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SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Yellowknifer Sadia Adow Aden came to Canada in 1991 from Somalia to make a better life for herself and her family.

Sadia Adow Aden hosted a Somali Night dinner fundraiser with the Yellowknife United Church at Northern United Place last Saturday to bring her brother, Somalian refugee Abdi Adow Aden, to Yellowknife. - Thandiwe Vela/NNSL photo

Now Aden, who has lived in Yellowknife since 1995, is trying to help her brother Abdi Adow Aden move here to escape the dangers of his wartorn homeland.

"Abdi had to leave the country quickly because he was afraid for his life," said Joanna Wilson, spokesperson for the Yellowknife United Church, which is co-sponsoring Abdi's refugee application.

Somalia has been locked in a civil war since 1991, when its government was overthrown by armed opposition groups. Since that time, Somalians have been continuously terrorized by militias, such as al-Shabaab, an offshoot of al-Qaida, said Sadia.

"There is no government, no good life," Sadia told Yellowknifer, when asked how life here differs from her relatives' lives in Africa. "(Here), the government is good, people have houses, everybody has a job, everybody has a good life."

Sadia came to Canada before much of the fighting broke out. However, others in her family were not so lucky. One of her uncles saw four of his sons murdered by al-Shabaab before he fled to Ethiopia, she said. This is standard practice for the militant group, said Sadia - if you refuse to join al-Shabaab or you don't listen to them, you risk being mutilated or killed. Many who refuse to fight have one arm and one leg removed by the militants, who commonly cover their faces so as not to be identified by their victims.

Abdi himself was approached by a group of al-Shabaab fighters who wanted him to join them, said Sadia. He knew if he told them no, he would be killed, so he said he would join them the following day and fled Somalia that night. His escape took him through Ethiopia and Sudan. From Sudan, Abdi travelled by foot all the way to Libya, where he was able to secure passage to Malda, India, where he remains today.

"If I could, I'd bring all my family (to Canada)," said Sadia, whose 78-year-old mother still lives in Somalia. She added that her brother, who she has not seen since she left Somalia, has no home and no job as a refugee in Malda.

Last spring, Sadia began working with the Yellowknife United Church as a co-sponsor to bring Abdi to Yellowknife. In order to immigrate to Canada as a refugee, an individual must go through a lengthy application and review process and must receive sponsorship from a Canadian who will provide the refugee with housing, financial support and assistance with integrating into Canadian culture and becoming self sufficient during their first year in the country.

"I didn't know very much about the situation in Somalia before this, and I certainly still have a lot to learn," said Wilson. "We're definitely lucky here in Canada."

Sadia and Wilson estimate it will cost about $30,000 to sponsor Abdi for his first year in Yellowknife, if his refugee application is approved by the federal government. To help raise funds towards this goal, they organized a Somali Night fundraiser last Saturday at Northern United Place, where they raised more than $3,000, Wilson said, adding that more help is still needed.

Any residents wishing to make a donation to help bring Abdi to Yellowknife can contact the United Church's refugee sponsorship program.

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