Success Stories - Wahlay and Daisy: Finding refuge in Thunder Bay

June 2011

Wahlay Ray and his wife, Daisy Aung, feared they would never escape the sweltering heat of the Mae La refugee camp, one of the largest for Karen refugees straddling the Thai-Burmese border. But today, Wahlay and Daisy have found a new home in the picturesque northern Ontario city of Thunder Bay.

Wahlay and Daisy came to Canada as refugees from Burma in 2002, privately sponsored by the Sleeping Giant Refugee Sponsoring Group and First Presbyterian Church in Thunder Bay. The couple belong to the persecuted Karen minority in Burma. They were forced into a refugee camp after their village was burned to the ground.

Life in the refugee camp was harsh. “Sanitation was very poor and health care was limited,” says Wahlay. “There is a generation of Karen children who have no knowledge of what lies outside the barbed wire surrounding the camp. They’re like caged birds.”

When Wahlay and Daisy arrived in Thunder Bay, they were welcomed with open arms by their sponsors and church. “Fortunately, there were already Karen refugees here who were able to connect us to job opportunities and even accompany us to medical appointments.”

Wahlay and his wife have built a rich life for themselves and their two children. Wahlay is a settlement worker and translator at the Thunder Bay Multicultural Association where he helps newcomers. He is also a pastor at the Hosanna Karen Christian Fellowship. “My hope is that my children will get a good education and become self-sufficient, and that I can continue helping those in my community in need.”

Each year, Wahlay and Karen community members perform a traditional bamboo dance at the Thunder Bay Folklore Festival. “Canadians are willing to celebrate our culture – they embrace diversity,” he says.

Did you know that from 2006 to 2009, Canada resettled more than 3,900 Karen refugees?