Journey to Canada
With her husband now living and involved in war in the Sudan, Nebiat was left on her own to raise four children. In Ethiopia away she was far from her homeland of Eritrea and now without the support of her mother and extended family who were in Embatikala.
In 1993, while living in Addis Ababa, Nebiat’s third eldest daughter Selam met a young man from Eritrea who had earlier immigrated to Canada. He had travelled to Ethiopia to visit with his family who were also refugees from Eritrea. Selam and he became married and within a year, Selam was able to join him in Canada as a sponsored refugee.
While in Canada, Selam gave birth to two daughters- Feven and Danayit. In 2001, Selam became pregnant with her third child. Even with 7 years in Canada and a growing family, Selam was very homesick and missed both her mother and her homeland. At the same time, a border war had broken out between Ethiopia and Eritrea. Selam, worried for the safety of her mother and, longing to see her again, decided to bring Nebiat to Canada on a visitor’s visa. In 2001, Nebiat came to Canada to help Selam take care of her two granddaughters and to be present for the birth of her third grandchild.
When Nebiat arrived in Canada she was unsure about what she would find in this far-away and new country. She was immediately impressed by how nice and welcoming everyone was towards her. She appreciated what Canada had to offer and felt very positive about this first visit to this strange land. The natural beauty in Canada was unlike anything she had seen before with dense green forests, sky-high mountains and wide open spaces. Nebiat felt torn as she wanted to return home to Ethiopia her homeland, but she also wanted to be near her daughter Selam and her three grandchildren. In the meantime, the war between Ethiopia and Eritrea worsened- making it very dangerous for Nebiat to return home. The Canadian government recognized this danger and agreed to provide refugee status to Eritrean and Ethiopian citizens in Canada. Nebiat, along with Salem’s assistance, applied to the Canadian government for refugee status. In 2002, Nebiat was granted refugee status and so began another chapter with a new life in Canada.
