Walking together: Healing and hope for Colombian refugees

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It is a known fact that physical activity is an
important factor in recovering from traumas and
for staying healthy, therefore it is important that
the church community plan for ways to ensure
that the refugee family can become physically
active once they arrive. The good news is that
there are likely many ways that the refugee
family can keep active and stay healthy in your
community, and there are likely people in the
congregation that would be willing to help them
discover the ways that best suit them.
Although their diet will certainly improve upon
arrival in Canada, most refugees won’t be
familiar with shopping in huge supermarkets,
nor will they be familiar with the changing of
seasons and the seasonal availabilities of fresh
produce.
Here are some questions to help you think about how to ensure the refugee family
has access to physical activity and healthy food:
1. What forms of physical activities are common in your town or city? You could classify the
possible options into different categories: group activities (such as community or church
sports teams), solitary activities (like jogging in the park), free activities (badminton in
the back yard), activities that you must pay for (swimming lessons or a dance class at
the community centre), summer activities, winter activities, activities available for specific
age groups etc. This will help you when it comes time to talk about the options with
the refugee family, since you’ll be able to explain what is available and find out which
activities are of most interest to the different members of the family.
2. What forms of physical activities do people from your church participate in? Who are
these people, and might they be willing to invite members of the refugee family to join
them?
3. Can you make space in your sponsorship budget to ensure that the refugee family
will be able to afford physical activities for each and every member of their family?
If children would like to join a local kids’ soccer team, the teenage son would make
good use of a gym pass, and the mom would like to join a ladies dance class at the
community centre, would this be financially possible?
4. Are there local farmers’ markets in your community that the refugee family could
shop at in the summer and fall? Since large supermarkets are unfamiliar to most
Colombians, the possibility of shopping at a farmers’ market would likely be welcome
and appreciated.