tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13470399.post8055441139439586072..comments2008-05-15T14:19:26.250-07:00Comments on The $5 philanthropist - GiveMeaning: The lunchbag letdown.Tom Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07446421330879259637noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13470399.post-58138818983113121392007-08-22T12:08:00.000-07:002007-08-22T12:08:00.000-07:00Thanks Nate. Providing volunteer hours to help a ...Thanks Nate. Providing volunteer hours to help a person or family locally is a great way to be of service!<BR/><BR/>Also, my friend <A HREF="http://unlearnings.blogspot.com/" REL="nofollow">Kelly Seagram</A> emailed me after reading the post and brought up the incredibly important issue (also touched on by Nate) of how to better determine educational/professional equivalencies for New Canadians.<BR/><BR/>I'm sure we all have met someone working as a taxi-driver or medical assistant who was a Doctor in their country of origin.Tom Williamshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07446421330879259637noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13470399.post-80650449674652330472007-08-21T17:01:00.000-07:002007-08-21T17:01:00.000-07:00For those of you not from Vancouver that are inter...For those of you not from Vancouver that are interested in working with New Canadians, almost every major city has its own agency with similar programs. With a little help from Google, I'm sure it won't be long before you find an opportunity in your own community!Nate Lepphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11179721265820713023noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13470399.post-47040200225824579362007-08-21T16:57:00.000-07:002007-08-21T16:57:00.000-07:00I've got my own New Canadian story to share. As a ...I've got my own New Canadian story to share. As a 'Friendship Host' with the Immigrant Services Society of BC, I have been helping out a Congolese family of 8 that arrived in Canada two years ago after 5 years in a Ugandan refugee camp. The father was a highly educated and accomplished veterinarian in his home city, but had to flee with his family due to the conflict in Eastern DR Congo. <BR/><BR/>With only a very limited knowledge of English (fluent in French, it always confuses me why Montreal or Quebec City wouldn't have been a better starting point!), he and his family were quite literally dropped into a new country, a new language, a new school and a new workforce. <BR/><BR/>Living on a very meagre (but life-saving) monthly stipend from the Canadian government, the father spent a year learning English, then began to look for a job. This hard-working, extremely intelligent man could do nothing more than volunteer at a local veterinary clinic, despite his background, because his university education couldn't be recognized. <BR/><BR/>Barely able to keep his family of 8 afloat in a 3-bedroom apartment in North Surrey, he can't afford to take even a Veterinary Assistant program at a community college, and must work for minimum wage at a recycling depot. Optimistic to the core, this man is grateful for the chance to make a new life for his family in Canada. <BR/><BR/>Ironically, in relative economic terms, he is in worse shape now than he was before he had to flee the DRC, but he hopes that his kids will have opportunities to pull themselves out of a life of poverty in Canada. Education is key to this, and I know that at least one of his kids is struggling at his French immersion school, while the other three school-age kids are doing quite well.<BR/><BR/>If anyone reads Tom's entry and wants to do something very practical, I highly recommend volunteering a few hours a week with ISS (http://www.issbc.org). You can make a HUGE difference helping New Canadian families find their way around in a very confusing and foreign environment, and be enriched with the blessings of unique friendships at the same time.Nate Lepphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11179721265820713023noreply@blogger.com