Rainbow Brick Road

We need your support! 

We are Rainbow Brick Road, a group of 8 based in Ottawa, Canada, raising money to sponsor a gay Middle-Eastern couple who must leave their home country due to political unrest. We learned about the couple from a friend who resided in the Middle East and first met them there. Our friend, a refugee sponsor herself, has maintained a connection to the couple and, subsequently, knows too well the crisis they're facing. 

After months of receiving updates from the couple through our friend, we're excited to communicate directly with them via Skype. Our conversations are helping us better prepare for their arrival and settlement in Ottawa.

With active guidance from Capital Rainbow Refuge, we're learning how to navigate the settlement process, including preparing an application to sponsor a refugee couple and establishing roles and responsibilities to better support the couple's settlement in Canada. Our relationship with Capital Rainbow Refuge ensures that in the unlikely event that our group's sponsorship application is unsuccessful, all our donations will be given to Capital Rainbow Refuge to support similar sponsorship efforts.

To sponsor and welcome this couple, we need to raise $30,000. Your contributions will help to support the couple settle into life in Ottawa and will serve as their first year of income. This will help to secure a place to live and pay rent, apply for social insurance and health care, find a job, buy groceries, furniture and clothes (especially for winter), and confirm educational certifications, among other needs. The funds we raise will be placed into a trust in the couple's name, and once they arrive in Canada, they will receive bi-weekly payments from that account. We expect that within their first year, the couple will have found a sustainable source of income and be relatively self-sufficient.

We’re inviting our family, friends and other potential donors to also consider offering gifts of furniture, small kitchen appliances, linens, towels, tools and other household goods. We can also issue tax receipts for donations over $25. Please find us on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter to connect with us and follow our journey!

Fundraising is only one part of our responsibility as sponsors.  We are committed to offering the couple practical and social support during their first year in Canada, and to make every effort toward their seamless transition. That means being available and able to assist them with anything they need, from the moment they touch down in Canada. We will meet and greet them at the airport, arrange living accommodations, assist with job searches, connect them with healthcare professionals, organize social interactions, and guide them through the ins and outs of Canadian and Ontario systems as they adapt to life in Ottawa. 

Who are we?

We're a diverse group of friends, with a common interest in helping  resettle a couple in Ottawa. Our team consists of Jacky Chan, Nikki Guerrero, Tricia Lucas, Maude Olivier,  Jeffrey Quan, Jenna Rae Dean, Olivia Tran, and Sinthuya S. You can get to know us better below: 

Jacky Chan is a psychology resident at the Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre and is completing his doctoral studies in clinical psychology at the University of Ottawa. He has a strong passion in working with immigrant and refugee, LGBTQ2S+, and Indigenous communities to co-create a more socially just world for tomorrow. Some would call him idealistic (and others may say he is “young and naïve”, which he totally is) as he believes in the power of changing the world one small step at a time.

Nicole “Nikki” Guerrero was born and raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba, but has lived her adult life in Ottawa, Ontario, where she first arrived as a student before transitioning into her role as a public servant. Her objective is "to support citizenship in my own little way".

Tricia Lucas currently works as a policy analyst for the federal government and has degrees in Anthropology and Public Administration. In her previous lives she worked as an ESL teacher in South Korea, and in tourism in Canada, Australia, and the UK. She is passionate about immigration issues and feels that Canada not only has a responsibility to the global community to support refugees, but benefits greatly by accepting diverse people in need into our country.

Maude Olivier currently works as an international development officer at Global Affairs Canada where she works on development innovation. She holds a Master in International Affairs with a specialization in African Studies from the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs at Carleton University and a Bachelor of Commerce from McGill University. She is people-driven and motivated to make the world a better place. A few of her favourite things include good food, travels, endless conversations, and dancing to electronic music.

Jeff Quan is a PhD student and part-time professor of psychology at the University of Ottawa. As the child of refugees himself, Jeff understands first-hand the power of reaching across borders to help those in need. As the beneficiary of kindness from complete strangers, Jeff knows he will never be able to repay the sheer generosity that was shown to his family, but he hopes that by taking on this initiative, others will continue to benefit from the openness and compassion that characterize the Canadian spirit.

Olivia Tran works at Global Affairs Canada as a Development Officer for the Nigeria Program. The daughter of Vietnamese "boat people," she has a strong commitment to welcoming refugees and advocating for migrant and refugee rights.  Previously, she has volunteered for the UN High Commission for Refugees and the Roofs for Refugees initiative.

Want to support/donate in other ways?

We welcome gifts of household items, furniture, clothes, books, tools, gift cards and other useful things. 
Please follow us on social media to keep apprised of all upcoming events:
Twitter: @BrickRoadRefuge 
Instagram: @rainbowbrickroadottawa 
Facebook: www.facebook.com/rainbowbrickroadottawa/ 

Please get in touch at: [email redacted] or directly with any member of our team. We'd be happy to hear from you!