been affected.

By Wendy Lai

We are a group now

We had hoped to find at least 5 people needed to create a constituency group that can sponsor a refugee under the blended VOR program. The response was bigger than we had hoped: 13 people (and two guests) showed up at our first ‘formal’ meeting. Most came from two different groups – association members of Doctors Without Borders (where Claudia works) and members of a film group to which Andrew and Claudia belong.  It turns out that many of us live in Riverdale and that the group members have a wide range of expertise that will be valuable for settling in refugees, including backgrounds in medicine, education, human resources, finance and communications.

We shared our motivations for joining the group. Some of us simply wanted to give back while others have been particularly alarmed by the plight of Syrian refugees and wanted to do something instead of just feeling helpless in the face of the enormity of the problem  - and being frustrated by how few refugees from Syria and other countries Canada is taking in. Once a leader, Canada is now a shadow of its former self when it comes to taking in refugees. 

Canada aims to to resettle about 10,000 Syrian refugees over the next three years - less than 0.02 per cent of the number of Syrian refugees hosted by Jordan, and not even 0.009 per cent of the total taken in by Lebanon. Ottawa expects private groups to should the majority of the burden. Several of us are appalled that the Canadian government makes private citizens pay a big part of the costs for settling in refugees and hope to raise awareness about this issue.

We invited Paul M. to our first meeting, whose faith-based group had sponsored two sets of refugees, a family from Iraq and a couple from Burma. The group’s experience was mixed: one settlement was very positive and easy while the other one was very challenging, mainly due to different expectations of the group and the refugees, who had not been informed prior to their arrival that Canadian sponsors would be responsible for their settlement in the first year. They were angry that they could not live with family members in a different town but in the end valued their experience in Toronto as they were able to adapt much quicker to their host culture and learn English faster.

Paul gave us some valuable pieces of advice, such as that we should be careful with our expectations. Our role is to help settle refugees and not become friends for life. We need to be aware that we will be quite busy before the refugees arrive and in the first 2 months after their arrival, with activities such as finding housing, opening bank accounts, finding schools etc. He stressed the importance of group formation and developing conflict resolution mechanisms.

Claudia Blume