Dhruba Kumar Gautam
Dhruba joined SAFSS, Kingston centre in 2015 with his family. He was a refugee from Bhutan and had lived most of his adult life in the refugee camp. When the Canadian government accepted him and his family to migrate to Canada, he was very grateful and looked forward to a new life that was waiting for him and his family in Canada. It was a bittersweet feeling as he had to leave their daughter and son in law in the refugee camp.
Dhruba was under the impression that life would be easy for him and he assumed that he will be able to obtain immediate employment to support his family. As he had limited education and English communication skills, he felt lost in the new country, and every step was challenging for him. He developed immense stress which further resulted to ill health and complications. He was directed by his health professional to improve his communication skills by registering with settlement services from SAFSS which would [ more]help him to reduce his challenges and stress. He took the advice of his health professional and with the help of his neighbour; he registered for the Language and Skill Training classes at SAFSS. He came to the SAFSS, Language training centre with his wife, daughter and son. He was registered in level 3, his children were registered in level 4 and his wife was registered in literacy level. The family was glad to enroll in the classes that were tailored to fit the level of their language skills, each member of the family could learn and improve their language at their competency and comfort level. Dhruba and his family were able to talk about the numerous challenges they encountered as newcomers and received counselling support to address their challenges.
The challenges and the barriers faced after migrating to a new country, resulted in numerous health concerns for Dhruba. He suffered from health issues such as high blood pressure, acute depression, diabetes etc. He felt helpless, as his health continued to worsen and along with little confidence to face his battles and challenges. In his own words he was depressed and suicidal. He was prescribed anti-depressants which made him very more vulnerable and less happy.
Dhruba’s quality of life changed immensely since he started attending the language training program at SAFSS. For the first time after his immigration to Canada, he made friends and felt secure and happy. He was extremely surprised and at the same time relieved to find many students who belonged to his community. He was also able to share his challenges with his new friends. He felt less isolated as they were able to develop a social circle by attending the program at SAFSS. For the first time after coming to Canada, he developed a sense of belonging at SAFSS, Language and Skills Training Centre.
They all attended SAFSS programs and showcased their cultural heritage in the organization’s functions. His children attended all the information sessions and learnt about the Canadian Government, Canadian History, Geography the Health system in Canada including Health related topics such as Diabetics, Heart and Health, Hygiene and Flu, Legal rights, tax system, Tenant’s rights, Education System, Banking system, and the Community resources. The children progressed to the next level in language. They also joined another program for the Job market, where they learnt how to write resumes and gained tips for job interviews. Afterwards, they registered in the adult credit program at SCAS (Scarborough Centre for Alternate Studies). They are also working where they have to interact with customers. The language training they received from SAFSS gave those skills and the confidence needed to move on. Dhruba has also successfully progressed to the next level. He is extremely happy as his daughter has recently gotten married and his children are now Canadian citizens. Together they now help many newcomers like themselves who are encountering the problems that he faced. He shares all the resources that he was introduced to, which gives him a sense of satisfaction and empowerment. He brings them to the centre and encourages them to attend the Language Training class. He feels very happy and peaceful that his dream of settling in was successful and he shared his happiness and gratitude by throwing a big party at their school. He has improved his physical and mental health immensely. He is now preparing to become a Canadian citizen.
