Syrian Refugee Arrival Appeal
Note: This appeal is now closed. You can support our ongoing work by donating to the Canadian Red Cross.
Through the generous support of Canadians, as well as corporate and government donations, over $4.1 million was raised to support this operation.
Syrian Refugee Arrival
The war in Syria is one of the worst humanitarian disasters in recent history. Hundreds of thousands have lost their lives, millions were forced to flee their country, and millions more remained internally displaced.
While Canada accepted Syrian refugees since the outbreak of the war, refugee arrivals ramped up from the fall of 2015 to the spring of 2016.
Red Cross Response
The Canadian Red Cross was ready to support the arrival of thousands of individuals and families within the span of a few months.
Out of almost 40,000 Syrians who have immigrated to Canada since 2016, over 11,000 were welcomed by our volunteer teams at the Montréal-Trudeau airport. From that moment on, these refugees received immediate assistance and ongoing support.
The Red Cross Welcome Centre in Montreal:
- distributed 75,500+ essential items (winter clothing and boots, hygiene kits, calling cards, etc.);
- served 10,790+ meals and snacks;
- provided temporary accommodations;
- made 1,580+ trips providing transportationb> between the Welcome Centre and the various temporary accommodations;
- provided information and family reunification services;
- facilitated recreational and educational activities for 2,954 Syrian childrenb> staying in temporary hotel lodging;
- ensured that 843 refugees saw a physician;
- provided 477 rides to and from medical appointments.
About 200 Red Cross volunteers worked with these newcomers every day to meet their various needs.
Community Integration Program
After the influx of Syrian refugee arrivals, the Canadian Red Cross partnered with organizations that support refugees across the country to help individuals and families settle and integrate into their new community.
In total, the 85 Red Cross-supported projects have reached 27,900+ Syrian refugees through both internal programing and partnerships with community organizations.
Quite varied, they include:
- English or French language learning and literacy programs for children and adults;
- a support and information hotline in Arabic;
- interpretation services during appointments;
- parenting support for young families;
- psychological support to assist families during their transition;
- consultations for people affected by psychological trauma;
- employment and skills training;
- information sessions about community services and the education and healthcare systems;
- cultural integration workshops and sports and recreational activities for youth.
Donor Reports
Last updated
January 2019