South Sudanese group join Lions Club to help refugees

Akeri Isara started the Ma'di chapter of the Lions Club of Winnipeg.

South Sudanese refugees who call Winnipeg home want to give back to the city.

A group of more than 30 refugees are starting their very own Lions Club chapter called Ma'di.

"We are working together to involve, to service our community in the City of Winnipeg," said Akeri Isara.

All of the members come from the Ma’di region of South Sudan. Many of these refugees came to Canada escaping violence in South Sudan.

The Lions Club of Winnipeg presented the group with their charter at a ceremony Saturday night. Alan Whitson of the Lions Club of Winnipeg has worked with the group to set them up as a chapter of the Lions Club.

“They have come here through various refugee camps and through other countries on their way here, and when they arrived here, they decided that they wanted to do something to give something back to the community that welcomed them,” said Whitson.

One of the group’s main objectives is to help new African refugees settle in Winnipeg. “Because we see a lot of our community suffering here in Manitoba, especially Winnipeg. They don’t have any place to live, for example. So that’s why we try to do something,” he said.

The group would also like to set up a youth wing, called Leos.