By Jim Coggins

First Baptist Church in Victoria is attempting to sponsor Victor Dillon, a refugee from Liberia, to come to Canada.

In 1990, Victor, his parents and his brother Otis fled a civil war in Liberia. In the Buduburam Accra refugee camp in Ghana, they formed a family unit with a woman named Sarah Weeks and her grandson Ralph.

Victor’s father and brother Otis attempted to return to Liberia in 1995 and were reported killed. His mother followed in 1996 and was also reported killed.

Ralph came to Canada in 1996 on a scholarship, leaving Victor to care for Sarah Weeks in the refugee camp, where she had helped to establishing a Methodist church.

By 2001, Ralph had become a Canadian citizen and had joined the Canadian Navy. He then applied to have Sarah and Victor come to Canada under the family reunification application.

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However, Sarah had developed osteoarthritis, and her immigration was not approved until after she had died in 2009.

Victor’s immigration under the family reunification program was denied because he is not directly related to Ralph.

First Baptist Church then got involved and hired a lawyer, who filed an appeal on humanitarian and compassionate grounds. A member of the church, Hildegard Horie, began contacting political and government leaders on the issue. However, in October 2010, Victor’s application was turned down on the grounds that it is now safe for refugees to return to Liberia, and various government leaders have refused to intervene in the matter.

Victor has responded that his life is in danger because he is from mixed tribes and he has received death threats while in Ghana.

Horie and other members First Baptist have continued to raise the issue with politicians and the media.

For further information, see the website: www.causes.com/causes/552197-help-victor-dillon-join-his-family-in-canada?recruiter_id=153783533

January 2011