Refugee women who crossed dozens country before reaching Montreal is growing a sigh of relief to be able to offer a better future for their children.
“After leaving Congo, I arrived in Brazil, where I then crossed Colombia, then Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Guatemala. I crossed the border in Mexico to get into the United States before arriving in Canada. It wasn’t easy,” says Yasmine Massamba, 35, who arrived in Montreal in July 2022 with her two-year-old son Oracle. She is now seven months pregnant.
Beside her, Chrislene Dorval made the same trip to Quebec in October 2022 after leaving Haiti.
“It’s a very long road, it’s very difficult,” says shyly Ms. Dorval, mother of little Thalysha, aged two months. This 39-year-old mother arrived here before March 25, the date of Chemin Roxham’s closure.
After leaving Haiti, refugee Chrislene Dorval crossed numerous countries on foot, by bus and by taxi before finding refuge in Quebec. Photo Martin Alarie, QMI Agency
Dangerous and difficult journey
Like these two mothers, thousands of migrants take the same route to get to Canada. This is because Brazil, like Chile, issues tourist visas easily, thus making it easier to enter the continent that takes them to North America. The journey can take more than a year for many as they cross around ten countries on foot, bus or taxi.
“These are migration journeys that cause a lot of trauma. These people particularly pass through the Darién forest, which separates Colombia and Panama, says Bruno Hidalgo, spokesman for the organization Pause-Famille, which supports families in the Ahuntsic district in Montreal. There is no control there, people make laws and abuse the families that come through there. »
These migrants are also robbed of their official documents as well as their money and goods throughout the entire crossing.
“When he gets here, they have almost nothing left,” Mr. Hidalgo added.
A special “shower”
To help them welcome their child into the world, but also to make integration easier, Pause-Famille and the Carrefour d’aide aux newcomers (CANA) organized a first baby shower. The initiative, funded in particular by the Ministry of Immigration, Francisification and Integration (MIFI) and the City of Montreal, was implemented as the demand for help from migrant mothers increases every year.
“We usually always give away used clothing or accessories. But here the goal is really to give families new business so they can have a fresh start, like we experience here when we get pregnant in Quebec and our family is there to help us,” explains Myriam George, Director of Pause -Family Organization.
Myriam George, general director of the Pause-Famille organization, and Isabelle Saine, director of the Carrefour d’aide aux Newcomers. Photo Martin Alarie, Agence QMI
In total, 50 mothers will receive gift boxes with essential products for children this Saturday, adds Isabelle Saine, director of CANA.
“We feel like we have found a new family here with all this support, which helps us a lot. It helps us feel at home here in Quebec,” admits Yasmine Massamba.
Photo Martin Alarie, QMI Agency
“Without these organizations, I wouldn’t have as much to offer my three-month-old child,” says Chrislene Dorval.
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