Watch These Syrian Refugee Kids Play In Snow For The First Time
By:
David McNab, a local policeman in Ontario, Canada, is receiving a lot of attention for his viral YouTube video showing Syrian refugee children playing in the snow for the first time.
McNab and his wife are part of a group focused on helping a mother and her three kids adapt to Canadian life after recently leaving Syria. The video shows McNab taking the three children out tobogganing on an Ontario hill. The clip has already been viewed more than 250,000 times.
"They are going to make fantastic Canadians," McNab told Today.com.
RELATED: WHY WE NEED TO REVISIT ELEANOR ROOSEVELT'S 1939 REFUGEE COMMENTS
McNab added that seeing heart-breaking photos of refugees in the media inspired him and his wife to help refugees themselves. He said he was especially affected by the shocking image of Aylan Kurdi, a young boy who drowned on a dinghy heading to Greece.
"Like so many people around the world, we were seeing the images and the despair, especially the image of young Aylan Kurdi,'' McNab said. "When my wife and I saw that, we wanted to do something to get involved in helping. It's really that image [of Kurdi] that motivated our group."
The children hadn't been to school in years but they enrolled in a school almost immediately after arriving in Canada, McNab told TODAY. They are also taking language courses.
"Each day you can see their progress,'' McNab said. "They've come a long way in a short time."
McNab's community has been very receptive to Syrian refugees. The three kids in his video were given winter clothes, snow boots, and snowsuits. One of the stool racers that the kids used in the video was also a donation from a local boy.
Canada's #WelcomeRefugees initiative
Canada, which has taken in more than 10,000 refugees as part of its #WelcomeRefugees initiative, has been praised throughout the world for its kind treatment of refugees, especially because some politicians in the U.S. have been wary of helping Syrian refugees in the wake of terror attacks in Paris.
Last month, "Homeland" actor Mandy Patinkin appeared in a powerful video for the International Rescue Committee about the importance of embracing refugees at this time. After finishing season five of the series, Patinkin headed to Lesbos, Greece to meet with refugees from Syria, and he was moved by the courage of the people he saw.
Facebook/International Rescue Committee - facebook.com
"The idea of these people coming across this 6-mile journey in these little boats is a stunning concept, piled on top of each other, risking their lives," Patinkin said. "I don't get how people in different countries all over the world can be frightened of people who suffered so much, who are so in need, who are so desperately asking to have freedom, justice and dignity. Just give them a welcome and let them into your home. After risking their lives under these conditions, give them a good shot. Help them, God almighty, help them."
