SAFE's 10 Years
SAFE formed in May 2015 in response to the humanitarian crisis in Syria. Since that time we have worked hard as a 100% volunteer organization to sponsor and re-settle refugee newcomers in our community and, as a Sponsorship Agreement Holder (SAH), to support the sponsorship and resettlement efforts of other community groups.
We have grown as a community organization, have learned a lot about what is required to successfully resettle families, have heard intense and deep stories of what it means to be a refugee, what it means to to find a new home in Canada. Sometimes hard to believe, we are now organizing 10th Anniversary Fundraising Campaign and Celebrations Event to help sponsor and welcome 2 more vulnerable Refugee families identified and co-sponsored by IRCC.
As a rural, small town community, our primary challenges are finding affordable housing, providing adequate EAL classes, finding family doctors and employment/ new business support. But so far, despite all the challenges, SAFE has continued to take everything in its stride, thanks to our warm, welcoming, supportive and generous community!
We have grown as a community organization, have learned a lot about what is required to successfully resettle families, have heard intense and deep stories of what it means to be a refugee, what it means to to find a new home in Canada. Sometimes hard to believe, we are now organizing 10th Anniversary Fundraising Campaign and Celebrations Event to help sponsor and welcome 2 more vulnerable Refugee families identified and co-sponsored by IRCC.
As a rural, small town community, our primary challenges are finding affordable housing, providing adequate EAL classes, finding family doctors and employment/ new business support. But so far, despite all the challenges, SAFE has continued to take everything in its stride, thanks to our warm, welcoming, supportive and generous community!
SAFE In Numbers
SAFE began in 2015 with a simple belief: a small community can make a big difference. What started with one Syrian refugee status person's arrival, soon became a shared effort to welcome many more families displaced by war and persecution. Since then, SAFE and local partners have supported 47 families—167 people—who now call Antigonish and northeastern Nova Scotia home.
Families have come from Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, and South Sudan. Many spent years in countries of asylum—Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey, Pakistan, Egypt, India, South Africa, Uganda, Tanzania, Greece, Saudi Arabia, and Kenya—before arriving through programs like BVOR (identified and co-sponsored by IRCC), PSR (Private Sponsorship of Refugees), and more recently, Operation Afghan Safety.
In most cases, SAFE has acted as a Constituent Group, directly sponsoring families. In others, SAFE has served as a Sponsorship Agreement Holder, supporting fellow constituent groups, sponsors or co-sponsor groups in Antigonish and neighbouring rural counties. This work has never been done alone. SAFE has walked alongside regional partners such as Tri-HEART, WAFA, FAIR Hearts in Westville, CARE, CAiRN, CAWE, the Syrian Refugee Reunification Project in Inverness, and the Pictou County Safe Harbour Group.
Many fellow community organizations supporting newcomers and refugees, student and staff groups at StFX, faith communities, women’s organizations, and provincial and federal partners have also played vital roles. The work on the ground has been carried out by a vast network of dedicated volunteers with SAFE and partner groups. Together they organize housing, furnishings, language and school supports, employment connections, transportation, health navigation, and—most importantly—friendships that last a lifetime.
What can people learn from SAFE’s journey so far? First, that ordinary residents can move a family from danger to safety when they act together. Second, that sponsorship succeeds when many hands share the work—planning before arrival and showing up after. Third, that welcome changes everyone: newcomers rebuild with dignity, and host communities grow stronger, more connected, and more hopeful.
With 10 more families with 33 individuals already in process, and 5 additional family applications for 22 people being submitted before the end of 2025, SAFE remains focused on preparation, stewardship of funds, working with a large and diverse volunteers and community partnerships so that each new family can resettle in their new home - Canada, move beyond survival toward belonging.
* As of August 2025
Families have come from Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, and South Sudan. Many spent years in countries of asylum—Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey, Pakistan, Egypt, India, South Africa, Uganda, Tanzania, Greece, Saudi Arabia, and Kenya—before arriving through programs like BVOR (identified and co-sponsored by IRCC), PSR (Private Sponsorship of Refugees), and more recently, Operation Afghan Safety.
In most cases, SAFE has acted as a Constituent Group, directly sponsoring families. In others, SAFE has served as a Sponsorship Agreement Holder, supporting fellow constituent groups, sponsors or co-sponsor groups in Antigonish and neighbouring rural counties. This work has never been done alone. SAFE has walked alongside regional partners such as Tri-HEART, WAFA, FAIR Hearts in Westville, CARE, CAiRN, CAWE, the Syrian Refugee Reunification Project in Inverness, and the Pictou County Safe Harbour Group.
Many fellow community organizations supporting newcomers and refugees, student and staff groups at StFX, faith communities, women’s organizations, and provincial and federal partners have also played vital roles. The work on the ground has been carried out by a vast network of dedicated volunteers with SAFE and partner groups. Together they organize housing, furnishings, language and school supports, employment connections, transportation, health navigation, and—most importantly—friendships that last a lifetime.
What can people learn from SAFE’s journey so far? First, that ordinary residents can move a family from danger to safety when they act together. Second, that sponsorship succeeds when many hands share the work—planning before arrival and showing up after. Third, that welcome changes everyone: newcomers rebuild with dignity, and host communities grow stronger, more connected, and more hopeful.
With 10 more families with 33 individuals already in process, and 5 additional family applications for 22 people being submitted before the end of 2025, SAFE remains focused on preparation, stewardship of funds, working with a large and diverse volunteers and community partnerships so that each new family can resettle in their new home - Canada, move beyond survival toward belonging.
* As of August 2025
Our Contact Details
Address:
Room 119, ACALA, Antigonish People's Place Library
283 Main Street, Antigonish
Nova Scotia, B2G 2C3
E-mail: [email protected]
Room 119, ACALA, Antigonish People's Place Library
283 Main Street, Antigonish
Nova Scotia, B2G 2C3
E-mail: [email protected]
Donate here for the 10A Celebrations and Fundraising Campaign and Event