Refugee family to call Revelstoke their new home

The Almastou family is likely to be eagerly awaiting their future in Revelstoke, after living in Jordan’s Mafraq Refugee Centre for the last three years.

Local group Revelstoke for Refugees has responded to the international refugee crisis that dominated headlines in the summer and have been working on trying to provide a new life for a family in Revelstoke.

Early 2012. Destruction in the old quarter of the city of Homs, Syria. Photo: Freedom House CC 2.0

Originally from Homs in western Syria, the Almastou family comprises of dad Rakan, 34, his wife is Medheya and their five children aged nine, eight, six, three and one.

The family speaks arabic and Rakan, who is high school educated, worked in construction for over 10 years and owned a vegetable store for two.

“When we decided to go to Jordan my cousin of one with his bus offered me his help, and that to drive me to the countryside of Homs,” a statement from Rakan said.

“We arrived there and from there we went to ele’ellaniyah – small town in Homs.

“We stayed there for month. After this month me and my family took a sheep carrier truck to go to Jordan through Ruwaished Jordanian border, strain in the back of the truck with other families, and after 180 km drive, we failed to enter Jordan two times, but the third had been met with success.”

It may take up to six months to bring the family into Revelstoke’s waiting arms, but Revelstoke for Refugees’s chairperson Rana Nelson is excited to know which family will arrive.

“I compare it to having a baby,” Nelson said. “You do the planning and the prep and you think about will it be a boy or a girl (or three boys and two girls?) and then the big day comes and we can put real people’s faces to what we’ve been thinking about all these months. Now we can’t wait until they get here. And we’re still looking for accommodation.”

The organisation has raised $50,000 so far and only need another $10,000.

“We are thankful that Revelstoke’s citizens, businesses, and organizations have supported us so well, and share our efforts and enthusiasm for this initiative,” Nelson said.

Donate in person at the Revelstoke Credit Union or the Visitor Info Centre, or online.

For any leads on accommodation, contact Rana at [email protected].

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