Less than a year after his arrival, former Gambian Buba Banda has decided to move to Edmonton at month’s end, says Barrhead Community Refugee Support (BCRS) co-chair Rita Lyster.
The announcement and other decisions regarding the group’s ongoing financial commitment were made at the group’s March 14 meeting, at the Barrhead United Church.
“It is a little sad to see Buba go, but his decision to move was not based on a sponsorship breakdown. It was amicable. He wants to be in the city, with friends and to have the opportunity to practice his faith,” Lyster said, adding the group has learned quite a bit about the process of helping and assisting refugees over the past ten months.
“I have a sense that there was a gap in expectations on Buba’s part, with regards to living in Barrhead versus Edmonton. I don’t know if Buba feels that way. Maybe it is just my perception,” Lyster said.
BCRS treasurer Jackie Radke agreed.
“When he told me he wanted to move, I admit, I cried a little bit,” she said, adding because of her connection to Banda, she has grown closer to him than perhaps other members of the group.
“Through no fault of anyone, he either misunderstood right from the get-go that he would be coming to Barrhead, or he believed this was only a stop-over. I don’t know. I’m not saying he was disappointed living here, because we all tried to show him the benefits of living in a small town and he came to the realization himself eventually, but maybe, ultimately, he would have been happier in Edmonton,” Radke said.
Lyster said there is no news yet on the status of the group’s other sponsored refugee.
