“We know in our family that we have an organization we can turn to when we need help. It makes a huge difference in our lives.”
– Nadim Alkurdi
To say that life has presented challenges for Nadim Alkurdi is putting it mildly.
In his early 30s, Nadim is still adjusting to his new life in Canada after leaving war-torn Syria with his family and settling in the Fredericton area a little over five years ago. Nadim has muscular dystrophy and uses a wheelchair.
The move to Canada as a refugee has meant that in addition to learning English, adjusting to a much colder climate and fitting into a different culture, Nadim has had to find work, housing and transportation that can accommodate his mobility challenges.
“The multicultural association here in Fredericton put me in touch with Ability New Brunswick and that has been a big help,” Nadim recalls. “It was very difficult for us at first in this new country. They have helped us connect to the information and programs we need.”
Nadim said he and his family are enjoying the peace and stability of their new home compared to the troubled country they left, which has been wracked by a multi-sided civil war for the past decade.
Nadim said opportunities for him were extremely limited in Syria. In Fredericton, he has been able to find work in the computer field, with the help of Ability New Brunswick. He said finding accessible housing is a challenge – his younger brother, Raslan, also has muscular dystrophy – and Ability New Brunswick has assisted with the search.
“It means so much to have that support,” Nadim says. “We know in our family that we have an organization we can turn to when we need help. It makes a huge difference in our lives.”