INACTIVE! Syrian Refugee Sponsorship: Let’s Bring Mustafa to Toronto

Catalyst5 is a group of Canadians in Toronto who have come together to save the life of one Syrian man. As a so-called 'Group of Five' – under the terms of Canada's Private Refugee Sponsorship program – the members of Catalyst5 are committed to supporting Mustafa for his first year in Canada. Our first step is to raise the funds needed to submit his application. Please give what you can!

While our goal is to raise $15,000, however once we have raised $12,600 (which is the program's minimal requirement), we can initiate the process for his arrival – and bring him to safety in Toronto.

It is often very difficult for single, young men to find sponsors. They may not come with cute children, but they do come with the motivation to establish a Canadian life and to contribute to this community. It is Catalyst5's goal to bring a young man to Canada whose life is in imminent danger.

About Mustafa:

Mustafa is a 36-year-old writer, with short stories published in Japanese and Hebrew as well as Arabic, and with two books of stories in Arabic to his name. He almost finished his undergraduate degree at the University of Aleppo when he learned that the Syrian secret police were after him and fled to his hometown of Idlib. Shortly thereafter, fundamentalist Islamist groups took over the Idlib region and, as a public critic of religious rule, he had to flee once again.

Instead of fleeing to Jordan or Lebanon, Mustafa went just across the border of Turkey to Reyhanli – where he has been working tirelessly for the past few years in a hospital which attempts to deal with the wounded coming across the border from the heavy fighting and bombardment in Idlib.

He is an intelligent, educated, and self-sufficient man who has run out of options. His knowledge of Arabic is profound, and he would advance quickly in the study of English. He never wanted to completely leave, but he recognizes now that there is no safety for him, as his public opposition to theocracy and his writings about the current regime puts him in peril from all sides of the conflict.

Refuge in Canada may be his last chance to survive.

If you have any questions or want to donate time to this effort, please contact us at [email protected].

For more information about Private Refugee Sponsorship in Canada or about Groups of Five, please visit the Immigration Canada website.

Catalyst5:

• Mark Clamen
• Michael Dytyniak
• Daniel Levinas
• Mischa Levine
• Shayne Robinson