Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Sudanese And Somali Refugees In Canada: Social Support Needs And Preferences, Edward Makawrimba, Miriam Stewart, Laura Simich, Knox Makumbe, Edward Shizha, Sharon Anderson

Edward Shizha

The aim of the study was to identify the unique support needs and preferences of African refugees in Canada. In-depth interviews were conducted with Sudanese and Somali refugees (n=68) living in two cities in central and western Canada. Refugees were interviewed individually to identify their support needs, current sources of support, available support programmes, barriers to access to support resources, and preferred support interventions. These refugees reported major support needs, depleted social networks, and barriers to accessing services and supports. They identified distinct preferences for support from peers from the same country of origin and professionals. Participants wanted group-level support …