“And if you didn’t exist, tell me why would I exist? »
Rashid must have been 10 when, in his native Syria, he first heard Joe Dassin’s famous chorus on Radio Monte-Carlo.
He didn’t understand a word of French, but he remembers being charmed by the romanticism of the song. From then on, he made a promise to himself: one day, he would learn French.
Thirty-five years later, Rashid has kept his promise in circumstances as tragic as they are beautiful, ones he could never have imagined. Thanks to 12 godmothers from Quebec who moved heaven and earth for five years to welcome his family to Montreal, forced to flee their country at war, Rashid, his wife Lamis and their four children were able to start their lives over again – and learn to dream and sing in French – in a country at peace.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY JENNIFER LYS GRENIER
The family enjoys a walk in the forest, far from the war that is tearing their country of origin apart.
“They saved the lives of my children. They gave them a future. I will never be able to thank Jennifer and her group of godmothers enough,” Rashid told me, who after having completed his francization courses, is now enrolled in college training in French in the hope of being able to work in human resources, as he did in Syria.
Jennifer Lys Grenier is the one by whom this fabulous story was made possible. In 2016, when she saw the call for help from a certain Lamis who was seeking to flee the war in Syria and provide a peaceful life for her children, she felt she could not look away.
“I know we are not the only ones in the world going through this, but I hope I can be one of those you can help survive,” Lamis wrote.
For Jennifer, who works with refugees – she is the coordinator of the Clinic for Migrant Justice in Montreal – helping this family to survive through the private sponsorship program was a way of feeling, as a citizen, a little less powerless in the face of the march of the world.
In the face of war, inequities, the closing of borders, the humanitarian crisis that drives people to risk their lives on makeshift boats in the Mediterranean, she saw the opportunity to make a very concrete gesture for a family.
Who is boarding? she asked her friends. Very quickly, a dozen godmothers raised their hands without imagining that between the moment when they had raised it and the moment when the Syrians’ plane would land in Montreal, their children would have had time to overtake them by a head.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY JENNIFER LYS GRENIER
In 2016, Jennifer Lys Grenier brought together a dozen godmothers ready to welcome a family of Syrian refugees. They raised their hands without imagining that between the moment they raised it and the moment the Syrians’ plane landed in Montreal, their children would have had time to overtake them by a head.
The godmothers submitted their request in December 2016. After a lot of bureaucratic hassle, lost bits of file and dashed hopes, they thought they would finally be able to welcome their Syrian family in March 2020. And then, bang! The pandemic has struck. Borders have been closed.
“We started to lose hope,” Rashid told me.
After almost ten years of war, the family, whose life was then on hold in Turkey, had the painful impression of returning to square one.
“But Jennifer and the band were like, ‘Don’t panic! We are still here for you and we will continue to support you.” Talking to them was like hearing the sound of hope. »
Almost two years have passed. And then, one winter day, hope became tangible with a departure date and plane tickets to Montreal. Rashid and Lamis announced the good news to their children and celebrated on the phone with their godmothers. “It was a moment of great emotion. On both sides, we were really excited! “says Jennifer, who is moved by evoking it.
It was finally on March 16, 2022, more than five years after getting involved in this project, that the godmothers were able to hug Rashid, Lamis and their four children: Ayah, Obada, Adam and Sara.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY JENNIFER LYS GRENIER
On March 16, 2022, after more than five years of waiting, feverish godmothers were able to hug Rashid, Lamis and their four children. The welcoming committee at the airport included (from left to right) Audrey Murray, Myléna Bergeron, Anick Druelle, Jennifer Lys Grenier, Pascale Bouchard and Anie Lafrance.
“We were there with our balloons, our banner… And we all started crying. We were super emotional. And them too,” says Pascale Bouchard, teacher and godmother responsible for the educational component, who was part of the welcoming committee at the airport.
When asked how he was doing shortly after arriving in Quebec, Rashid said he felt drunk even though he hadn’t had a drink. “I feel drunk with happiness. »
Even today, when the sponsorship is in principle over – the godmothers were required to support the family financially for one year – he measures his luck to have fairy godmothers around him who continue to watch over his family.
Sponsorship is officially over. But the friendship will never end.
Rashid
Jennifer tells me that she feels the same way. “We are linked by something very singular,” she says, alluding to this feeling that forever unites people who have gone through something extraordinary together, transforming their lives forever.
If sponsorship has the power to change the life of a family, it is not a one-way street, underline the godmothers.
“We are not just in the gift, but in the exchange”, observes Pascale, who finds in the incredible resilience of this family a source of inspiration.
“Their integration efforts are what touch me the most,” adds Joanne Comte, the godmother in charge of raising funds to support the family.
One summer day, over a meal at Joanne Comte’s, Rashid wanted to sing about his progress in French to his beloved godmothers. Under their moved and amused gaze, he began to sing Joe Dassin.
“That’s the first thing I wanted to do after learning a bit of French: find the songs I used to listen to as a child and sing one to my band! »
He begins to sing: “And if you did not exist…”
Rashid tells me that there are no words powerful enough to express his gratitude to his godmothers. If they did not exist, precisely, he does not know how his children could have aspired to such a promising second life.
“When I think back to the fact that my children were at risk of dying and that today they live in safety, have the right to dignity and freedom, I know that it is first and foremost thanks to Jennifer and her group of godmothers. »
Their history is not exactly a long calm river. It is made up of bereavements, trials and new challenges. But it is above all a story full of love and hope, underlines Rashid.
“It’s a story that was promising from day one and will be until the end of our days. And the beauty of it is that it’s not a made-up story like in Hollywood movies. This is 100% reality. Nothing invented! »
With, as a soundtrack, a French song that he can sing in chorus with his godmothers while laughing.