How an online connection gave one refugee family a head start on a new life

In April 2021, the Al Taha family was having a difficult timeafter nearly a decade spentin a refugee camp in Lebanon.

AkylaAl Fares Taha, her husband and their five children fled Syria in 2012. In 2020, Al Fares Taha's husband was killed suddenly.

That's why a flurry of encouragingWhatsApp messages from children halfway around the worldhad such an impact.

"We felt like outcasts in Lebanon," saidAl Fares Taha, explaining why the connection with youth in Ottawa made such a difference to her kids.

Al Fares Tahasaid watching her sons laugh and exchange dance videos with Canadian childrenhelped carry the family through a traumatic time.

They were living in a makeshift home, awaiting refugee sponsorship to Canada when the father,Kheder Al Fares Taha, was killed electrocuted in front of thefamily while doing repairs.

A teacher in Ottawa heard about thetragedy and decided to do something. Lindsay Barr began organizing online pen pal exchanges over Zoom between elementary studentsin her World-Changing Kidsleadership program andHussein Al Taha,13, and MohammedAl Taha,12.

"I always offer an action after we learn about an issue, because kids can get anxious or depressed by the heaviness of the news," said Barr, whose program is about teaching childrento engage in social issues.

Over the next year, the Al Taha brothers began sending TikTok-style dance videos back and forth with the World-Changing Kids in Ottawa.

"We learned about everything going on with them," said11-year-old Kaaya Kaur Sadana, in Ottawa."Their house was not very safe. No one should have a house that's unsafe or be in that position."

WATCH | Ottawa elementary school children and Syrian Al Taha brothers exchange dance videos across the world

Ottawa youth help cheer up Syrian refugees through TikTok dances

2 years ago

Duration 1:38

Watch Ottawa elementary school children and Syrian Al Taha brothers exchange dance videos across the world, and forge a friendship. After months of online correspondence they all met in person at the Mosque of Mercy in June.

'Make a change'

While a budding international friendship formed between the children, Barr reached out to faith-based youth groups,likeTemple Israel and the Mosque of Mercyto get more teens involved.

Peter Gillies,a member ofGrace United Church in Chelsea, Que., was delighted to see different communities come together to help. Thechurch started sponsoring the family in late 2018 and raised$30,000 while workingto arrange for them to safely come to Canada.

"Churchgoers tend to be older people, certainly in the Christian community, but I see a vibrant youth group here," said Gillies, who added how touched the church congregation was to see so manyyoung people of different faiths working together.

The World-Changing Kids, Temple Israel youth group and youth from the Mosque of Mercy worked together to set up an apartment for the Al Taha family.

"It's super nice to just be able toput religion aside and help out some people and just do something nice for the world and make a change," said Ari Good, who is part of Temple Israel's youth group, nowconnected with the Al Taha family.

Finallyafter months of waiting, a group of 35 people, including the youth groupsmet together at the Masjid ar-Rahmahmosque to welcome the Al Taha family.

Lilia Schnarr,10, of World-Changing Kids,was elated to meet the Syrian boys in person. "I saw my brother high-five them and say a word in Arabic," saidSchnarr.

"I love seeing all these teens from all these different backgrounds together wanting to help welcome a family," saidRabbi Dara Lithwick.

"We are building a relationship.It took us some time, but I think this is our future."

Echoing Lithwick's sentiments, 16-year-oldMaryamAbdullahihighlighted the feeling of unity.

"We're all here together as one community."

While World-Changing Kids is currently helping the Syrian family, they have plans to welcome Afghan and Ukrainian families in the future.

And in the meantime, 11-year-oldIslaWood of the World-Changing Kids has some advice to the greater Ottawa community about working with refugees: "Go support them. Welcome them. And don't be a meanie."