PEC Syria Education Fund

Helping former refugees attain postsecondary education

As of last Wednesday, there are now five former refugee families settled in the County and Bay of Quinte region. Abdulsalam Msallati and Nshwa Hleem and their 20-year-old son Muhanned are the latest family sponsored by PEC Syria, and they arrived in Canada from Turkey after fleeing the war in Syria five years ago. While in Turkey, Muhanned was fortunate to be able to attend the Istanbul Technical University, studying civil engineering. He speaks English fluently, which was one of the reasons he had been accepted at the university. Now in Canada, he would like to continue his studies, and has already sent emails to Ryerson University and York University to enquire about programs available. One major obstacle is the cost of a university education. The family had to leave virtually all of their assets—their home, their business, money in the bank—in Syria, and are starting life in their new adopted home with not much more than optimism for the future and a will to succeed.

(L-R): Nshwa Hleem, Muhanned Msllati and Abdulsalam Msallati are the latest family from war-torn Syria to arrive in the County. Muhanned hopes to pursue his dream of becoming a Civil Engineer.

Muhanned’s situation is one that will face the almost 50 children and young adults in former refugee families who are or soon will be settled in this region. “The key to the long-term success of these families is the education of the children,” said Carlyn Moulton of PEC Syria. “The parents are starting all over again as adults in their 40s or 50s or even 60s, and starting with not much, and they are willing to work hard. And you’ve got these very bright kids and young adults whose education has been interrupted for the last five or six years as they’ve been in limbo.”To assist with the education of these young people, PEC Syria has set up an education fund via The County Foundation that will provide grants and bursaries for those who wish to attend a recognized postsecondary organization. The County Foundation is a registered charity and has set up a number of permanent endowments and funds to support people in this community. Donors to the PEC Syria Education Fund will receive a tax receipt for their donations.

Here in the County, one of the young people who arrived five years ago is now attending Loyalist College, studying to become a police officer. Ramez Al-Jassem has gone from breaking rocks as a 13-year-old boy in Lebanon, to arriving in the County knowing no English aside from “Hello” and “Thank you”, to now being a Loyalist student. His sister, Rahaf, also intends to go to Loyalist to study nursing. Last year, Ramez was eligible for an OSAP loan for a significant amount, but as a result of provincial cutbacks this year he obtained only about one-third of that, making it almost impossible for him to continue his studies without additional help. “This is why we are trying to create something needs-based, as opposed to academically achieved, and make that open to any people who were former refugees who are trying to further their postsecondary education” said Moulton. “If one of those students can graduate from university or college, their income-earning potential is greater, their ability to support their family is greater, and it’s a real step on the path to independence and self-respect.” Moulton points to an extraordinarily gifted girl from a sponsored family now living in the Belleville area. “She won the top academic prize last year. We were told we should be sending her to one of the top universities because of her incredible talent. In the long run, the faster we can help these children achieve their goals, the better off we’ll be.”

PEC Syria intends to sponsor an additional four families to come to this region. One of those families is currently in Libya, and the son in his 20s speaks fluent English and has a pre-med degree. “They have a lot of skills and will be a real asset when they come, but it’s a question of how do we get them to school and allow them to pursue their postsecondary dream,” said Moulton. “We have other kids here with ambitions to become eye doctors, pediatricians, teachers, lots of different ideas. We are trying to figure out a way to help these kids get to college.” Moulton adds that people in the County have been very supportive to these newcomers, with hundreds of volunteers helping to assist them in their integration. She noted, too, that The County Foundation provides a number of other scholarships to County residents. “I encourage anyone who has got a student heading off to university to make sure they’re looking at that list of scholarships, because they are available to students living in the County. So we’ve set up this new fund and I hope that we can spread the word, and that the County’s legendary generosity will continue.”

For more information, or to make a donation to the PEC Syria Education Fund, please visit thecountyfoundation.ca and follow the tab for Scholarships and Bursaries.