Hope, Hardship, and Home: Awet’s Story of Success
When Awet was conscripted into the Eritrean military as a teenager, he had no way of knowing that this would mark the beginning of a decades-long struggle for safety, freedom, and dignity. Like many young Eritreans, Awet was forced into indefinite national service, a system notorious for its harsh conditions, poor pay, and near-total control by an authoritarian regime.
Awet escaped. Like many young Eritreans, he saw no future under the repressive regime and was willing to risk a dangerous journey to flee the country. Using ingenuity and courage, he made his way across the border to Ethiopia, often moving by stealth only by night, once disguising himself as a shepherd to avoid detection. It was a journey filled with risk and desperation, but it led him to the relative safety of a refugee camp.
That safety, however, came at the cost of freedom. Awet would spend the next ten years in that camp—ten years in a tent, without electricity, without work, and without hope. Refugees in Ethiopia were not permitted to leave the camp or earn a living. “There was no hope. Eat, sleep. Eat, sleep. That was life,” Awet recalls. “What will happen tomorrow, we don’t know.”
Even in those bleak conditions, life found a way forward. Awet met his wife in the camp, and the two were married and started a family. It was a major turning point when the Diocese of Hamilton, Office for Refugees, in collaboration St. Gregory Parish in Cambridge and St. Bridget Parish in Ayr, helped sponsor Awet and his family for resettlement in Canada. “That was the first time I could see a little bit of light,” he says.
“There was no hope. Eat, sleep. Eat, sleep. That was life,” Awet recalls. “What will happen tomorrow, we don’t know.”
Awet arrived in Canada in 2017. The early months were far from easy. He didn’t speak English. He had no job. He didn’t understand the culture, and he was unfamiliar with Canadian winters—so unfamiliar, in fact, that he slipped so often on the ice that he would sometimes crawl just to stay upright. “It was very difficult. Everything was new. Everything was hard,” he remembers.
But support systems met him at every turn. He speaks of incredible gratitude for the volunteers at the parishes who helped generously with transportation, housing and integration. After months of searching and enduring hardship, including the birth of a new baby in a country whose systems and norms were completely foreign, Awet found work at a bakery in Cambridge.
At first, he rode his bicycle to work through snow and cold to do night shifts, often unable to rely on bus schedules. Eventually, he earned his driver’s license, gaining mobility and confidence.
In just a few years, Awet went from an operator with limited English to his position now as a manager within the bakery. He proudly notes that the company offers on-site English classes for newcomers, many of whom are just beginning their own journeys of resettlement. “I didn’t know anything before. Now, I’m speaking English. I’m leading a team. I’m helping others.”
Awet’s story is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit. He feels fortunate and realizes how rare and precious this opportunity was. He says he feels lucky because there are so many still in these camps, still waiting, still hoping. Here is a reminder that the work of welcoming refugees is not charity, but it is justice, humanity and giving a renewed hope! Creating transformation, not just for those who arrive, but for all the communities that embrace them.