Success Stories - Chai: Seeing the world through a different lens

June 2011

Chai Bouphaphanh was born in Vientiane, Laos, in 1967 and lived there until 1978. Due to the Communist military victory in the Vietnam War, and repercussions in their country, Chai’s parents made the difficult decision to leave. After living in a refugee camp in Nongkhai, Thailand, for two years, Chai and his family were privately sponsored by the Drake Mennonite Church to come to Canada. On a very blustery February 1, 1980, the family arrived at the small town of Drake, Saskatchewan.

It was initially a difficult adjustment to life in Canada, particularly because of the cold weather and new language. Chai says it was sometimes hard to balance his Laotian culture with his new Canadian home, crediting his parents with understanding the need to meld both cultures together. Overall, Chai enjoyed growing up in Saskatchewan, playing hockey in the winter, and tennis and soccer in the summer. “I love the cold weather now!” he says. Chai is very grateful to the Drake Mennonite Church. “They have been helping us to feel at home since day one.”

Chai currently works in the IT department and as a product photographer for Drake Meats. He also freelances in photography, frequently volunteers for the Regina Open Door Society, and has done camera work for other organizations such as MacDonald Youth Services in Winnipeg.

Chai’s goal for the future is to continue to make people smile through his passion for photography. To this end, one of his photographs was selected in a National Geographic contest to be included in its library archive of stock photography.

Chai’s family recently celebrated 30 years in Canada. “We are living in the best place in the world. I want to say thank you to Canada for giving us the freedom to live and an amazing place to call home.”

Did you know that since 1978, private sponsors have brought more than 200,000 refugees to Canada, over and above the refugees resettled with government funding?