“I was running a nonprofit early learning center and I had more than enough community there. So I just sent an email and a bunch of us met and we created a group. I think there were about 12 of us,” she said.

Cindy’s group sponsored a Syrian family of five to Ottawa. In 2019, after learning about BVOR and the program’s cost-sharing feature between sponsors and the government of Canada, Cindy and some of her coworkers formed a new group which would welcome a small Ghanaian family.

“I started a group called ‘Everyone’s Sister’. [We sponsored] a woman and her son from a refugee camp in Ghana. We really appreciated that it was more expedient in getting somebody here that needed help.”

Cindy credits her community with helping reduce the pressure of preparing for the family’s arrival.

“Sandy Hill is a wonderful community as far as just reaching out to people. We had no trouble—I held New Year’s Eve parties and we were constantly fundraising and auctioning off things. And it was nice to be able to do it quickly because we only had to raise half as much.” 

Looking back, Cindy said her group worked well together given their pre-existing knowledge of social services. In addition, their love for humanitarian work sparked an enthusiasm to forge a strong relationship with the family they supported. 

“We have an anniversary party every year. We helped [the mother’s] now fiance with his application for sponsorship. They’re happily living together now. We go to [their son’s] football games; he calls all the group members grandma and grandpa.”

Cindy’s group plans to sponsor more refugees in the future.

“I found the BVOR program excellent because you’re [helping] people that are most in need. Our government has identified them as being at high risk. To me, it's just so emotionally difficult and hard to really understand the desperation of all the refugees.”

Start the journey to becoming a refugee sponsor — and learn about the networks and resources that can help along the way.