By Trudy Tumusime
Basir’s story is one of courage, resilience and hope – a journey that resonates with everyone who has had to leave familiar territory to start over in a new land. Born and raised in Afghanistan, Basir raised a family and hoped for a bright future for his seven children. But when Afghanistan became a place of danger and uncertainty, Basir’s dream shifted to something more urgent – securing his family’s safety.
In September 2021, Basir and his family were evacuated by the Canadian army, arriving in Canada, leaving behind everything they knew, arriving in Canada with nothing but hope and determination to rebuild their lives.
“We left everything,” Basir recalls, “our property, our clothes, our jobs, our cars, everything!”
Coming to Canada was exciting yet overwhelming.
Leaving behind familiar surroundings to start a new chapter in a new country was a mixture of anticipation and some nervousness,” Basir shares. Yet it was worth for the future of his children.
Back in Afghanistan, Basir was an accomplished Agricultural Economist. He had spent over 30 years managing community development programs, working with diverse communities, through different national and international organizations. He had a stable well-paying job with an international organization when he uprooted his life to save his family. But arriving in Canada meant confronting numerous challenges; settling in, understanding the job market, enrolling his children into school, and adapting an entirely new climate. Luckily, the family had a case worker who made it a little bit easier.
Although Basir spoke English back home mainly for work purposes, he quickly realized that improving his language skills would open many doors for him in the new land.
I think learning English is cross cutting, when you want to find a house, you need English, when looking for school for your children you need English, you need English to communicate,” he expresses.
Through the media, Basir discovered the Language Instruction for Newcomers in Canada (LINC) program at the Mennonite New Life Centre (MNLCT). He enrolled and has tremendously progressed from a Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) level 3-4 to about level 8 for speaking, reading and writing. He is working to better his listening skills.
“I solved my problem,” Basir says. “Now I can go shopping, speak to the customer service, and I can take myself around on the TTC.”
Apart from just learning English, Basir values the connections he has made through the LINC program. He has met people from different backgrounds, learning not only from his instructors but from fellow newcomers, creating a supportive community that is helping him feel at home in Canada. He is grateful to MNLCT for being a welcoming place for newcomers.
“It’s a great program for improving language skills and helping the transition to life in Canada and especially for newcomers and people who came from countries like Afghanistan, whose English level is not enough to communicate,” Basir explains.
He credits his English teacher for being supportive, kind, motivational and hardworking and for knowing how to teach people of different ages and backgrounds.
“She inspired me a lot during my journey,” Basir shares. “I am old age, but she deals with me, and other newcomers in different age groups. She is a good leader.”
Today Basir is no longer the person who first came to Canada, unsure of how to navigate the city or where to find help. He is confident and excited for the future. Some of his children are in school, others are working, and he is hopeful that each of them will realize their dreams in the new home.
“It was difficult for me to travel from one area to another, now I can travel easily because I don’t have any barriers.”
Basir has also participated in other newcomer programs at MNLCT, including workshops on financial literacy workshop and most recently self-paced courses through MNLCT’s learning management system.
These opportunities have helped him to meet people with different experiences and knowledge that has helped him better himself. Although he has not landed a job yet, Basir is focused on his language learning and is determined to continue his journey of self-improvement. “I want to learn some courses on how to get a job,” he says. “How to write a resume, a cover letter, how to network, how to do a job interview, after this I will apply to jobs in different organizations.”
Basir’s energy and enthusiasm is proof that no matter how hard the journey may seem, with willingness to learn, no dream is too hard to reach.
