Open Harbour

Lots of smiles and excitement this afternoon as we welcomed Zaeim, Beyan, Azad and Pelin to Nova Scotia! It was an honour to meet them. Here are some photos from the airport:

We have super exciting news to share with you: we will soon be welcoming a Syrian-Kurdish family of four to Halifax! This sponsorship – our third – has been made possible thanks to the incredible generosity of Lifeline Syria and their donors. Lifeline Syria has launched a new initiative to help private sponsorship groups across … Read more

Our last trivia night was such a success we decided to do it again! Join us for a fun evening at Freeman’s Fairview on Wednesday, August 15, where you and your friends will be put to the test – all in the name of raising money for Open Harbour’s next sponsorship. Bonus: you could win … Read more

Helping newcomers to Canada settle into their new lives is a humbling, challenging and rewarding experience. At the beginning of a sponsorship, our settlement task list is long and detailed – and sometimes it feels like we are only adding new items to it instead of checking them off. Obstacles arise that could never have … Read more

On Saturday, members of Open Harbour and Mohamed joined with 500 other people for the fifth annual Walk with Refugees for a Stronger Canada. The walk ended with a reception at the Halifax Central Library, which included speeches from Immigration Minister Lena Diab, ISANS CEO Jennifer Watts, and former refugee Moustafa Alkrad – and music … Read more

Another successful bake sale organized by Open Harbour’s fundraising team! We raised over $750 and sold out most of our Valentine’s goodies! Thank you to everyone who helped out with baking or on the day – we couldn’t have done it without you. Special thanks to Marena Diab for baking a fabulous half-lemon and half-vanilla … Read more

This past Sunday Open Harbour spent the whole day with Mohamed walking through the Public Gardens and visiting the Halifax Central Library to get his first library card. It was a cold and chilly day, perfect for a nice cup of hot chocolate. We want to thank our new Arabic-speaking volunteer interpreters and everyone who … Read more

Mohamed, our newest arrival from Eritrea, had an adventurous first summer in Canada. Check out some of the photos below! Of course, settling into a new community and country also involves a lot of less-than-adventurous activities, and Mohamed has approached these necessities with determination. As he waits for his full-time English classes to start, Mohamed … Read more

It was all smiles and laughter on Sunday, September 10 when members of Open Harbour accompanied several new arrivals on a trip to the South Shore. Guests included Mohamed and the first family we sponsored, the Ali/Youssefs. Also along for the adventure was Chahin’s brother Hanir and his family, who arrived in Nova Scotia in … Read more

It’s been a month since we welcomed Mohamed from Eritrea, who is the latest beneficiary of our sponsorship efforts. He arrived on April 20th and has been getting to know Halifax ever since. He’s met many of our members and is making new friends at the English class he attends at the YMCA Centre for … Read more