Meet Ahmad

I am Ahmad, a syrian refugee and a proud father of two beautiful children and this is my Story.

I worked hard for my engineering degree from the University of Aleppo. I married the love of my life and we had two beautiful children; a boy and a girl. Wishing a bright and respectable future for my kids, I sent them to International School of Aleppo. However, in 2011, the school shut down due to war breaking out and our sheltered lives began to crumble. Every night as we put our kids to sleep, we were unsure if we would be alive the next day. Airstrikes turned the streets where our kids played into graveyards. We had no choice but to leave our country. After waiting for 11 months cramped in a refugee camp in Lebanon, we finally began our final journey to Canada.

As we began to settle in Canada, both my children, Nour and Hussain, began experiencing severe seizures, which we discovered were symptoms of Wilson’s disease – a rare genetic disorder, which rendered my two children completely dependant. Already struggling to resettle in Canada, our hospital bills and taxi expenditures piled high, making us unable to pay our rent. The community, sympathetic to our needs, put together some funds and acquired a car for us, so the trips to and back from the hospital would become more manageable.

Due to an error on our file, Canada Child Benefits were delayed for over 6 months. Relying on a monthly income of $1500 and after we paid rent I only had a few hundred left over for food. In a matter of weeks, we were behind on bills and two month’s rent. We started to receive notices from the landlord and the stress began to affect my health. At the verge of being evicted, I learned about NZF at my local Masjid. NZF was able to help with our monthly rent and food expenses until we started receiving our Child Benefits and became financially sufficient. I found a job as a clerk and my wife is now learning English in addition to growing a catering business. While the busy days of Aleppo may be a thing of the past, Canada has become our new home.

Thank You for helping my family by providing shelter, food and comfort. May Allah bless you and your families in the hereafter and this dunya!

Your Brother in Islam,
Ahmad