Refugee Sponsorship

A decision was made in 2022 by our church’s leadership to indirectly support a recent Afghan refugee to Canada, Hassina Shahidyar. We are partnering with Fleetwood Christian Reformed Church–the direct sponsor–in helping Hassina’s family to immigrate to Canada because of the difficult circumstances that many people in the Middle East endure.

To provide you with some background, Hassina’s family was forced to leave Afghanistan because of attacks and opposition from the Taliban. They moved to Pakistan after illegally crossing the border, as such, they faced the precarious reality of being deported to Afghanistan. Accompanying this post is a letter Hassina wrote that shares in detail, the hardships her loved ones faced.

In response to the dire circumstances that Hassina’s loved ones faced, Fleetwood Christian Reformed Church applied to the IRCC through their denomination’s Sponsorship Agreement Holder to sponsor this Afghan family. We agreed to indirectly support by contributing $25K to assist in the sponsorship process.

SEPT 2025 UPDATE: We’re happy to share that the fundraising goal for our Refugee Sponsorship partnership with Fleetwood Christian Reformed Church has been fully met!  We're deeply grateful to have played a part in helping this family relocate to Canada and begin building a new life here. Thank you to everyone who contributed—both financially and through your prayers.

In the coming weeks, Hassina will visit PCC to share an update on how her family is doing and the impact this sponsorship has had on their lives.