Tutapona Director of Communications, Chaundra (far left) with family friends living in Nakivale Refugee Settlement, after being forced to leave their home in D.R. Congo.
Chaundra and some of the team in Kurdistan, Iraq, helping IDPs to share their “leaving home” stories.
In my role as Director of Communications with Tutapona, we often tell the stories of people leaving home. In every interview we do and every story we share, someone has left their home behind - whether by force or necessity. We hear about the fear and uncertainty that accompanies detaching from familiar comfort and precious memories in search of something better, and in hope that life can be rebuilt elsewhere.
What I didn’t expect in telling the stories of people living as refugees were the stark similarities to my family’s experiences, just a generation ago. A journey of finding peace and stability in a new country, one that welcomed them with open arms.
Onboard the boat that safely ferried Chaundra’s family across the Baltic Sea. (photo courtesy of Mart Vahi)
My sister and I are first-generation Canadian-born citizens. My grandparents smuggled their newborn daughter out of Estonia and away from Communism in the belly of an old ship, along with nearly 500 others. They braved the stormy Baltic Sea, Russian planes and German submarines with no provisions, no medicine and no toilets in search of a better life. It was a miracle they made it, as many did not. A sad reality we often hear today, in the stories we share at Tutapona.
Because of the bravery of my grandparents, my father and uncle were born in Sweden, a country that welcomed them and so many others. Several years later, they left that home to come to the country that I consider mine - Canada. At the end of his life, my dad went back to Pier 21 in Halifax and standing where he and one million other immigrants had once stood brought him to tears. Millions of first steps, all towards a new beginning.
(photo courtesy of Mart Vahi)
Leaving home is never easy. Leaving because of danger, uncertainty and violence is even more difficult - something I’m grateful that I’ve never had to face firsthand. But I’ve seen the strength and resilience in those who have, in my own family and in the people who we work with in Uganda and Iraq. Their courage is an inspiration to me every day. And to the countries who welcome them - without you
and your compassion - many people, including me, would not be where we are today.
We’re sure that the stories we share about leaving home and finding hope over the next few weeks will inspire you as much as they do us.
LEFT: Chaundra’s family after arriving in Canada. (photo courtesy of Mart Vahi)
RIGHT: Chaundra and her family in Uganda, earlier this year.
Sincerely,
Chaundra Eagar
Director of Communications Tutapona International