A refugee support group is asking Victoria and Esquimalt residents to consider a different kind of gift giving this Christmas.
The Victoria Refugee Sponsorship Group is working to raise funds to sponsor a Syrian refugee family’s first Christmas in the Capital.
The group is running an online crowd-funding campaign where donors “buy” an item the family will need in their first year. Donors receive a certificate with details of their donation that they can give a friend or family member for the holidays.
Donations will go directly to the mother, father and three young children to cover their costs as they settle in Victoria,
The family has been sheltering in Turkey since August 2013, when they fled their home in Syria to escape escalating conflict.
The family is expected to arrive within the next 18 months, and funds for their first year in Canada must be raised by then. The estimated living expenses for a family of five in Victoria is $38,000.
For more information, please go online to faezagroup.com.