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Thursday, June 20, 2013

Refugees Make New Lives In Saint John

It's hard to imagine being transplanted to a totally new country where you don't know the language, culture, or any friends.

Yet that is precisely the difficult situation in which 300 refugees each year find when they immigrate to Saint John. Shiloh Boucher of YMCA Settlement Services tells CHSJ News they come from war-torn and politically volatile countries like Burma and Somalia.

She describes some instances in which people escaped from their country of origin thinking members of their family were dead, only to be reunited with them in Saint John.

Boucher says the most important thing is that people in Saint John accept people of all cultures and backgrounds. Today is World Refugee Day with numerous organizations gathering in Market Square to hand out information.