Both our families are now in the second half of their sponsorship year – our formal role as sponsors ends in February 2017.  As such, our main focus now is to ensure that they are moving towards complete independence, not only financially, but also with their English skills and being able to navigate the intricacies of a very different culture.

We are thrilled to report that Samer Aleid made a big step in that direction when he landed a job at our local Pasta Polo on Barnet.  Thanks to the assistance of owner Fred Soofi, Samer is pursuing his goal of working in the field of foodservice.  Samer was even featured in the Tri-City news.

Happily, all four school-aged children from both families are excited to be back at school.  As you might expect, their English skills have advanced tremendously during these past months.  Some siblings have even reverted to speaking in not-so-simple English when they need to conceal certain matters from listening parents!

We can also tell you that we have moved ahead with two more sponsorship applications.  The first family is from Iraq, but are currently in Turkey.  They have relatives in our own Parish and will not require any direct support. However, there may be opportunities to help out in some ways, and we will definitely let you know as that comes up.  We expect they will arrive later in the second half of 2017.
The second family is from Syria and are living in Lebanon at the moment. Their application is in a waiting list, and we may not see them until later in 2017 or even 2018. More help will be needed to help them set up a home, etc., and again we will keep you informed as things progress.

For updated information, we urge you to visit our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/stclaresrefugees