Shine a Light: An Evening in Support of Refugee Girls' Education

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Saturday, November 23rd, 2013
6:00 PM to 9:00 PM

Once again, the VIU WUSC Local Committee will be hosting our annual fundraiser for a truly inspiring cause: providing girls in refugee camps with access to education!

Proceeds from this event will go towards WUSC's Shine-a-Light campaign, which provides girls in refugee camps with solar-powered lamps, remedial education and scholarships, so they can have the chance to shine!

Each year, the VIU WUSC (World University Service of Canada) Local Committee sponsors two students from refugee camps to come pursue their studies in Canada.

**THIS year, both of our newly-arrived students at VIU were benefactors of WUSC's Shine-a-Light campaign in Kenya! **

-> TICKETS: Tickets are $10 for general attendees or $7 for students. Advance tickets can be bought at the VIU Student Union, open 9:00am to 4:00pm Monday to Friday. A limited number of tickets will be kept at the door.

-> FOOD & DRINK: Ticket price includes a hot beverage and baked good. Specialty drinks (smoothies, espresso-based drinks, etc) and any additional goodies will be on sale.

-> PERFORMERS: The Speakeasy Jazz Band will be providing the evening�s entertainment.

-> FAIR TRADE SALES: We will be selling a variety of Fair Trade items: organic shea butter products from Burkina Faso, unique slippers from Kyrgyzstan, hand-made jewelry and miniature carvings from Africa, and delicious Camino organic chocolates. A great opportunity for the ethical Christmas shopper!


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FAQs:

***WHAT IS WUSC?***

WUSC � World University Service of Canada � is a leading Canadian non-profit organization in international development, committed to building a more equitable and sustainable world. We work with a unique and powerful network of post-secondary institutions, private-sector partners and volunteers to provide education, employment and empowerment opportunities that improve the lives of millions of disadvantaged youth around the world.

***WHAT DOES THE VIU WUSC LOCAL COMMITTEE DO?***

The main goal of the VIU WUSC Local Committee is to raise funds for our local Student Refugee Program.

Since 2008, we have been raising funds and awareness in the Nanaimo and VIU communities for the the SRP.

Financial support from generous local donors, students, VIU's Faculty of International Education, the VIU Student Union, and many other sources make it possible for us to sponsor two new students each year.

So far, these students have been from the Dadaab and Kakuma refugee camps of Kenya, where mainly Somali and South Sudanese refugees seek asylum. Upon arrival to Canada, they are granted Permanent Residency - the first step to becoming a Canadian citizen!

As a committee, we provide our sponsored students with peer support they need upon adjusting to a new life in Canada.

***WHAT IS THE STUDENT REFUGEE PROGRAM (SRP)?***

Whether through war or political repression, young men and women are often forced to flee their home country, only to face the harsh conditions of life in a refugee camp. Opportunities for higher education are virtually non-existent, leaving many bright and talented students unable to achieve their academic goals.

Through a unique youth-to-youth sponsorship, WUSC's Student Refugee Program helps student refugees achieve their educational goals by:

~ Building the capacity of young Canadians to sponsor refugee students to their university and/or college;

~ Providing student refugees with an opportunity to pursue their education at a Canadian university and/or college, as permanent residents;

~ Supporting sponsored students to adapt and succeed in their new environment in Canada.

***WHY GIRLS?***

"The girls in the camps want an education, and given opportunities, are prepared to work harder to succeed.

WUSC�s Shine a Light campaign aims to balance these inequities by providing girls with the tools they need to acquire an education. This is your opportunity to make a difference:

- Girls can use solar lamps to study in the evening after they�ve completed their household duties. The lamps provide a safe, cheap and sustainable light source.

- Girls want to improve their school performance and make up the classes that they missed during the day. When remedial classes are offered in the camps, they are filled to capacity. Girls can make up for lost time and succeed if we can offer more classes after regular school hours.

- Girls face cultural and religious barriers or simple constraints such as lack of uniforms, textbooks or sanitary supplies; when provided with school supplies, girls can enroll and remain in school.

- Finally with secondary school scholarships to study away from the refugee camps, promising young girls can attain better grades and get a chance at higher education and take hold of their own future.

Education is a powerful tool; give a young girl an opportunity to reach her full potential; give her a chance to shine!" (Source: http://shinealight.wusc.ca/whyGirls.html)