century there are in theliving in tents syrian desert.

they are members of my own family. this camp we called home for three and a half years. is where my daughter was born. officially we were refugees. been a refugee all of my life. i have never been the citizen of our country, not even the country where i was born -- iraq. i was a taxi driver.

i owned a car, but i could not get a license to drive it. work, and not own a business. i had to license my own car. it is hard to describe what it feels like to live in a country without citizenship, without rights. ourselves of least it is a peaceful life, and it was. i blamed george bush for what happened to my family that year. i blame when regime in iraq for what happened after. not stop thed iraqi militia. the militia would target muslims like my family and bomb the

neighborhoods. 2004, the first reason for us to think about fleeing iraq. my father-in-law and brother-in- law were killed in one of those farms. >> they went to buy some sweets from the store, and when they went to the store, they killed. >> the second reason, i was a taxi driver. the street.ss on the iraqi militia put a check. all around gigantic, and at each

checkpoint they demanded to see id. they were looking for a series -- for sunis. my cousin was 26 years old, and he was working as a minister of health, and one day when he finished his job and went home, there were sent. . we stopped and asked him about his id. when they notice, they shot him. >> they asked me, and i said, i forgot my id at my house, but because there was speaking like iraqi people, and i have an iraqi accent, they said, ok, but next time you cannot forget your

id. you have to carry your id. i was very scared. if they take me to the police office, and maybe they will kill me. i could not drive my car. i could not walk, and i could not support my family. baghdad, 500 left palestinians had already been killed. many more would die. the militias were killing us. it was time to leave iraq, time to take control of our future.

we would bring what was left from my wife, but my older brother did come with us. >> he was working with the , and he said,alth okay, right now i am ok.

they brought supplies. we camped for two months. in first weeks, there was not enough food and water. we were told to eat enoughtnot to die.

too hot in the summer and too cold in the winter. the bird wasn't -- dirt was always there. we would look at the children and think what we have for them. we wrote letters. every family wrote to every embassy. everyone said, we wer ehere. please take us.

no country answered. was trying toe kill us. it was different for pa lestinians. we got phone allst hat people were dead. a friend hid him in teh closet. that forced my parents and brother to leave baghdad. our family came together but for only a month because my brothers got news we were leaving. >> they just shouted, go to

canada. of christiansoup paying the way. >> we ask for help for the poor and hungry. peoplenew there were who had been attacked. we are talking about human beings who cant stay in refugee camps. attention,e to our we saw it was a population we had to respond to. if a private sponsor did not come forward, we would be lost.

>> a group of christians sponsored muslim people sponsored byr was baptists, unitarians, and menonites, and i was brought by muslimtish columbia society. we were dlighted. >> it is because of those christians i am free to pray in a mosque, and it is because of

those people my parents and oldest brother will soon join us. my brother and i install flooring. we think tehe best way to succeed is to own a business. we have a truck and tools, but so far we don't have work. work will mean a house one day, instead of a one bedroom apartment. it will guarantee our children a future where they will have choices, and work will mean we can help our parents. we all went to the airport, and cameras torought

record teh arrival in april. tes now we only have to wait for one brother. we expect him to arrive soon. then the family will finally be together again. at least that is what i hope. the situation in syria is on stable. >> please enter the phone you would like to call.

♪ 6 >> there is no contact for us. i do not know what is happening in this situation, but they will be fine.

>> hello? speaking foreign language] he is my friend, and right now he is in damascus. he went to damascus for treatment, and he told me .verything is ok in damascus yesterday there was wind and may be thee said signal is not geared there. there.not

he told me yesterday got to my brother and everything was ok. he has a son, and he will come and told me 90% they found a sponsor for him. i told him if my friends came to canada that would be great for me. >> you are probably more aware than i am of the trouble in syria. we have been wondering what is going to happen. all of these are office-referred cases. this means they will give priority and be moved quickly, so they are being what is called expedited. i do not know what it means. it means faster, but i cannot

say today's, three days, whatever. the people who do not have a sponsor, like your friends, they are not going to move faster. put the back of the lives. it is good for your family. it is not good for your friend. >> i told them. >> you told them you were looking? 90% used them sponsored. >> i have 90% sponsored? about you.im andold me, do not worry, you will come to canada. >> we will get him here. >> today or tomorrow or next

month or next year you will come to canada. >> i hated having to tell them his friend might be caught in this problem that is syrian, and if our embassy is compromised and has to pull canadian staff out, that means the offering could be left there for months if not years. >> i have to find it very good >> when we got a phone call asking why it was not in thanuver, it was more 1,000 kilometers away, so my ournts just arrived, and family will be separated, and not by war or violence, but by the need now to work.

>> to go away from my family. this is the first time for us, not just in canada. this is the first time in my life. we have to work. we have to find jobs. >> it is eight months. i have two children. >> a friend recommended us for this job. buts only for three weeks, the weight is added.

good. wait is we leave our family is at 5:00 a.m. it is a long drive. be could have said it would the chance for work but would pull me away from my family, but the need to earn money would be one with separate us, but we would be back before the baby is born? before i came, i thought it was , andone project we will do ,hen we came and sawdust work it was a lot of work.

we did five apartments and two houses. after everything that has happened, maybe my family will all be in canada but not be together. a week withx days sundays off. can work this much we think in three and a half years we can buy a house together. friends,e live with but we are workers. it is good to find food after

work. muhammed came with his parents. he is here alone. his father is dead. his mother is still in baghdad. and lots of ways, we are the but we know the importance of family. my parents have only been in vancouver a month. i would like to see them more, and it is very difficult to be away from my children.

it is difficult to be away. now i found her every day and ask about the children, about everything. she told me for the first two or three days it was difficult, but now they are used to it. she feels settled in vancouver. ahmed is in school, a good school. a third of the children are from refugee families. he is in first grade.

>> pineapple. school to learn english and become a canadian. >> i think the relief of being here is what will carry them through. it will not be easy, but in will not be impossible. will be the citizen of the country for the first time, but already i feel like one, because already i can do anything any canadian can do. there are more than 1 million palestinians in refugee camps who would like to know the feeling. the people say to me, tell them

about us. do not let them forget about us.