No one knows the plight of refugees better than Fariborz Birjandian.
When the former ship captain and his family were facing persecution in Iran, he took his wife, two children and mother out of the country to Pakistan, literally walking for 21 days.
Birjandian understands the difficulties facing immigrants and, as CEO of the Calgary Catholic Immigration Society, it’s his wish that they see Canada and especially Calgary as a haven.
“What makes me happy is that we are in a position to help somebody who has gone through such severe experiences, that has lost their faith in humanity,” Birjandian said. “We restore that trust and faith in humanity. That’s what makes me come to work every day and never get tired.”
Birjandian and his family came to Calgary in 1988. Since then, he has been heavily involved with immigrant refugee issues such as settlement integration. He became CEO of CCIS 25 years ago — an agency that has a staff of around 300 and serves 10 communities in southern Alberta.
“It’s my passion,” he said. “We’re looking at people coming into this country who are shaping our city. I want to make sure people are settled and integrated so they can contribute to society.
“Immigration is one of the things that impacts every aspect of our life —what you consume, your traffic, your health care, your sports facilities, everything. You really need a community to facilitate that integration. That’s been one of my pushes.”
In the past 30 years, Birjandian has received numerous accolades, including a citation of citizenship from the federal government as well as the Alberta centennial medal. He believes Canada’s immigration process is, for the most part, well organized.
“One of the biggest challenges I have in Calgary is the people who come here as refugee claimants who are not eligible for any services initially,” he said. “It’s about 1,000 people a year. That’s one thing I’m trying to raise awareness and make them understand.
“The rest I think is doing well. If you look at evaluations, Calgary is one of the places people want to come to.”
Source: https://calgaryherald.com/news/local-news/compelling-calgarians-fariborz-birjandian
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