Over 35,000 Syrian refugees have arrived since in Canada since November 2015. We gathered the stories of three mothers who came to Canada with their families last year as Syrian refugees. They were all pregnant when they arrived and have since given birth to some of Canada?s most adorable new citizens.We talked to each of them about their journeys to Canada, their impressions of Canadian parenting customs and the challenges of adapting to life in a new country.
Ibtesam Hamza, 36

Husband: Naser Hamoud

From Homs, Syria

Left Syria Dec. 27, 2013 and moved to Jordan

Arrived in Canada Jan. 6, 2016

Mom of seven: Duha (age 16); Hiba (age 15); Jafaar (age 12); Mohamad (age 7); Abdullah (age 5); Omran (age 3); Raneen, now 13 months old (born April 20, 2016). Ibtesam Hamza and her husband, Naser, left Syria in 2013. They spent two years living in Jordan, sharing a two-bedroom apartment in the capital city of Amman with Ibtesam?s mother, her two brothers and their families?five adults and 10 children in total. They came to Canada as government-sponsored refugees in January 2016, when Ibtesam was six-months pregnant with her eighth child. They now live in an apartment in north-west Toronto.
This post is part of The Canada Project, a representative survey of Canadians from across the country. You can find out more by clicking the image above.
What made you decide to leave Syria for Jordan"

We had been staying with family outside of the city because it had become too dange...