Mary Kane
For more than 20 years, the World University Services of Canada (WUSC)-uOttawa local committee has participated in the WUSC Student Refugee Program.
The aim of the program is simple: to give those with almost no access to post-secondary education because of war, civil unrest or other upheaval, the opportunity to study in Canada.
Students are sponsored for one year with the student-led WUSC-uOttawa local committee responsible for guiding them through their first year in Canada. “We are here to make their lives easier and help them adapt to life here,” says Redmond O’Brien, a third-year student in international development and globalization, and co-president of the local committee. The committee works in conjunction with the Student Federation of the University of Ottawa in administering the budget for the program.
Selected by WUSC and its overseas partners, the student refugee must have completed high school and meet the admission standards of the host university. The student receives funds to cover the first year of tuition fees, lodging and the many other costs associated with study in Canada. As a participant in the program and by the second year, the student is expected to be self-supporting and will have been granted permanent residence status.
While the cost of sponsoring a student ranges from $25,000 to $30,000, the only source of funding for the program is a student levy. Both O’Brien and Wudu Lado, a PhD student in biology and co-president of the local committee, welcome suggestions for other faculty and University support.
Since it began in 1978, the Student Refugee Program and participating universities from across Canada have welcomed 900 students from a wide range of countries including Ethiopia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia, Rwanda, Sudan, Burma and Afghanistan. According to WUSC, most participants successfully complete their studies and become active Canadian citizens making valuable contributions to their communities.
For further information on the program, please contact Redmond O’Brien.
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