Mennonite Weekly Review

STEINBACH, Man. — Thanh Trinh’s dream has been fulfilled thanks to a family’s friendship.

Te and Thanh Trinh, center, have grown in friendship with Lorraine and Elbert Toews, left and right, since arriving in Canada in 1980. — Photo by Gladys Terichow/Mennonite Central Committee

After fleeing war and harsh economic conditions in Vietnam 30 years ago, Trinh and his family have stable lives in a new land.

One of their children is a physician, another a pharmacist, one a massage therapist, one an occupational therapist and one a sports store manager. Trinh and his wife, Te, have four grandchildren.

“This was my dream for my family. My dream has been fulfilled,” Thanh said.

The Trinh family was among a million refugees who took great risks to flee the war-ravaged countries of Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos after the Vietnam War.

On behalf of Mennonite churches in Canada, Mennonite Central Committee responded to this crisis by negotiating a private sponsorship agreement in 1979 between MCC Canada and the Canadian government. Within weeks many other denominations signed identical agreements with the government.

Canada is the only country in the world that has a private sponsorship program to assist the government in resettlement of refugees and displaced people, said Ed Wiebe, national coordinator of MCC’s refugee programs in Canada.

Each year, the Canadian government resettles 7,500 refugees through government programs and an additional 4,500 through the private sponsorships.

“It is a unique system that Canada brings to the international table,” Wiebe said. “Other countries are very interested in this program and how it works. They want to know how Canada motivates private citizens to get involved.”

The Trinh family, sponsored by Grace Mennonite Church in Steinbach, survived a five-day voyage to Indonesia from southern Vietnam in an overcrowded ship that was looted and ransacked by three groups of pirates. Eventually the family made it to a refugee camp in Indonesia where they spent eight months. During this time they lost contact with family in Vietnam.