Student Refugee Fund surpasses goal thanks to Dal community's generosity

The Dalhousie Student Refugee Fund (DalSRF) campaign has officially come to a close — and the 40-day campaign not only met its $24,000 crowd-funding goal but surpassed it.

Thanks to the generosity of the Dalhousie community, DalSRF raised $30,575, which the university will match. Dalhousie will work with its partner organization, World University Service of Canada (WUSC), to best determine how the proceeds from the campaign will be applied to create additional student refugee placements at Dalhousie.

“It is my hope that this campaign will continue to call attention to the global refugee crisis and generate discussion on how we can use our resources to provide ongoing support,” said President Richard Florizone in a memo to the Dal community last week. “I am proud of how our campus has responded to this global crisis and I look forward to continuing Dalhousie’s efforts to welcome refugees into our community.”  

Since the campaign launched, individuals and student groups have reached out to the Working Committee on Refugee Crisis (WCRC) and the president asking how they can help further Dal’s efforts in addressing the global refugee crisis.

“Students in the Faculty have Dentistry come together to sponsor a Syrian family; the School of Health and Human Performance organized a Dal-wide drive for clothing, toys and household items for refugees; and students and staff have volunteered to donate the proceeds from their artwork to support refugees settling in our area,” said Alain Boutet, executive director of international relations at Dalhousie and chair of the WCRC.

Dr. Boutet also cites a $5,000 donation from the Dalhousie Faculty Association (DFA) to the fund as further evidence of how the Dal community has come together quickly on this matter.

“DalSRF has kick-started a dialogue about how we can come together as a community to welcome refugees settling in our area and ensure that they have a safe and successful settlement,” said Dr. Boutet. “It is important that our community also support Immigrant Services Association of Nova Scotia (ISANS) as they will largely be responsible for facilitating the settlement of refugees coming to Nova Scotia.”

DalSRF was a starting point for Dal and the WCRC, which is still exploring ways that Dalhousie, as an institution, can expand upon its current services and make long-term sustainable contributions to addressing the refugee crisis.