Nine months after arriving from a large refugee camp in Kenya, Abdifatah Sabriye and Patricia Omar Kamssor are finding their stride as health-care workers in Nova Scotia.
Caring for elderly residents in a coastal town, Kamssor and Sabriye have embraced their new roles. “I really love them. Any time I go home, I do miss them,” Kamssor said about the residents at the Mahone Bay Nursing Home. Sabriye echoed her sentiments, noting, “In our culture, if someone’s elder, they are like our parents, so I’m always treating them like my parents.”
Both are among the 300 people recruited through a federal program aimed at bridging the gap between skilled displaced people and labor shortages. This unique program allows refugees to become permanent residents upon arrival, giving them the freedom to settle anywhere in Canada. MacLeod Cares, which owns the nursing home, hired 24 employees from three refugee camps in Kenya and Jordan.
Challenges abound, however. Finding African food and halal meat in their small town has been tough. Winter was harsh, and securing permanent housing near their workplace has been a struggle. Yet, the community has welcomed them warmly.
Kamssor, originally from Sudan, worked as a pharmacy supervisor and provided clinic care in the refugee camp. Though her previous role was more advanced, she finds her current job fulfilling. “As long as it is concerning human life and taking care of them, I’m just OK with it, and it’s not boring at all,” she said.
Both Kamssor and Sabriye have big dreams. They plan to continue their education and hope to become nurses. They are also learning to drive and have joined local soccer teams.
Doug Stephens, MacLeod Cares’ chief human resources officer, stated that their traditional recruitment efforts had faltered, partly due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot (EMPP) has provided them with a new talent pool. “It’s made it a lot easier for us to transition to a new home, expand our workforce and have enough staff to run the facility,” he said.
The federal government has set ambitious targets for the program, aiming to resettle 2,000 people over the next few years. While challenges remain, the initiative is making it easier for skilled refugees to transition to life in Canada.
Kamssor and Sabriye, grateful for the opportunities, encourage more companies to consider hiring from refugee camps. “I know a lot of friends there,” Sabriye said. “They’re skilled but they don’t have anything.”
These refugee health-care workers bring much-needed skills and a fresh perspective to their roles in Nova Scotia. Despite the challenges, their resilience and dedication shine through as they build new lives and careers in Canada.
