Syrian refugee family arrives in Sudbury after two year journey

A family of Syrian refugees has arrived in Sudbury, after a two year journey to find a new home in Canada.

Jinan Dokkak landed at the airport Wednesday afternoon with her mother Noura, and young daughter Pamela. The family fled the city of Aleppo five years ago and had been living as refugees in Beirut, Lebanon.

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"I am so excited, so happy, to be here finally after two years of hard work," Dokkak said.

"To get to this point, I mean, you feel like your dreams are coming true. To be in a safe place finally, after all the things we have been through."

The family is sponsored by Sudbury Project Hope, a community organization that helps bring refugees to Canada. The organization previously sponsored the Alramadan family in 2016.

Christian refugees 'don't feel safe'

Chair Jim Gordon said he travelled to Beirut two years ago to meet with refugees from Syria.

Although Sudbury Project Hope is a non-denominational group, Gordon was specifically looking to sponsor a Christian family because of the persecution they face as a religious minority.

"In Lebanon and Beirut, the Christians do not go into the camps. They become urban refugees because they don't feel safe," Gordon said.

"We wanted to find these refugees and to bring them in. I was very fortunate in my case because I was actually able to interview this particular family."

Now that the Dokkak family is in Sudbury, Gordon said they will have some time to rest over the next few days, before volunteers from Sudbury Project Hope begin introducing them to the city.

"We're just delighted...that this is Christmas time, and these people are going to have hope and life again."