The Multicultural Association of Perth Huron is asking locals to dig deep to help the association pay for plane tickets to Canada for Ukrainian-refugee families who can’t otherwise afford them.
After raising more than $37,000 to support the Ukrainian refugees that will soon settle across Huron and Perth counties with housing, food and supplies, the Multicultural Association of Perth-Huron is once again asking donors to dig deep so it can help purchase plane tickets to Canada for those refugees who cannot afford them.
While information around how many refugees will settle in the area has been somewhat inconsistent, multicultural association executive director Dr. Gezahgn Wordofa says the organization is now expecting as many as 35 families of between three and five people, all of whom have the necessary paperwork and have passed Canada’s immigration screening requirements, to begin arriving in the coming weeks.
However, the association recently learned that some of the families slated to come to Huron and Perth counties do not have enough money to purchase the plane tickets they need to escape their war-torn home and the refugee camps in neighboring Eastern European countries.
“Last week the federal government announced they weren’t going to cover plane fare … so suddenly we found we may have a lot of people who will be coming here and some of them have money and some won’t,” said Steve Landers, the association’s accountant. “We’re going to be responsible for raising money to get plane fare for them.”
While Wordofa said there are a number of refugee families coming to Perth and Huron counties who either have local connections that can provide assistance or have enough money to purchase tickets themselves, the association is unsure exactly how many families will need this type of financial support.
“(One of our volunteers) researched and he found out that plane tickets could cost (as much or more than) $1,000 per person. And this expense was unexpected,” Wordofa said, explaining that the money contributed by locals to the Ukrainian-refugee campaign thus far has gone entirely to ensuring the refugees have a home to live in and the food and supplies they need when they arrive in Perth and Huron counties.
Wordofa said at least one volunteer has already come forward to donate enough money to purchase upwards of seven plane tickets for fleeing refugee families, but more support is needed.
Residents can continue to donate to the multicultural association’s Ukrainian-refugee campaign by visiting maph.ca or through a new gofundme campaign at www.gofundme.com/f/ukrainian-refugee-resettlement.
The association will also continue to host regular fundraiser dinners and other events and smaller donations can be made at the cash registers of participating businesses. For more information on how to contribute, follow the Multicultural Association of Perth Huron on Facebook.