The Al Sadoon Family is Coming to Canada

They Have Landed!

Still Looking for Donations

• Stacking apartment size washer/dryer
• Simple Children's books up to about Grade 3
• computer speakers

Latest Events

Saif and Shahad are enrolled in a four week summer school for international students. ESL in the morning and field trips all over the Cowichan Valley in the afternoons. This is for newly arrived international students at Cowichan Secondary School.

Ilham, who understands quite a bit of English, will be starting ESL four mornings a week at Cowichan Intercultural in September.

Saad has a job already. At the moment, it is doing yard maintenance but will work into labouring and eventually learning carpentry skills. Saif is also hoping for a summer job on the weekends.

Meet Our Iraqi Family

On Youtube, an introduction by Saad to his family.

Thanya Al-Saadoon, an active member of the Cowichan Valley community, has family members who have been suffering under the embargo and war in Iraq. Last year they escaped to Syria and gained United Nations Convention Refugee status.

We want to save them from the misery of war and from living with no dignity, safety or security as refugees in a foreign land.

The purpose of our efforts is to request the support of the community in carrying out what we are calling the “Damascus to Duncan” project.

The Family:

The Alsadoon family members are:

• Saad Al-Sadoon, Thanya’s brother, who is 44 years old;
• Ilham Al-Sadoon, Saad’s wife, who is 34 years old;
• Shahad Al-Sadoon, daughter, age 16;
• Saif Al-Sadoon, son, age 15; and
• Tabarek "Tutu" Al-Sadoon, daughter, age 5.

Over the past 10 years, life in Baghdad, in the Abu Ghraib district in Bhagdad became dangerous and life-threatening because of fighting between rival sects and the American military.

Bombings, gun fire, street battles bloodshed and sudden death became an every day experience of this family.

These children have never known Peace.

After the death of his mother when her house was bombed, Saad realized he had to get his family out. In February 2009, after a gruelling 16 hour bus ride across the desert, they were able to escape to Damascus, Syria, and obtain refugee status.

They left behind everything they had ever known including friends, family, home and possessions.

After learning of this situation, many people have gathered to privately sponsor the family, and develop a network to meet their settlement needs once they are here.

Support from Volunteer Cowichan

On-line Damascus to Duncan

Click the image below to see Sharon's computer desktop.

Here is a link to a Market in Damascus near where they recently had to move. It will open in another window. It takes a while to load, so why not open the page, let it load and go back and look at it later?