Khairuddin, a maintenance professional originally from Afghanistan, works with Berwick Retirement Communities in Victoria. Photo by Will O’Hare.

For Khairuddin, the journey from Kabul to New Delhi, to finally landing on his feet in Victoria, was arduous and uncertain, but well worth it.

As a maintenance professional in Victoria for Berwick Retirement Communities, a British Columbia-based senior living community with over 200 residents, Khairuddin’s days are not dissimilar from the work he has done before when living as a refugee in India. As a talented and handy professional, he helps out wherever is needed, from fixing things in the laundry to updating the paint on residents’ balconies.

Living as a refugee in India for five years, Khairuddin, a Shia Ismaili Muslim, did similar work in hotels, but the difference he says is in how well workers are respected by his new employer, Berwick, and in Canada in general. From working twelve hours with no break in India to being allowed to sit down and eat his lunch in Canada, he says the difference is notable. “It’s a really good place,” he says, “the staff and residents are so respectful and treat me very well.”

The biggest change too, is that his income from working at Berwick is finally enough to support his family, including his wife and their nine-year-old son and five-year-old daughter, who were also supported by Berwick and non-profit partners TalentLift and FOCUS Humanitarian Assistance to come to Canada.

Back in Afghanistan, Khairuddin worked for a major food services company, checking in on stores and retailers throughout the Kabul area. He says he often encountered violence and had close calls with fighting and bombing in the city, and knew he had to flee with his family. He worried that one day he might be injured and not be able to support them – so they fled to India with the hopes of a better life, though he was barely able to make ends meet there.

In India, he participated in community programs supported by FOCUS International. He and his family started free English lessons, and FOCUS connected him with TalentLift. From there, the process flew by: from applying for a job to landing in Canada with permanent residence, Khairuddin says the process only took about five months. Speaking about this support from FOCUS, TalentLift and his employer, Berwick, he says “they did everything for me, I cannot be more grateful.”

Now, he’s been in Victoria for three months, and besides enjoying the great weather and the greenery, Khairuddin says the greatest part of his new life is knowing his family has a chance to grow and succeed in life. He’ll finally be able to secure a good quality education for them, and he hopes to begin saving for a home to call their own one day. His son dreams of becoming a police officer, and his daughter wants to become a doctor and help others one day. “In Canada you can plan for a future and study hard and move up in life and feel confident in your future,” says Khairuddin, adding that this could only happen because of the journey they’ve made that was opened by Berwick.

“Now my kids have hope,” he says, “and I do too.”

Candidates living in refugee circumstances and seeking a job in Canada can join TalentLift. Employers seeking global talent while engaging their team in something transformative can start hiring.

“Now I have hope”: Khairuddin’s journey from Kabul to Victoria