Aunt of Alan Kurdi, drowned Syrian boy, preparing for family's arrival

The aunt of a Syrian toddler whose lifeless body was photographed on a Mediterranean beach says she is scrambling to prepare for the arrival of her relatives as refugees from Europe and the Middle East.

"It's very tiring.I'm very stressed out, but I'm going to make it happen," said Tima Kurdi, who has just two weeks left to ready her home in Port Coquitlam, B.C.,for the arrival of her brother,Mohammad Kurdi,his wife and theirfive children, all entering Canadaas refugees she isprivately sponsoring.

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MohammadKurdiis the uncle of AlanKurdi, the three-year-oldwho died alongside his mother and older brotherwhen their overcrowded boat flipped while crossing the treacherous waters between Turkey and Greece earlier this year.Alan'sfather,Abdullah,has chosen not to come to Canada to be with his sister and brother, staying instead in Kurdistan.

Part of the stress now forTimaKurdiis finding room for seven more people inherhome, where her husband and their son already live.

But cramped spaces take a back seat to the new financial struggle of having to support a family of seven, andaccording to Citizenship and Immigration Canada, thatcould cost as much as $35,000 overa yearin addition to helping pay the rentof the other members of Kurdi'sfamily.

"I've been doing it for the last four to fiveyears, supporting them financially," she said of her father and three sisters, spread out across Syria, TurkeyandGermany."I cannot cut them off."

Asking for public's help

KurdihopesaGoFundMepagethata friend started for her family will help ease the burden.

"I know there is lots of generous people around, and that will be much appreciated," she said.

Kurdi, who is a hair stylist,also hopesto get help from her brother,Mohammad Kurdi, who has years of experience as a barber. She plansto buy him a barber's chair so he can work at hersalon after he arrives.

ForMohammad Kurdi'schildren, oneof whom began workin Turkey atthe age of 12, the focus will be on education.

"That's the first thing I'm telling him, 'No more work for you. You have to start going to school and build your life, your future, and be a kid again,'" said Tima Kurdi.

Until then,she'll look forward to reuniting with her family members,and do what she can to cope with the fact they couldn't all make the journey.

"It's going totake a long time," she says, "I'm trying to be strong for everybody because they want me to be strong. Icannot be weak, for them."