Sixty-six-year-old Shapiri lives in a two-bedroom Metrotown apartment with her daughter and she is happy. But it has taken her a lifetime to get here. The former high school mathematics teacher and her two daughters fled Kabul with nothing but the clothes on their backs. “Our situation was very bad because we couldn’t go alone outside without a man…that’s why we decided to come here,” Shapiri says. There was no man around because her husband had been captured by the Taliban. Like many refugees, they were free but alone in a country where they didn’t understand the language, the laws or the culture. “When [the seniors] come here, their children go to school and older children go to work but seniors stay at home because they don’t know English. They also don’t know writing and reading in our language, so it is very difficult for them. Many of them become depressed and sick,” says Shapiri. This type of isolation is not uncommon. In Canada, nearly 20% of seniors say they feel lonely and loneliness can be as dangerous to a senior’s health as smoking. It can be even harder for refugee seniors like Shapiri who have suffered unimaginable loss, faced language barriers and poverty. Shapiri spent eight years trying to find a job. She learned English, took numerous courses but nothing was available – she was told her English skills weren’t good enough or that she didn’t have Canadian work experience. It was an extremely disheartening and lonely experience, in part because she had few friends to turn to. Shapiri found the help and friendship she needed through the United Way-funded Afghan Seniors in Action program. Seniors meet weekly in a Burnaby church basement. Latifa is the program coordinator. “Behind each of them is a very sad story even though they look happy, they are very sad inside. My job is to keep them happy and keep them busy,” says Latifa. “I do my best to find a way to connect them and open [doors] with the help of organizations like United Way.” “This program responded to very deep-seated needs for connection and community amongst older Afghan refugees in the Lower Mainland. It enabled them to get their feet under themselves again,” says Beverley Pitman, United Way Community Impact Strategic Planner focusing on seniors. Today as President of the Afghan Seniors in Action program, Shapiri shares her hard-won knowledge with other refugee seniors. “Our goal was to help each other, the seniors who are isolated at home. That’s why the seniors are interested because they learn a lot for their children also. And now we are happy,” Shapiri says. Seniors who are connected to their community are healthier and better able to live longer on their own. In order for a community to be great, it has to be great for everyone. The strength of a community is reflected in the well-being and sense of connectedness of the people who live there, no matter what age. United Way works to build strong communities for all. Behind every changed life is someone who made it happen. Help build strong communities. Please give.
Latifa, Program Coordinator, welcomes a visitor to the Afghan Seniors in Action program.
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