Late Regina traveller inspires quest to reunite Syrian refugee family
Janani Whitfield | CBC News | Posted: August 6, 2018 2:00 PM | Last Updated: August 6, 2018
Efforts underway to bring Abdulnaser Alkhatib to join the rest of his family in Regina
A connection has been forged between a Syrian man who is on a quest to reunite with his brother, and the family of a Regina traveller who passed away in Japan in July.
Jeremy Campbell, 25, had been travelling and camping on the Island of Hokkaido when he slipped and fell, drowning in a pool.
"He loved humanity, he loved the world, he loved to learn, he loved to discover," said Zach Campbell of his younger brother, who enjoyed travelling and adventure.
While friends from around the world wanted to donate money to bring Jeremy's body home, Zach said he knew his brother would have preferred the money went to a different cause.
"We wanted people to do something positive," he said.
So, he asked people to donate to help a Regina refugee family reconnect with their loved ones.
Working with Regina Lutheran Refugee Committee, the Campbell family is working to raise money to resettle the Syrian family of Abdulnaser Alkhatib in Regina. All of the money raised will go to St. Mark's Lutheran Church Refugee Fund, which will be put toward the private refugee sponsorship program.
Family separated hopes to reunite
Much of Abdulnaser's family had already left for Canada two years before, including his brother, Qussai Alkhatib.
Qussai, his wife and three children had fled Syria in 2013 for the comparative safety of Jordan, but they were trapped in limbo there.
"We can't work as normally work. You work long time for nothing," Qussai recalled of his life in Jordan. "In Jordan and my country, no future for my children."
When he learned of an opportunity to come to Canada as government-sponsored refugees, he was ready to move forward to a place of safety.
His family were among a wave of 25,000 government-sponsored refugees arriving in the country in frigid January 2016. They were later joined by his brother, sister and his mother, with all of the family settling in Regina.
While the family has made strides in adapting to life in Canada and learning English, they are missing Qussai's brother Abdulnaser, who remains in Jordan with his wife and their two young children.
"We still think about my brother, because he's still alone there in Jordan," Qussai said.
He believes the Campbell family may be able to help the separated families reconnect, a possibility that excites him.
"We all will be happy — all the family."
So far, the Campbells have raised $16,500 toward the current goal of $23,000. A full private sponsorship that would bring the rest of the Alkhatib family would be about $33,000, and Regina Lutheran Churches hopes to raise the remainder to bring the families together.
"I just know Jeremy would be very proud about this and just the way to honour him, basically to give another family a chance at a new life," said Zach.