Community Action Program for Children

Below is an unedited testimonial from a 2016 CAPC client

---

I moved to Canada from Korea at the end of September, 2015 with my twins through my husband’s sponsorship. My twins were 11 months old at the time. The thing that I worried the most was that I would stay home all day long with my kids without any communication with others because my husband has to work and because of my limited English, I had no friends or any acquaintance in Canada. Then I found MOSAIC through internet search. I was fortunate enough to be connected with Ms. Mai-, the operator of Vietnamese group, and I began to attend the group from April, 2016. It was such a good and valuable time to me and my kids. I realized that it rains very frequently in Vancouver during winter. My twins and I couldn’t even go out of the house. When we were in Korea, we went out for a stroll and met many people every day. My kids were much brighter and smiled a lot. After coming Canada, everything was new and unfamiliar to us and their personality became shy. I decided to attend Vietnamese group without a big expectation. But it was like a big luck to us. The staff of the group, Ms. Mai, Ms. Hoa, Ms. Thu and Ms. Brigde, have helped us so much to accommodate. Members of the group are very friendly also. The first time when we attended, my kids just held me tight even at lunch time and didn’t go to anyone. They didn’t play with toys, if I didn’t hug them while they played. I was upset and was afraid that they would not change. But their behaviour changed after attending the group few times. My kids began to play with the toys by themselves and gave me free time to talk to other mothers. They began to concentrate on the songs and the stories with Ms. Hoa and Ms. Thu. One of my twins sometimes told Ms. Mai to hug him, hold his hands to dance when people sang. My kids have found happiness and fun with the group.  It was one of the biggest happiness of mine after coming to Canada. Though the staff and other mothers’ help, I have got a lot of useful information for living in Canada; from markets, health services, playground for the kids, etc. The nurse and the staff from Vancouver library, who came to the group sometimes, also gave us very useful information. I would like to show my most sincere gratitude to all the staff in the group who has taken such a good care of not only my kids, but also me. Their warm hospitality and consideration have made my life in Canada more comfortable and welcoming. I hope that the gathering will be held more often, at least twice a week. N.T.T (2016 CAPC client)