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www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Thursday, January 28, 2016 | 6 continued from p.1 The family of seven is among the rst wave of 14 Syrian families settling into Halton and the surrounding GTA area. The region is expecting to welcome 50 Syrian refugee families by the end of April. The Al-Balkhi family arrived in Oakville Dec. 20 and was temporarily housed by Maple Grove United Church members Carlos and Katy Joaquim, while a more permanent accommodation was found. The family's arrival is thanks to the efforts of its sponsoring group, Abraham's Children Together (ACT), after Riyad's sister, who is living in Mississauga, and whom he hadn't seen in 10 years, reached out. The group is comprised of interfaith communities across Oakville and Mississauga. Looking back at the journey that brought him here, Riyad, 55, said life in Syria wasn't always lled with war. He married Nadia, now 43, in 1994 and moved his new family to Abu Dhabi where he worked in human resources, he reminisced. The Al-Balkhis moved back to Syria in 2007 to be closer to family and friends. "Life was good. There were no problems," said Riyad, in a mix of English and Arabic. "Syria was beautiful," said Ahslan, in English. "It's your country, so you always have a love for your country. We were studying, my dad was working, living a good life." At the time, Ahslan was in high school with aspirations of becoming a civil engineer -- a dream his brother Asyed shares. Ahslan was only able to complete Grade 12 before the war came to his home in Damascus in 2011, forcing him and his siblings to leave school. Journey that began in 2011 makes Oakville connection Spotlight "Connected to your Community" Sheelagh Towland, left, meets Nadia Al-Balkhi, right, and her husband, Riyad Al-Balkhi (behind), after last weekend's service at Maple Grove United Church where the Al-Balkhi family was welcomed. The family is being sponsored in Oakville through a group of faith organizations called Children of Abraham Together (ACT). | photo by Justin Greaves ­ Oakville Beaver (Follow on Twitter @halton_photog or facebook.com/HaltonPhotog) Life became too dif cult "It was too dif cult, too hard," Riyad said of what life became for him and his family. With no electricity, sometimes, when bombings would take place, the Al-Balkhis and their neighbours became prisoners in their own homes. "We were living in the basement because of the bombings. It wasn't safe anywhere, but it was safer to be in the basement. We would be there for days sometimes, until the bombing was done," said Ahslan. "Our neighbours, who didn't have a basement, would come over to ours to hide out. We'd sometimes be two or three families (there) without electricity." Power could be out anywhere from one to hours, to three to four days, noted Ahslan. When it came back on, it would only be for a few hours, before the bombings continued. "We were living in constant fear," he said. Ahslan explained when the bombings would cease, every two to ve days, the women of their village would travel to nearby towns to purchase food and get water in bulk to last them for weeks. He said the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) had no presence where his family lived and the war was instead between the Syrian government, a free army and small militias. Able to stand the war for just a year, Riyad took his family to Jordan. There may have been peace there, but the family exchanged one form of a prison for another. "When we go to Jordan, it was safe," said Ahslan. "But you can't live there... you can't do anything." Refugees in Jordan are not allowed to work or go to school there without specialized permits, which are extremely dif cult to get, he explained. "Many families end up going back to Syria... living in camps," said Ahslan. "We (he and his siblings) stopped studying for two years; my dad stopped working for four years. We needed to stop living in fear, pick up our life and continue with it." While in Jordan, Riyad put in an application to come to Canada -- it would take a year before being accepted. "I was so happy," Nadia said in Arabic, after she learned their application went through, noting she wasn't afraid or worried about going to a country she knew very little about. "We weren't relaxed or comfortable in Jordan; we couldn't live.... My family lost years from our lives," she said in her native tongue. A new life now "But I'm at ease now. My children are back in school. We have a new life now.... There's safety here and my children now have a future." Ahslan and Asyed are currently taking English as a Second Language (ESL) courses and high school math at an adult school in Mississauga before they get back on track to becoming civil engineers. The twins have already started Grade 7, while Mohammed will start Grade 9 on Feb. 4 -- all three at Mississauga schools. Riyad said he plans on taking courses to strengthen his English skills to help him nd work. The father of ve described how he and his family felt extremely welcomed when they arrived in Canada. "The people at the airport were happy to see us. They gave us coats, boots and food," he said. "It made us feel safe, welcomed." Oakville resident Sandra Onufryk, one of the Maple Grove church members who had spearheaded the family's sponsorship project, told the Beaver, that while the family waited in line at Service Ontario, someone went to Tim Hortons and returned with a large box of doughnuts for them. ACT members had been pulling together working on the sponsorship paperwork and fundraising the minimum $35,000 needed to help settle the Syrian family in their rst year -- even organizing collections of furniture, food and clothes, English language classes/tutors, nding family doctors and dentists and possible rental properties. While the group was unable to nd affordable housing for the family in Oakville, they lucked out after being connected with The Daniels Corporation, which helped the Al-Balkhis settle into their current home at Mavis Road and Eglinton Avenue, in Mississauga, with $1,600 monthly rent -- the discounted rate will be in place for two years. "The home is very beautiful," Nadia said. "We didn't have any furniture in Jordan, not a lot of clothes. We're very comfortable here. We feel very welcomed here." While the Al-Balkhis now live in Mississauga, ACT is still checking in with them to see how they're doing, explained Riyad. Ahslan said he needed to thank everyone, on behalf of his family, who helped him, his siblings and parents make it to Canada, including ACT, his aunt and the Canadian government. Riyad noted there was "too much happiness," when he learned his refugee application came through. "We're not afraid anymore," he said in Arabic. "We're safe and together. I wake up and see my family every morning... this is what life is supposed to be." Ahslan admitted he couldn't believe the news. "I told my dad, `I won't believe it until we go to the plane, it takes off and I see we land in Canada," he added with a laugh. -- with les from Julia Le NEIL OLIVER Vice ­President and Group Publisher KELLY MONTAGUE Regional General Manager Volume 54 | Number 8 5046 Mainway, Unit 2, Burlington (905) 845-3824 Oakville Beaver is a member of the Ontario Press Council. The council is located at 80 Gould St., Suite 206, Toronto, Ont., M5B 2M7. Phone (416) 340-1981. 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