Adamant about relinquishing his role as a bystander to the refugee crisis, a Canadian businessman by the name of Jim Estill decided to put down enough money to help resettle 50 families of Syrian refugees. Estill met with religious organizations and aid agencies to select which families he could help resettle, and created a volunteer organization that would act as a support system for the new arrivals, helping with everyday things like how to schedule doctor’s appointments to how to ride the bus. This is all possible because Canada allows the private sponsorship of refugees, something not allowed in the U.S. In Canada, private sponsorship accounted for more than 13,000 refugees last year and has been proven to help refugees become self-supporting more quickly than those sponsored only by the government. Private sponsorship has become so successful now that the UN is trying to export Canada’s model to other countries, with support from billionaire George Soros.
Canadian businessman spends $1 million to sponsor 50 refugee families
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