Walid was born in the town of Elgenena, Sudan in 1976. He fled Sudan when war broke out in his country and landed in a refugee camp in Egypt for 3 years. At this time he was 30 years old. Life in Egypt was very difficult, he arrived there with nothing. He found it very difficult to find a job. After the refugee camp, he lived in Alexandria for another three years where he studied to be a welder. He managed after three years to leave Egypt and made his way to Vancouver.
When he arrived in Vancouver he had a contact number for a case manager. He initially stayed at the Welcome House in downtown Vancouver for a month and then was helped by someone in the Sudanese Community to find an apartment. The case manager was the one that helped Walid get in contact with Matthew Stevenson and STEP.
Walid’s life in Canada is all about change. He came from halfway around the world to a new life and it is definitely a significant change. He says that STEP has saved his life and allowed his new life to start in Canada. He feels that STEP has helped him improve himself in many ways that may not even be discernible at this moment.
Image provided by Patrick Hemingway.
