One of Stettler’s newest families has one of the most heart wrenching, yet uplifting stories to tell.
Daniel Kwizera, Diane Mukasine and their three children, Junny, Daniella and Darissa, arrived in Stettler recently as sponsored refugees from Ethiopia. Both have a heartbreaking yet triumphant story to tell of their odyssey to Stettler.
Daniel’s story
Daniel lived in Burundi, the son to parents of politicians who wanted to form an opposition party to challenge the, government who was accused of wrongdoing and corruption. Daniels’s parents were assassinated in a roadside ambush to stop them from exposing the political wrongdoings. Daniel’s friend warned him that now his entire family was considered to be a threat to the government and was targeted for assassination. Daniel, his wife and his infant daughter fled the city of Bujumbura to the southern Burundian city of Rumonge. He and his family were safe for one year. Then, while he was away from home one day, he got word that his house had been ambushed, his wife shot and that it was not safe for him to return home.
Daniel reports that he remembers only collapsing on the road from the shock and horror of this event. When he awoke, he was in a hospital where he told the doctor what had happened. The doctor advised Daniel to leave his country. The doctor arranged with a Kenyan friend to drive Daniel to Kenya to register as a refugee. Daniel had no documents. When he fled, he had left everything behind. He had only what he was wearing.
His escape took him across four borders: Burundi, Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Kenya.
When he arrived in Kenya he was told Kenya was not a safe place for him and was advised to travel to Ethiopia.
Frightened and alone, he was taken to a bus and given enough money to travel through Kenya to the border of Ethiopia. He crossed the border into Ethiopia through a river at night. His destination was Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa. Traveling both by bus and on foot he reached the capital city. He was directed to the nearest refugee office. His case was transferred to the United Nations Refugee Agency or the UNHCR.
In November 2005, he was sent to a refugee camp 1,000 kms away near the border of Sudan. In the camp, he felt that the physical protection was good. He admits that the food, the shelter, and the health care were very limited. It was in the camp that he met Diane to whom he is now married. Their two daughters, Danielle and Darissa were born during their residence in the camp.
Daniel was elected to the position of camp chairman. In this position he acted as a liaison between refugees from eight different countries and the camp officials. Any concerns other refugees had regarding conditions or supplies were to be addressed through Daniel who then passed the information to the officials. The refugees were not allowed to enter the offices directly.
It was the camp chairmen’s responsibility to help maintain peace and security.
After some years in this position, Daniel began to experience some problems with some of the other refugees. He was often approached by refugees wanting him to help avert the system or take shortcuts. Some wanted a larger share than what was allotted. Daniel said he does not believe in cheating so when he refused, he was frequently kicked, punched or spat upon by groups of men. Realizing he was no longer safe at the camp, he met with the UNHCR officials and he and his family were eventually transferred back to Addis Ababa. They were then classified as a protection case.
During this time in Addis Ababa, Daniel opened a social media account. There had been no access to the internet in the camp. It was then that he received a message asking if he was Daniel Kwizera, formerly from Burundi.
This contact was from a friend of his late wife. Daniel learned that his daughter, whom he had not seen since she was three years old, and whom he believed had been killed along with his wife, was alive and being cared for by this lady. She had been looking for word of him for the past nine years. He was overjoyed and immediately registered his daughter with immigration too.
Diane’s story
Diane, who is Tutsi, fled her home country of The Congo when ethnic tensions flared. There is hatred and violence against the Tutsi in The Congo. One day the home of her family was broken into and her husband taken away. She was terrified for her life and that of her eight-month-old son. She gathered up the baby and fled. She escaped to Uganda. Even there she was afraid that she and her son would be killed.
Fleeing Uganda, Diane made it to Kenya and from there to Ethiopia and its capital city of Addis Ababa. There, she too registered as a refugee and was sent to a refugee camp. It was there that she and Daniel met and were married.
While in Ethiopia in the camp, Diane worked with the Red Cross as a translator. She could speak several languages including English and French and was a great asset for many of the people in the camp.
Coming to Canada
In May of 2014, Daniel and Diane had their first resettlement interview with the UNHCR. There, they were
told they may have a long wait, but that Canada had accepted their application. It took three years for the process to be completed. In February, 2017, Daniel and Diane and the children were interviewed by Canadian Immigration officers in Addis Ababa and given medical clearance. Their case was then transferred to the International Organization for Migration (I.O.M.) There the family acquired their visas and other travel documents required for the eventual departure from Ethiopia.
With about three weeks notice, Daniel, Diane and the children learned they would be leaving for Canada. There were bittersweet farewells with the other refugees whom they had befriended.
Everyone is happy for one another when they know that a family has a chance for a better safe life in a new country.
The family arrived at the Calgary International Airport on November 22, 2017. Their flight took them from Addis Ababa to Frankfurt, Germany. After a several hour layover they boarded Air Canada, to Calgary. They were all exhausted when they arrived in Canada. They all reported that they found the airplane food to be quite strange.
What they didn’t expect upon arrival was the group of people waiting for them. In fact, as they slowly made their way through the arrival gate, they looked back over their shoulders wondering if the group excitedly waving was waiting for someone else behind them.
This is a moment forever imprinted in his mind; Daniel wept for a moment realizing he had a new Canadian family.
Since arriving, the family has been very pleased with the hospitality they have received. Despite how different everything seems to them they have found everyone to be very kind and understanding.
Most drastic, is the adjustment to the weather. Even though they were assured that Alberta was experiencing unseasonably warm temperatures in late November their reaction was, “Too cold.”
What else have they observed about Stettler? Daniel queried: “How is it that people are so happy for someone they don’t know?” In other words, “It is so wonderful to see people genuinely care for one another.” They also really appreciate that people smile and greet one another.
“People show how they feel in their hearts.” Diane also agrees that in Stettler, she likes how people take care of each other, even strangers.
The family is amazed to see that everything you need is available here. They all agreed that it was much too cold to walk around outside over the Christmas season. They loved the Christmas tree light up on Main Street.
The family stated that they feel safe and loved in the Stettler community. The children are delighted to be in school.
Refugee committee
Daniel and Diane and the children were sponsored to come to Canada by the Stettler Refugee Sponsorship Committee, a registered charity.
Lucille McKee (the chairperson) became interested in this journey after her daughter had been involved in a similar program through her church. Lucille believed that if other rural communities are doing it, there is no reason why a community such as Stettler couldn’t. Lucille learned more about the sponsoring of refugees through the Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) in Calgary. Lucille made some phone calls to interested parties and the group held their first meeting in January, 2017. The Stettler committee agreed that that they were willing to sponsor a refugee family with up to four children. The application was made through MCC.
Lucille said the committee got word only two weeks before the family arrived. We were all prepared for welcoming them into their home in Stettler.
They arrived with only one suitcase of belongings for all of them.
She also noted there is a one-year window that allows the sponsorship group to apply for Daniel’s 15 year old daughter Nesta to come to Canada. It is only a matter of making the application and then waiting for the government process to take whatever action needs to happen within immigration.
“People in Stettler are really very kind,” Daniel states.
More information about the Stettler Refugee Sponsorship Committee is available by emailing Lucille at mckeelucille@gmail.com or on Facebook Stettler Refugee Sponsorship Committee.