Eritrea refugee shares his harrowing story of finding safety in Lethbridge on World Refugee Day

It can be a harrowing voyage that many take in search of a better life, and in light of World Refugee Day, one man shared his story of his four year journey to escape to Canada.

“I wanted to leave my country to change my life,” says Haileab Kiflai Tsegai, a recent refugee in search of a brighter future.

At the age of 19, Tsegai chose to flee his home in the East African country of Eritrea and find refuge in a ‘safer’ country. And after a four year journey through unknown land and refugee camps, he has finally found a new home and new life in Lethbridge.

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“I went by like hiding,” recalls Tsegai of his journey. “I first went to Sudan, where I stayed for almost three years, and from there the trip started to Canada.”

It was out of fear for his future and a hope for a life of education without fear that first prompted Tsegai to first leave Eritrea, and although his travels have been long and tiresome, he says his future is already looking brighter.

“It’s difficult to live there if you are young like me. It’s not safe because maybe the government will take you from the school,” says Tsegai.

“But I like Lethbridge, I feel really safe and I’m now attending classes at Flexibility Learning.”

However, Tsegai is just one of hundreds of thousands of migrants, bravely seeking refuge in Canada from countries across the globe.

“We have a lot of people coming from Ethiopia from the Congo, Rwanda, and we have people coming here who have lived in refugee camps for 20 years and were finally able to leave and make it to Canada,” says Elma Guintol, director of Flexibility Learning in Lethbridge.

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According to the 2016 census, there are more than 800,000 refugees currently residing in Canada, and Tsegai himself is joined by more than 2,000 other refugees who now call Lethbridge home.

And now, in light of World Refugee Day on June 20, Tsegai was able to tell his story to the community and express his gratitude for the new life he has been given since arriving in southern Alberta just five short months ago.

“Thank you Canada government to give us this opportunity to help refugees and immigrants,” says Tsegai. “Thank you.”