Levant Canada
Supporting Refugees through Arts, Culture, and Sports.
Our Story
The story of Levant Canada is a story of a community coming together. In response to the war that struck Syria in 2011, Awatef al-Khadour, the founder of Levant, along with her sister, Siba al-Khadour, organized a fundraiser to collect winter clothes and blankets for Syrian refugees in Lebanon and Turkey.
On the day of the fundraiser, Siba and Awatef stood alone for half an hour with plenty of donated clothes and an empty U-haul truck. They thought they would never be able to load the truck with all the donations on time. All of a sudden, a surge of community members appeared and started to help.
In 2013, Levant became a registered non-profit organization. In 2014, Levant started their refugee sponsorship programs and started assisting families directly and indirectly.
Levant always accompanied its activity with cultural events to assist with the process of integration. As of 2019, Levant has decided to shift its focus on resettlement through sports, arts, and culture.
Our Mission
Refugee Sponsorship
Levant supports refugees as they flee crisis. Our primary mission is to enable refugee sponsorship initiatives in the Kitchener-Waterloo region. We help bring the vulnerable to safety in Canada.
Refugee Integration
Levant is dedicated to supporting refugees' empowered integration into Canadian life through arts and culture. Through the arts, Levant promotes intercultural dialogue and belonging. Our ongoing arts and culture programs help encourage integration and exchange between newcomers and established Canadians. They also support pride in the newcomers’ home cultures.
Our Vision
Our vision is a welcoming, discrimination-free Kitchener-Waterloo region. The future we are building includes empowered inter-cultural exchange.
Levant Canada’s success is thanks to the volunteering efforts and the dedication of community members who chose to take action and contribute to the relief of their fellow humans.