I have just learned that the sisters' file has been received in the Canadian High Commission in Accra. At the same time it appears that the backlog of applications being dealt with at the High Commission has been significantly reduced. Both of these developments make me feel optimistic that the sisters might be invited for an interview at the High Commission soon. Please keep the sisters in your prayers!

On Saturday I attended a workshop put on by ORAT which dealt with the way in which Citizenship and Immigration Canada processes applications from refugees and shows sponsors how to access their data base of applicants. One of the things I learned was that ORAT last year facilitated 400 applicants to obtain permanent residence, and this year the number has already surpassed that total. I also learned that the ORAT Director will be visiting Ghana shortly and intends to see the sisters and look in on the Visa Officer at the Canadian High Commission in Accra. Hopefully we will learn more on his return regarding the status of the sisters' application.
You may be interested to read this article from Sunday's Toronto Star (March 29, 2015): http://www.thestar.com/opinion/editorials/2015/03/29/canada-should-open-its-doors-to-more-refugees-editorial.html

Registration for the Ballroom and Latin dance classes (all proceeds for Refugee Sponsorship) is now open - please see the link below.

 I am pleased to announce that we are offering a series of 10 1-hour Ballroom and Latin dance lessons at the church starting Monday April 13 at 8 pm. Lessons will be given by our very own Francisco with all proceeds going to the Refugee Sponsorship fund. For more information and to register please go to 
http://www.gifttool.com/registrar/ShowEventDetails?ID=2138&EID=19856

This will be a real fun-raiser and we look forward to seeing you on the dance floor! Please sign up quickly as places are limited. 

·         I had a very helpful meeting with the Office of Refugees of the Archdiocese of Toronto (ORAT) yesterday which was attended by Dr Martin Mark who heads up ORAT. He is the one who first identified the sisters as candidates for sponsorship, when he was visiting the Krisan refugee camp in Ghana.  He is very relieved that we are sponsoring the sisters as he believes that as single women they are very vulnerable in an unsafe environment. He will be visiting the Krisan refugee camp again in April and fully expects to see the sisters and to visit the Visa Officer at the High Commission in Accra. He says that the Visa Officer is  sympathetic to the plight of single women in the camp.

·        All the necessary paperwork has now been submitted to Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC). The original paperwork on the sisters was submitted by ORAT to CIC in June 2014 (presumably at Martin’s instigation). Martin says that the situation in CAR has not improved (which suggests that they will not be sent back there) and he also confirms that there is no way the sisters could be expected to stay in Ghana.  I am optimistic that given all these factors, particularly with Martin visiting Ghana in April, perhaps it will not take too long before there is positive news on the application. We had better get ready!

This is a helpful video, sharing sponsors' experiences, and interviews with refugees on their experiences and expectations.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JvWbp_d5ivU&feature=youtu.be

I have now had several email exchanges with the sisters who we hope to sponsor as refugees and who for now we'll call Mary (23 years old) and Nancy (16 years old). They have been in Krisan refugee camp in western Ghana for over a year and are very excited to hear from us and to know that we are trying to bring them to Canada. I tried not to raise their hopes, as even though they are officially UNHCR refugees, they still need to pass an interview at the Canadian visa office in Accra, Ghana. This is not the place or time to share the details of their horrific story but as Christians they fled from Central African Republic in the face of attacks from Muslim forces. They first went to Cameroon, then Benin, then Nigeria and finally Ghana. I am working closely with ORAT (the Office of Refugees of the Archdiocese of Toronto) to complete the various forms and undertakings and I believe that the sisters will also have to fill a number of forms and send them to us before they can proceed. This is not going to happen overnight and will give us time to raise the $25,000 which the sponsorship commitment entails. I believe that the picture and article below show us how the sisters came to the attention of ORAT.
http://news.nationalpost.com/2014/01/24/toronto-catholic-group-has-shepherded-thousands-of-refugees-to-a-new-life-in-canada/

Settlement experiences of Iraqi refugees.

You might wish to view this brief video on the settlement experiences of Iraqi refugees:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oyYoEofR3nk&feature=youtu.be