A refugee family living in the Dzaleka Refugee Camp in the African country of Malawi will arrive in Summerland in early July.
Asifwe Alfred, 26, his wife Yvonne, 20, and their young son Praise, 3, are expected to arrive from the country in southern Africa.
In Summerland, they will be sponsored by the One Person Project.
The journey from Africa to Summerland will take more than 41 hours, on flights from Malawi to Ethiopia, from Ethiopia to Toronto, from Toronto to Calgary and from Calgary to Penticton.
The move will also be challenging since the camp does not have amenities that are common in Canada.
While Asifwe Alfred has grown up in refugee camps and has spent much of his life on his own, his wife Yvonne Alfred will be away from her family, with no friends in Canada. Their son Praise, who has been able to walk outside and meet friends around him, will also need to adjust to being farther from the people he befriends in Canada.
The refugee camp has a population of 63,000 while Summerland recorded a population of 12,042 in the 2021 census.
The family also will face a language barrier. While Asifwe Alfred is able to speak English, Yvonne Alfred speaks Swahili but not English.
However, Brenda Lowe of the One Person Project is optimistic about the family鈥檚 adjustment to Canada.
鈥淭here are a lot of people willing to help,鈥� she said.
The family is looking forward to the trip to Canada and will get pictures of their stops along the way.
Lowe has worked for the past three-and-a-half years to bring the family to Canada.
In order to ensure Yvonne and Praise would be recognized in Alfred鈥檚 immigration file, the charitable organization financed their wedding.
In addition to bringing the family to Canada, the One Person Project will provide support for Yvonne Alfred鈥檚 mother Amina and her six remaining children, Alfred鈥檚 extended family and the running group Alfred coaches.
Donations to help the family and the other One Person Project causes are being coordinated by Angela Machuik at Summerland鈥檚 Replenish Refillery.
