10 powerful photos of Syrian refugees living across Canada

Elaine Hofer (left) helps Najwa Hussein take care of her newborn daughter, Janna. Photo, Annie Sakkab/UNHCR.

Canada has taken in more than 40,000 Syrian refugees since Nov. 2015, the initiative burned into Canadians’ brains by the iconic image of Justin Trudeau welcoming families at the airport. But a year and half later, shots of these newcomers are harder to come by. A photography project from the UN’s refugee agency (UNHCR) called From Far and Wide set out to see how some of the refugees are faring now, focusing on a handful of communities across the country.

Annie Sakkab, a Palestinian-Canadian photographer based in Toronto, shot the families over the course of four months last year. She shares 10 of the most memorable moments here.

Gallery

UNHCR: From Far and Wide

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Elaine Hofer helps Najwa Hussein take care of her newborn daughter Janna in Brandon, Man.

“[Elaine] went to Najwa’s house to help with the baby, and I saw both of them looking the same, dressed the same… I loved that connection between them. The fact that both of them are from two different parts of the world, but they have a lot of things in common — even in the way that they’re dressed. I found that quite compelling.” 

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