Testimonials
These stories illustrate the experience of some of the families the United Canadian Tamils Association Inc. has supported in partnership with community sponsors. To protect the privacy and identification of the resettled families, names and personal details have been altered. From reading the personal stories below, you will understand that every resettled family is unique, as is every community sponsorship experience.
Story of Mr. P.M.
Manitoba, Canada, 2015
My name is P.M. and I am from Sri Lanka. I am married and I have two children. In Sri Lanka, I was a businessman, and my wife was a school teacher. When I was doing business there, the Sri Lankan army suspected me of my association, arrested me, and tortured me in jail. We could not live under a constant threat there. Therefore, with my family, I decided to move to Malaysia to seek refuge.
In Malaysia, I went to the UNHCR office and informed them about my problems. I told them the truth and how the Sri Lankan Army tortured my family and me. The UNHCR considered my case and approved us a UNHCR refugee status. This refugee status allowed us to stay in Malaysia. Although we can stay in Malaysia, my wife and I cannot work, and my children were not allowed to attend school. My wife was worried about my children missing out on education, and that led to her getting sick and stressed. At the same time, daily meals were a problem for us there. Our lifestyle was not pleasant.
In 2010, a Canada Organization I-Tran, came to Malaysia and had a meeting with refugees. During that time, we met a Tamil community member who lived in Winnipeg. My wife explained about our situation to the individual. He listened and told us about his organization. It gave us hope. Then, I-Tran began doing our Canadian immigration process. In 2015, the process became a success, and my family and I got Visa with Permanent Residence status to Canada. We came to Winnipeg, MB, Canada. When we landed, the Tamil community in Winnipeg greeted us and helped us in every possible way.
We lived in Winnipeg for two years. After that, we moved to Toronto, Ontario. We got our Citizenship recently, and we settled down in our new home in Toronto. My son is a first year student at the University of Toronto, and my daughter is in grade 10. Now they are getting a proper education. My wife and I are financially doing fine, and we are extremely happy. My family and I are very thankful to the Tamil community. Especially to Mr. David Matas, who is an International Human Rights Lawyer based in Winnipeg Manitoba, and Mr. Mahadevan and his family who sponsored us as a Tamil community in Winnipeg. Thank you.
Story of Mr. & Mrs. Sri
Manitoba, Canada, 2019
As a family of three, we resettled in a small town in Winnipeg, Manitoba from Malaysia. As refugees, my wife, adult son, and I were forced to leave Sri Lanka to Malaysia due to fear, danger to life, and persecution.
When we arrived to Malaysia, we found a small room which we called home for a few years. We registered with the UNHCR’s refugees referral process. We applied for refugee status determination, and within a few months, we were called for an interview by the UNHCR. As a result, we were granted refugee status in Malaysia.
A Sri Lankan Tamil organization called United Canadian Tamil Association (UCTA) came to Malaysia and we met them through a town hall meeting, which was hosting a sponsorship program workshop. In addition to the resources provided, we applied for this program. We received a Canadian Visa, and our application was approved. We arrived in Winnipeg Manitoba, Canada in August 2019.
We were elated at the prospect of finding protection through Canada. We naturally faced personal and practical challenges, including adjusting to life in Canada, and dealing with anxiety of knowing that some of our loved ones remain in Sri Lanka.
Through the help of Tamil community sponsor groups, we received support to manage these challenges in Winnipeg. The group supported us to access language support and resources to register my son at college. I was able to find employment at a local mall, while my wife established a home-based catering business in Winnipeg.
After living in fear for a year, now my family feels safe and secure, which is a testament to the excellent support of the Tamil community sponsor. While we had our challenges, we found this experience to be rewarding and plan to support others in our community with similar experiences.
Story of Mr. P.
Manitoba, Canada, 2019
No one chooses to be a refugee. I am 38 years old. My youthful face belies the troubled life I had led. A Sri Lankan Tamil by birth, I fled my homeland ten years ago as a young man.
I packed my life into one suitcase and boarded a plane for Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. I was running from a country driven by civil war, where my livelihood and life had been threatened and targeted. On arrival, I stayed in a hotel in Brickfields, barely daring to venture out for fear of arrest.
My body reacted badly to the stress and my blood pressure skyrocketed. I was confronted by a new reality which I found hard to accept. I remained indoors for months. But in time, I was able to get out of this black hole I put myself in. In that single suitcase, I remembered I had packed my mother’s photo, clothing, and some important paperwork. I decided then that I would not let my future slip away, no matter how precarious my situation was.
Soon I found work with an air conditioning company as a maintenance worker, visiting residential properties for repair and maintenance. It gave my life some normalcy. I became a supervisor in a few years, even as a refugee in Malaysia. I came a long way from those bleak early days. I now use my expertise to recruit and train other refugees from within the refugee community to find work. This company’s diversity, over half Sri Lankan Tamil refugees with the remainder Pakistani, Myanmar, and West African, reflects the diverse composition of refugees in Malaysia.
Still, I am worried as I can only go so far and no further in my life. I researched about resettlement options and relocation to a third country. My status as a refugee in Malaysia was definitely a pathetic situation as it’s not a way to live as a “refugee”.
I heard about a Sri Lankan Tamil Refugee NGO, a Tamil organization which visited from Canada and talked about the community and group 5 sponsorship programs. Then I contacted my uncle who was living in Winnipeg Canada. Through him I contacted the Tamil organization in Winnipeg. This Tamil organization supported refugees through community sponsorship. After I completed my interview, I received my visa to Canada within a few months.
When I arrived in Winnipeg in 2019, I spoke very little English. However, within a few months, I gained a good understanding of the language. Later I made a great improvement and no longer required the constant service of an interpreter after six months. Now I found a good job in Winnipeg and made good friends; enjoying my life without fear. Now I am happily looking for a good partner for my life. I am also giving back to the community as a volunteer for the United Canadian Tamils Association (UCTA).
Great community sponsorship program. Thank you Canada.
Story of Ravi
Manitoba, Canada
My name is Ravi, and I supported my community through the community sponsorship program. I would like to share my experience of why I left Sri Lanka 37 years ago. The fragments of my memory of Black July 1983, I wrote this brief story, why I am sponsoring Tamil refugees displaced in many countries. This narrative begins in 1983, when the events of what is now called ‘Black July’ — an anti-Tamil pogrom in Sri Lanka — took place over two weeks towards the end of that month; they reverberated for decades afterwards.
For many Sri Lankans of my generation, and my parents, Black July led to a series of beginnings and endings. Families were torn apart as hundreds of Sri Lankan Tamils were killed. Thousands more were displaced and many permanently migrated. This violence led to a brutal civil war that lasted for almost three decades and shaped the development of a distinct Tamil diaspora across Europe, North America and Australia — a diaspora of which I have long been a conflicted member. I am, of course, aware that scholars warn against viewing Black July as the origin point for understanding Sri Lankan Tamil migration and the development of a diaspora identity. However, I begin here because, as I reflect on the relationship between migration and memory, the events of Black July loom as an origin point that has shaped the trajectory of movement defining my experience of migration.
I understand the situation of the fleeing refugees displaced around the world, and humanitarian support for displaced people are very essential for protection. I am working with UCTA very closely through the community sponsorship program to support refugees to resettle to Canada. I am continuing to support sponsoring refugees. Of course I am a successful entrepreneur in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. It’s my time to give back to my community.
