Last year the students in Division 5 (Ms. Reichert's class) earned money to purchase a down jacket from Jackets for Jasper. By doing so, they helped a Nepalese family who made the jacket. I want the students to know who finally received the jacket.
Bugare Ali Salat is a 25-year-old, blind Somali refugee who arrived on Monday to live in North Vancouver. He was born in Mogadishu, Somalia's capital city, and has a very large family there. He went blind as a teenager after a head injury when he was 11 years old. He fled the war in Somalia and crossed alone into Kenya, where he lived in a refugee camp for about 7 years. He is very bright, speaks Somali, Swahili and a bit of English. Here, he is enjoying listening to CBC Radio, going swimming at Karen Magnessen pool and hearing the sea down by the beach in Dundarave.
He faces many challenges as a blind person, but will have many more opportunities here in Vancouver than he would have had in either his home country or in Kenya. It is wonderful he will have a brighter future here.
He appreciates the jacket very much, as he adjusts to the cooler temperatures. Thank you all again for your kind donations.
Ms. Reichert
and Ms. Bunbury
