Page 29 - Presbyterian Connection

Connection
PRESBYTERIAN WORLD SERVICE & DEVELOPMENT
Refugee Sponsorship Update
presbyterian.ca
SUMMER 2024
PRESBYTERIAN
29
IMPACT 2023
In 2023, PWS&D and our partners undertook
58
projects in
27
116,274 129,580
PWS&D contributed to $10.8 million worth of development and relief programs —
$3 million in development and
$7.8 million in relief.
This was possible because of $5.3 million in donations from members of The Presbyterian Church in Canada, including $2.6 million in legacy gifts to the Loaves & Fishes fund and $369,000 to our Canadian Foodgrains Bank account.
countries.
people participated in health, food security, livelihoods
and human rights projects
people received food, water
and sanitation, and other emergency assistance
For every dollar PWS&D spent in 2023*
n 93% Development and relief programs (see following chart)
n 3%
Education and fundraising
n 4% Administration
Program funds were spent on:
n Food security 7% n Health 8% n Human rights 5% n Livelihoods 4% n Relief 76%
*This chart represents the full value of PWS&D programming in 2023—including Government of Canada matching funds through Canadian Foodgrains Bank and KAIROS.
To download or order the full 2023 Impact Report, visit WeRespond.ca/Impact2023
A sponsored family arrives at Ottawa airport in 2023.
By Biniam Goitom, PWS&D Refugee Sponsorship Coordinator
At a time when human displace- ment and forced migration have reached the highest levels ever seen, the UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) estimates more than 110 million people are displaced globally.
In this difficult context, PWS&D is very grateful to everyone who contributes to the church’s refu- gee sponsorship efforts. This includes PCC congregations, presbyteries and other groups. Over the course of the sponsor- ship process, with PWS&D’s sup- port, they develop applications, prepare to receive those they are sponsoring, await arrival and/or assist with the first year of set-
tlement in Canada—helping new- comers from around the globe build new lives.
In 2023, the Government of Canada allocated 82 sponsor- ship spaces to The Presbyterian Church in Canada. As has been the case for the past several years, requests to sponsor from Presbyterian congregations ex- ceeded the spaces allocated by the Government of Canada. By the end of 2023, 28 applications were submitted to sponsor 82 in- dividuals by 19 congregations or presbyteries.
For 2024, the Government of Canada has allocated the same number of spaces for named refugees as last year—82. Again, as in previous years, the request to sponsor exceeds the allocated spaces. A Refugee Sponsor- ship Selection Task Group will prioritize who will be sponsored based on PWS&D’s Policy and Guidelines for the Prioritization of Requests to Sponsor Named Ref- ugees. The policy considers indi- viduals who are facing urgent or immediate threats to their life or physical well-being in their coun- tryofasylum,orthoseexperienc- ing vulnerability based on factors such as gender, age, religion, eth- nicity, sexual orientation, need for medical treatment, or experience of torture and/or violence. Family reunification in Canada and the duration of the time the individu- als have been outside their coun-
try of origin are also considered. For the Private Sponsorship of Refugees program, which Cana- da pioneered, to work effectively, timely processing should be a pri- ority. We are still experiencing sig- nificant processing delays. There are many applications, from all immigration streams, still at the processing stage, and this has created a huge backlog within the Immigration, Refugees and Citi-
zenship Canada system.
Over the course of 2023, 99
sponsored people arrived in Can- ada, originating from Afghanistan, Democratic Republic of Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Iran, Myanmar, Pakistan, Somalia and Syria. This number reflects a significant increase from arrivals in 2022, when only 47 people arrived. In addition, there are 91 applica- tions, representing 262 people, for which approval from the gov- ernment and/or arrival is pend- ing—some of these applications date as far back as 2017.
All these efforts, from start to end, to help vulnerable refugees are made possible by the wel- coming spirit of the PCC congre- gations. We remain grateful for their ongoing and generous re- sponse to the needs of newcom- ers to Canada.
To learn more about how you and your congregation can be- come involved in refugee spon- sorship, visit WeRespond.ca/get- involved/refugee-sponsorship.
JOURNEY FOR HOPE
Save the date! September 28, 2024
Gather your friends, family and congregation and join PWS&D’s Journey for Hope. Cycle, walk, bake, or play and help those affected by food insecurity.
Visit WeRespond.ca/JourneyforHope for more information!